The Weirdness Chronicles 2007 - Chapter 6

Half a dozen or more years ago, I sowed seeds for Ipswich pinks and Sweet William in a corner of the Purple Garden. It was an experiment. I had never grown either one before. Both germinated well and bloomed prolifically and fragrantly, quickly becoming favorites. When I decided to convert that corner of the Purple Garden into a Green Garden, I carefully transplanted the pinks and Sweet William to new homes where they continued to bloom prolifically and fragrantly.

This spring, at least four years later, I noticed a strangely familiar “weed” in that same corner which is purple again after a brief, green, hiatus. I allowed it to grow until it bloomed to see if my suspicions were correct. The Sweet William is back in its original home.

Seeds sown by birds? Seeds left over from the original plants that took a few years to germinate? The mystery will probably never be solved. But I’m allowing the plants to stay. It’s my new policy. I no longer try to “force” plants to grow where I want them to. I now allow them to grow where they want to. And the Sweet William obviously wants to grow in my Purple Garden.