If You Love It

"If you love it, set it free."  Or something like that was a flag statement during the make love not war 1970s.  The idea is if something is free, it will return when it realizes it has a choice.  OK, we've all seen how well that works with teenagers...

This year (granted this year is odd on many gardening levels) I've been surprised by many a plant thought long gone only to have it pop up and put on a show.

I buy cheap gladiolas bulbs because I'm typically so sick of gardening by early November there is no way I'll get out there in the semi slush of cold weather and dig them up.  I figure they rot and become a compost of sorts (rationalization is ever a friend of the lazy gardener.)

This year there are glads popping up willy~nilly in most every garden bed where they've been planted over the years.  Even in places where we now mow, a three-some popped through (thank you husband for not mowing the first sprouts).    Because those beds have changed so much over the years, the glads are nestled between and among, but, pretty never-the-less.

Violas and cleomes have self seeded in every little crack among the stones and bricks of the back walks.  The cleomes even self seeded in an old wash pot I'd forgotten to empty of soil last year.  Both have tiny seeds that manage to lodge in minute cracks and push a piece of cement aside as if it was nothing.

I have sunflowers blooming where the grass has gone dormant.  Tough little beauties.

The year we had to replace our north basement wall, all the soil was back-hoed out, piled high and then refilled in construction guy manner.  Top soil was mixed with soil that had laid in place since the house was built over a hundred years ago.  Nothing should have survived.  While we let the ground settle for the rest of the year, to our surprise up pops an array of cannas.  How did they survive?  How did they manage to be replanted near enough to the top to make it push through?  How fun!

Another bulb made a surprise visit the year I decided the tacky old bathtub water feature was going - going - gone!  It had never lived up to the vision although the toads loved the mosquito breeding ground.  I had planted a couple of cheap elephant ears.  They did especially well because I would empty the goldfish poo poo water on them about once every two weeks.  After serious reconstruction to fill the hole left by the tub and landscape, up pops the elephant ear to make a repeat performance.  Elephant ears are very tender and should not have survived the weather let alone all the disturbing.

Morning Glories and a lone little sweet potato vine have emerged to brighten the summer. 

Have you ever had the accidental success of a repeat?  I'm sure it was all the peace and love!