Meeting Tita

Tita...an especially lovely little lady who propagates perennials & sells them to you right out of her garden. Quite cheaply & very lovely specimens. We discovered this gem one day when we were snaking through a neighborhood trying to find our way home (somewhat but not actually lost)...avoiding the highway, finding a new way, etc. When we came upon a "plant sale" sign on a side street and followed it a block to find a house absolutely hidden by blooms, planters all the way out to the side walk...Rose bushes, Dahlias and Brugmansia's shouted to me until I walked closer & saw pots overflowing with succulents, baby's breath, hibiscus and plants I've never seen before. This was just the carport. She pointed through a gate and invited us to walk into the rose garden & look around. We stepped onto the narrow path & started admiring. At the end of the yard a sign invited us around the corner: "more plants --->" A shade garden! About 6 feet wide-packed with all sorts of experiments...recovering cuttings, and the most beautiful lace cap hydrangea's I've seen so close. Fuscias, begonias, mopheads, hostas. Another "more plants--->" sign takes us through a few more slim yet overflowing garden areas...past a deck labled "nursery, please do not enter", down to a sunny garden spot next to a Eucalyptus tree. Here I found some healthy apple green sedums in daisy rosettes over flowing their 4" pots, $1 each. These being the first couple of items I picked up to purchase. Jon happily carried these for me, he is always proud & satisfied to see me spend money on something that is (how can I say this... isn't a necessity?) Oh let's face it, it brings me happiness & joy. And he values that more than the dollar.

On the first trip, I bought Verbena Bonariensis (something I've craved since discovering it over 5 years ago!) 5 feet tall stiff & thin stems dotten with tight knit purple flowers-looks like the purple blooms are floating on air when your just a few steps back. This excites me. It reseeds too which is a welcome delight for this charming one. The apple green sedums and another bronze that has partially dried up...not sure how to make it happy-I've concluded it wants less sun, some cool protected conditions...must remember to plant that one in the East garden next to a big bully of a rock for protection.

Ever since that first accidental buying trip to Tita, I have been looking forward to the next visit....I had to wait until I had ground for the plants...it's not nice to buy & then move them...and the move was uncertain and I didn't want to run the risk of having
to put my plants into a sunless storage bin. I have waited so patiently...since August 2nd...until now! We are in, I have ground...lot's of it. All I need is patience.