There are four tiny pots of verbena bonariensis under my grow lights right now that look so small. Just tiny leaves reaching above the soil. No indication whatsoever of the plants they will become.
But I can see them in my mind. Three feet tall, swaying in the breeze, covered in butterflies.
Verbena bonariensis seedlings
This is the time of year when the garden lives entirely in my imagination. I'm thinking about my plans to expand my pollinator garden so I can test new color schemes.
The idea for color schemes came after reading Clause Dalby's book about container gardening.
Potting up verbascum 'Wedding Candles' seedlings
The Transformational Power of Beautiful Gardens
Today, we know Claus Dalby as one of the most admired gardeners in Scandinavia. His books are beautiful. His garden in Denmark is extraordinary. But the thing about Claus Dalby that surprised me was learning that he never intended to make his garden. Not until he visited the garden of a painter named Anne Just.
Dalby arrived to Anne's garden as a publisher. He was there to sign a book deal. He left with a contract, but he also left filled with the inspiration to create his own garden.
Anne Just was a painter. As a girl she bicycled through the Danish countryside with watercolors. She was in love with flowers long before she started growing them. Her garden at Hune began in 1991 from a single plot near the North Sea. Her consolation after being refused permission to build a studio. The garden captured her creative expression and was the kind of garden that inspires people.
Anne Just's garden at Hune Photo credit: Birte Hornemann on Wiki Commons
I know exactly how Claus Dalby felt. For me that garden was Sissinghurst. I arrived to see a long path leading through a walled threshold and into garden rooms. I never saw a more beautiful sight. That is when I first understood ... this is what a garden can be.
The view looking through the garden rooms at Sissinghurst Photo by: Sue Libertiny
I came home a different person. I was determined to make my own beautiful garden.
View of Sissinghurst White Garden taken from Tower Photo by: Sue Libertiny
That is what I think about when I look at the four tiny pots of verbena bonariensis under my grow lights. I can see exactly what they will become.
Verbena bonariensis in my Michigan garden
Close up of verbena bonariensis
The greatest gardens are transformative. They inspire us to become more.
Garden Moxie Field Notes is a record of my Kentucky garden as it unfolds. Every other week I share the design principles guiding my choices, the plants being trialed, the failures and the keepers, and whatever else the season brings.
