GBBD: Unexpected item in the gardening area

Echinacea purpurea and rocket in a pot

I have two huge pots either side of the central steps leading down off our patio which I decided a few weeks ago should be graced with Echinacea this year. This is a relatively short lived perennial* which sadly decided to leave my garden a few years ago, and it's lovely to welcome it back along with attendant butterflies, hoverflies and other insects in abundance.

What I didn't expect was some rocket plants** to decide to join it to make a quite unusual planting combination. What do you think? I have no idea where the rocket has come from, though I'm pleased to add its leaves to my salads and sandwiches on a regular basis. I especially like how the yellow flowers echo the pollen rings that have appeared on the Echinacea's central cones.

Sometimes it's good to go with the garden's flow and enjoy the unexpected items that appear in the gardening area 😊

Which combinations - planned or otherwise - do you enjoy in your garden?

Echinacea flower showing the yellow pollen ring on its central cone

* = though Echinacea purpurea such as the plants pictured here tends to live longer than most of its kind in my experience  

** = arugula for those of you viewing from across the pond

Garden Bloggers' Blooms Day is hosted by Carol at May Dreams Gardens.

Comments

  1. Lea15 July 2023 at 21:38

    That is a pretty color combination!
    Happy Garden Bloggers' Bloom Day!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Lisa16 July 2023 at 01:25

    Purples so often bloom along with yellows, so I'm fond of those. My purple echinacea is pretty long-lived. Of course, relatively short lived may be what mine are!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. VP16 July 2023 at 13:31

      Yes, it's a good colour combination Lisa. It's considered to be short-lived on this side of the pond - I surprised a well-known garden designer once when I told him that my previous plants had lasted for 10 years. I haven't had much success with 'White Swan' or 'Magnum' though, so I think my garden is telling me I should stick with the original :)

      Delete
  3. Candi @ minhus16 July 2023 at 03:33

    Echinacea purpurea is the one plant I have in spades and they all started with six tiny seedlings.

    One combination that surprised me is how much I like pops of white in my front garden. I used to avoid white near my house since it’s also white. And I very mean ch like going with the garden’s flow.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. VP16 July 2023 at 13:33

      Hi Candi - welcome to Veg Plotting! You've made me want to experiment with my own tiny seedlings - fingers crossed these plants go to seed this time :)

      Delete

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