Over the next two weeks, major league baseball players will be reporting to Spring Training in Florida and Arizona. Promise of actual baseball games, not to mention better weather, is on the horizon. It is always my first sense of relief from the hell that is winter.
At this time of year there is always a sense of optimism with each and every MLB team as players show up in “the best shape of their life” and teams still have a record of 0-0. Anything can happen over the next eight months and that warm and fuzzy feeling makes its way to the fan bases as well.
This year my son and I will be attending Spring Training (Port St Lucie, FL, home of our beloved NY Mets) and we couldn’t be more jacked up. We expect big things from the New York Metropolitans this year and we’re ready to kick it all off. On top of that, my son has become an avid autograph stalker collector and I am so excited to just kick back and watch him watch the players with a sense of awe and chase them down for their signatures.
Latest card in mail for Jack #mlb #reds #autographs
A photo posted by john markowski (@jmarkowski0) on
I love witnessing the transformation of my son from a quiet and laid back dude into an aggressive autograph hound. Good times.
As I become prognosticator extraordinaire and try to make sense of where I think this Mets team will end up by season’s end, I take a look at each and every player and try to determine if they were a flash in the plan, due for a bounce back season or will stay the course. Once that is complete, I can collectively assess the team and make my official prediction for the upcoming season (86-76 by the way).
And wouldn’t you know it, I do the exact same thing with my plants this same time each year. They get pre-season plant evaluations and it isn’t necessarily always pretty, even during this optimistic time of year. Once that is done, I have a pretty good feel for how I anticipate my garden looking that year. Yet another way baseball and gardening are so similar. Who the hell knew?
For today’s post, I’m looking at 5 plants that I added to my garden within the last year and showed signs of promise in year one. Like a rookie outfielder who bursts onto the scene and makes an immediate impact, we never know what we’ll get in year two. More of the same? Big regression? Small but steady improvement? All of the possibilities are viable.
Let’s do this.
Trollius chinensis ‘Golden Queen’
This was a complete impulse purchase. Like a naive dope, I was pulled in at the nursery by the gold/orange blooms but knew little beyond that. I think I saw the word “moist” somewhere so that was enough to justify buying a few.
The plants were already in bloom when I bought them in early May so I really have no idea when they will bloom, if at all, with my conditions. Ideally, they bloom at the same time as my Salvia so we can get all orange and purple together.
And the deer need to stay away as well. Like I said, solid planning.
Lilac – and that’s all I know about it
Keeping with the poor planning theme, I honestly have no recollection of where I purchased this and what type of Lilac it is. I just remember saving it in late autumn.
I wanted to plant one Lilac near my deck so the spring smell can make its way to us. As you can see, it bloomed a bit in year one and I’m very pumped to see what year two has in store. It is also my wife’s favorite and it only took me ten years to plant one so there’s that.
Lobelia gerardii ‘Vedrariensis’
Purchased three of these in late fall 2013 and they bloomed like mad last summer. Lobelia have always been in my wheelhouse since they love the wet and have always been deer resistant. I want to see more of the same in 2015, just a little bigger and badder because that color in mid to late summer is tremendous.
Andropogon gerardii ‘Red October’
Now this is the plant I am absolutely the most psyched to see again this gardening season. Look at that foliage color and then imagine the impact it can have 4 or 5 times the current size. And I’ve got 3 within in my garden. Cause I am too cool for school.
Pennisetum ‘Desert Plains’ Â
All I ask for is more of the same. What phenomenal color backlit by the sun in late afternoon. And those blooms are sweet as well. So let’s just get a little bit bigger OK?
And there are my early season plant evaluations for 2015. As always, would love to hear your thoughts on any of these plants.
Great post! I can so relate to the pre-season garden evaluation and the sense of excitement in all the possibilities.
Impulse purchases are a good thing in that I have found many “gems” that I otherwise wouldn’t have thought to plant. Many years ago when Knockout Roses first came out, I bought two of them (pink) because they were in full bloom in their pots and looked so healthy and pretty. They were supposed to be a Mother’s Day gift for my mom, but I ended up deciding that since she lives in the woods, the deer would eat them. So we should keep them and get her something else. (Nice rationalization, eh?) They were the best impulse purchase I’ve ever made… Thanks for your great posts. They are helping me get through a very long and cold winter here in northern NJ.
Hi John,
As always, I enjoyed your blog. So entertaining and I love the photos of your garden plants/flowers. I love the Trollius chinensis ‘Golden Queen’!!
I’m waiting for the snow to melt and spring to get underway! I’m ready to start working in my garden.
Linda
Trollius is a great plant — here in Michigan, it is a late spring/early summer bloomer. It’s a consistent bloomer, and while it does love moisture, it does OK without it.
I, too, impulse buy plants. The bad thing is that once in a while, I forget the name of something that I really like!! Oh, well, that’s how the garden grows.