Have you ever put something in the garden that you just shouldn’t have? Maybe you thought “I don’t have a better place to put this so I’ll just stick it in here” or even “I’ll stick this plant here and keep it trimmed back.” I’ve thought both of those many times and made mistakes and the latter statement gets me all the time! One of my more recent mistakes was with an artemisia.
Don’t get me wrong there are several artemisia varieties can be great or even awesome plants. I love ‘Powis Castle’ with it’s large fluffy mounds of silver foliage and I like ‘Silver Mound’ also (I would rate it higher if only it wouldn’t flop open in the middle). Both of which I’ll keep in my garden and neither one is invasive to any degree. In fact I’d be happy if they did spread around a little more! The mistake I’m talking about is with the artemisia that was pawned off on my at a plant swap. You see, I knew the reputation of other artemisias to spread and yet I took the plant home anyway. Once it was home I should have planted it somewhere where it had space to grow and spread without taking over other plantings. Did I? Of course not! I planted it in and among the plants of my deck planting bed. Other plants like boxwoods, caryopteris, a daylily or two, an ‘Oranges and Lemons’ gaillardia, and probably one or two other plants have now been engulfed by this silvery colored monster artemisia.
And to think this thing started off as a small stem of a plant. Once I get the chance I’ll be removing this thug of an artemisia. It’s just one of many plants I’ve decided needs better homes – maybe even in other states.
What does this teach me? Know the plant and put it in the right place for its growth habit! Will I do that?
Without a doubt…
I’ll screw up again!
But sometimes mistakes are what makes gardening fun and interesting, or does it just seem that way to me?
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LOL – Tall amaranthus – Amaranthus caudatus. You know –the one that the seed packet says 2-3', but it decides it wants to be 6-8'? Or my current mistake — Red Shield Hibiscus. Seed packet says 3-4' tall — figured it would be a good filler annual. My 'good' one is currently 13 1/2' tall and almost 15' wide… and it never got any fertilizer!
Ha! I'm glad to hear your confession and realize I'm not alone. My problem is the plant that sat there for several seasons doing nothing and not filling in. Move it to tuck into a small empty spot under another plant, and it grows to gigundous proportions, engulfing all around it. Perverse plants.
You are in luck with this artemesia as you can get rid of it with some perseverance. But beware-if you do not cut Powis it too will spread pretty far and wide. My MIL ripped hers out that I had planted for her. Such a shame though since it was so pretty.
I don't have any artemisia, but I've grown my share of other thugs! It's one of the gardening "life lessons."
SolakNC – Sounds like you have some super soil – or at least super seeds! I wonder if the packaging was wrong?
Laurrie – Perverse plants! lol – Gigundus does describe this artemisia.
Tina – I've seen it root along the stem but it really hasn't spread at all. All of mine seems to stay put in a nice large 5' mound of silver foliage!
Cameron – One of the things I like about artemisia is that it is deer and rabbit proof. Nothing has ever touched mine. I think the foliage is poisonous and they know it. Unfortunately I planted one of the wrong kinds. The more tame ones are great though!
Don't beat yourself up Dave too much, I do this all the time. I should know better by now too, lol. 😉