The Sorry Gardener

As the year winds down and the Sorry Garden is mostly silent, these are the plants that still shout out at me from 2009. I love my tried-and-true favorites every season: the dogwoods, the hydrangeas, the ladybells, the daylilies. But when I think back on 2009, I’ll remember it as the year of …

Gerald Darby Siberian Iris

Gerald Darby Siberian Iris—It started innocently with that deep purple foliage and before I knew it, Gerald had ingrained himself into my life. In the first post about Gerald, I didn’t know his name. By the second post, we were bosom buddies. That post accidentally touched the life of Judy Darby, who stopped by because her son who’d passed away was named Gerald Darby. After a lovely exchange in comments and e-mail, she has a start of my Gerald in her garden, and I know the sweetness of community through blogging and gardening. Happy New Year, Judy.

Sweet Heidi Cranesbill

Sweet Heidi Cranesbill—This was the first year I noticed how long cranesbill blooms and how little it needs from me—qualities that quickly make a plant near and dear to my heart. Sweet Heidi gave the Jolly Bee a run for its money but with smaller, pink petals. This fall I bought several other varieties so, if they survive the freeze in their nursery pots, hopefully 2010 will also be the year of cranesbill.

Broadway Lights Daisy

Broadway Lights Daisy—This Proven Winner demands nothing from me and danced all summer long with new blooms that open light yellow and become white. I divided my one plant into many, so hopefully I’ll have a nice drift of these next year.

Crocosmia & Blackberry Lily

Crocosmia & Blackberry Lily—I love the cheerful, elegant flowers of crocosmia and blackberry lily and stocked up on several varieties this year. Despite many painful hours on my knees with the camera, I never did get a properly exposed photo of that red devil Lucifer.

Sungold Tomatoes

Sungold Tomatoes—Yum. This was my first year to grow sungolds and little did I know what I’d been missing. I wish I could pluck that one and eat it, just to feel the sweetness of summer again.

Dark Orange Daylily

Dark Orange Daylily—Of all of my beautiful daylilies, the dark orange ones most warmed my heart this year, especially with the late afternoon sun shining through them.

Oranges & Lemons Gaillardia

Oranges & Lemons Gaillardia—I love the delicate form of this gaillardia. It was poorly sited with fierce sun and hardly any water and still it bloomed and bloomed. Unfortunately, it met a sorry death when it fell out of my transplant bucket this fall and lay in the sun for a week shriveling up like a prune. But I’ll get another one.

Pat Austin English Rose & Sedum

Pat Austin English Rose—I don’t buy roses anymore due to upkeep and deer, but this is one I will always have in my garden. Its thorns are as big as my thumb, so the deer (mostly) don’t eat it. And the complex apricot blooms tug at my heart. Unfortunately, I’ve had this one for three years, which is about as long as roses live for me, so I may be in the market for a new one.

Coppertina Ninebark & Bergenia

Coppertina Ninebark—If forced to pick my absolute favorite plant of 2009, it would be my Coppertina Ninebark. Every time I walked past it, it just made me happy, from one season to the next. Coppertina has an underlying wamth that my Diablo and Summerwine ninebarks lack. New foliage is golden in the sun and fall foliage turns from copper to fiery red. Of course, it’s going to be too big in that spot next year. But I’ll deal with that in the spring.