Yet again I could not resist the urge to look for discount plants, and I found some! I picked up three more ‘East Friesland’ salvias, three ‘Caradonna’ salvias, another viburnum, and two ‘Patriot’ hostas. My total for these nine forlorn plants was $8.74 after taxes. The salvias were all in great shape for being on a discount rack. The hosta leaves had faded on the ‘Patriot’s but the root systems were strong. I took a chance on the viburnum, but for a dollar why not? I scratched the bark with my fingernail and found green underneath so it is alive and hopefully will stay that way until spring. I suspect the freeze we had caused it to go dormant, which for many trees and shrubs dormancy is a good time to plant.
I managed to get each of these plants in the ground yesterday before today’s rains came. The ‘East Friesland’ salvias are with their kin in our birdbath/butterfly garden while the ‘Caradonna’ salvias have joined our front perennial garden. They will mix together with some purple and white verbena that I plan to transplant to that bed.
This time of year many nurseries are looking to sell their perennial stock which means it’s a great time to pick up a few plants. The roots will settle in over the winter and be ready for foliage and blooms in the spring. One important thing to remember: mulch! Cover the base of the plants with a 2-3 inch layer of mulch for protection. You should also do this to mums after they have been cut back.
