Volunteers in the Garden A BONUS!

What a nice surprise it can be to notice new little plants coming up around where last year's plants were.  Now...people who like tidy organized gardens would say that these plants that are "out of place"!  They might even call them "weeds"!

Here at Sweetwater.....we believe in this old adage!

Some of you may not know that these little plants are called "volunteers"!

I have been finding many, many, many little volunteers all over the Sweetwater Garden!

Finding wonderful websites and resources for my projects and posts is a happy part of blogging!  All good posts have a little research behind them.

GARDENING KNOW HOW is the most amazing website!  You really should take a minute to hop over there and visit! I kept linking from one great article to the next!  But this quote from the article about "Serendipitous Gardening" was the perfect rationale I needed to "save and rescue" my little Sweetwater Volunteers!

"What is serendipity in the garden? Serendipitous gardening is and can be an interesting alternative to traditional gardening. Rather than going through the task of designing your garden to perfection, just sit back and allow nature to do all the work for you. This is, after all, what she does best, harmonizing the landscape by letting the plants choose what type of soil they prefer and in what area they would like to grow. Most of us are taught to take complete control of our gardening environment, but sometimes nature understands, better than we do, how to keep our gardens balanced."

Sometimes the volunteers end up in spots that really can't have plants....on pathways or next to plants that would suffer with the competition!

 These little Violet plants popped up in the rocks next to the front walk garden!


I dug them up and planted them in some of those little pots that are taking up space in the garage!

Look how happy this plant is in it's new planter!


















By doing this....I have potted plants to enjoy until the annuals go on sale at the nursery!

Mint is a plant that likes to spread all over.  It is so hardy that you can literally rip it up and plant it.

At the nursery....a mint plant costs like $4....and this one is FREE!

There used to be two pots of Hyssop....a licorice scented plant that pops up all over the gardens here!

I kept one and "gifted" the other to a friend who came to lunch this week!

The planters on the front steps are also waiting for annuals!

The plants you see here are snippets of Lady's Mantle.

This lovely perennial is a favorite of mine because of the wonderful chartreuse  colored blooms that will come in a month or so!

They create a nice "fill" for the early season.






I will add a couple of bright colored Geraniums and some other annuals this week.

This is a great way to avoid having to buy all of those expensive accent plants at the nursery!

When the Lady's Mantle is done blooming and starts to look "shabby", the annuals will be on sale at the nursery!

Thrifty....if I do say so myself!


I challenge you to wander your garden with your little shovel and take advantage of some "volunteerism"!

I am off to school today to "Be a Volunteer" for some terrific kids who need a little help "blooming"....how serendipitous is that?!

Hope YOU have a Wonderful Day!

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