Everybody needs a keeping garden. You know, a garden where you can ‘keep’ plants that you don’t want to get rid of, but you haven’t yet found their perfect spot or planting location.
My first keeping garden started by accident along the side of my middle vegetable garden. One spring, a volunteer dogwood planted itself right in the middle of the peas. It kept on growing while the peas were harvested and died out, and it looked so happy there I didn’t have the heart to pull it out. If you look at the right side of this picture you can see that dogwood in all its glory.
About that time, a neighbor was digging out her shrub border and asked if she could stick some things in my garden for a little while. The Anthony Waterer Spirea and periwinkle were a pretty complement to the dogwood that had by now grown fairly tall. (The neighbor never did come back for her shrubs). Next came extra daylilies, coneflowers and artemesia. By now the keeping garden had taken over half the vegetable garden. Some flat stones made a little path to get to the inside, as a border of hydrangae now made a barrier down one side. All the grandkids loved to follow that path - it led to a shady little world inside. The next spring red tulips appeared from somewhere and I added some annuals to use just for cutting. That garden turned out to be one of my favorites and I didn’t even plan it.
This spring when you divide your perennials or a friend insists that you take a piece of her favorite plant, find a little corner and start a keeping garden of your own. You never know, it might turn out to be one of your favorite gardens too!
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