Here is an example of why I love gardening so much.
Back in late Fall of 2011, I purchased three Astilbe 'Amethyst' plants online at a ridiculous discount. They were something like $1.99 a plant and for that price, I'll give anything a try.
So in late October, the three little plugs (as opposed to the Three Little Pigs, hmmmm I may have a children's book idea here) went into the dirt and I basically forgot about them.
Fast forward to Spring 2012 and I was thrilled to see that they had all survived the Winter:
I have very little shade on my property so I cherish the opportunity to squeeze in some shade loving plants. I was super psyched to see that these puppies were good to go and I couldn't wait to see how they would treat me in the near future.
Within a few weeks, I was fortunate to get me some blooms and hot damn, I loved the color:
To get blooms that soon was a bonus as I had no expectations of having any until maybe the following year.
Then one day I stumbled across this view and realized how the 'Amethyst' blooms contrasted nicely with the blooms of Nepeta (Catmint) 'Walker's Low':
That combo never crossed my mind but falls under the always growing category of "Awesome plant combinations I never intended". Some times it is better to be lucky.
I never prune off the blooms on my Astilbes as they remain somewhat interesting from Summer into Fall and into Winter:
Let's fast forward a bit more to say, last week. Here are those same three Astilbe 'Amethyst':
They have filled in beautifully and I couldn't be more proud of my $1.99 decision. The foliage is tremendous and lush and that alone makes me a happy dude.
But wait, we have more.
There are tons of buds that have formed these past few days and soon enough, we will have a massive explosion of color:
Be sure to tune in and enjoy said explosion of color with me.
Have a great weekend!
John