What would Jane Austen Grow?

There is still a lot of planting to do! I have many of the plants laid out where they are going to go. Tonight, I brought home some gold-foliaged shrubs. What an impact they had. Sundance Choisya and Lemon Daddy Hydrangea brightened up the back and corner of my yard. They are positioned as a triad with Hakenachloa. I brought home 2 more pots to match my large butterscotch one. Things are getting refined. Tomorrow I will be planting and sinking in wine bottles around our Pinot Noir grape plant. I have to figure out something to do with all the corks I have accumulated, hoping to recycle them. Mitch is thinking mulch. I’m thinking art. We’ll see where that leads us. The garden and the pots are next. I want to finish the beds first. Plants are really beginning to fill in but there still is so much empty space. My game plan is to let it fill out, place statuary 3 weeks before and fill in any remaining holes with bedding plants the week prior to the tour.
There are certain plants I must include in my garden even if I do not have a plan for them. As soon as I find out they have arrived at the nursery, I sprint out to make my selections. One is a chartreuse foliage and hot-pink flowered annual called Talinum ‘Limon’. It’s flowers look like tiny balls. It reseeds in mild winters I learned. But it is cute and strange and adorable. I have to have it. Another must have is Heliotrope. To me it smells like vanilla. The dark purple blossoms and deeply textured leaves make it look exotic. I have a pot that I always plant it in. This year I had to have a new Dianthus, which got planted in that pot just to get it somewhere. Now I have to decide if the Heliotrope goes there as usual or if I step outside the box and find a new location for the Heliotrope. Somehow we had one random Persian Queen Pelargonium (aka Geranium) arrive at the nursery. Justin and I always battle for this prized commodity. However, Crystal must not have known it arrived in the mixed flat and a customer got to it first (gulp!) I am hoping that Crystal will be able to get more. Persian Queen has chartreuse (okay I’m obsessed with lemon/lime) foliage and hot pink flowers. Despite the intense colors, I do not consider it gaudy. It is rather demure in my estimation. More like a hot house rose. I have brought home 3 Sofie Cascade geraniums and 1 hot pink one. I am quite enamored with these free-flowering german geraniums. Not so common, I guess, is the reason I like them. I have always wanted to express my individuality. The most exciting thing is, I know there are more plants to arrive at the nursery. Who knows what will be the next plant I will crave.