Big, fat bumblebees are constantly on the move in the garden.
This one was drunk on the liatris. He stayed there for a long time.
One of my favorite things about gardening is the element of surprise. Good surprise, that is. I’ve chatted with you before about perennials that self-seed and how much I love it when that happens. I have coneflowers, rudbeckia, sedum and phlox that have spread their beautiful wings in areas of the garden other than where they were originally planted.
So. We come to my little story. There is a narrow raised bed right outside our kitchen door. It was here when we moved in. The wood will soon need to be replaced, but that’s neither here nor there. I usually plant lavender there because it gets a lot of sun. I’ve also planted lettuce and four o’clocks. It’s different every year, though the lavender is a perennial and is consistently a part of that bed.
This year, a plant started coming up at the far end of the raised bed. It had big, textured leaves. I figured it was probably a weed, but it was an intriguing one, so I let it keep growing. (I do that sometimes.) It got bigger and bigger.
It’s well over two feet high – maybe three feet.
I considered – briefly – yanking it. But something made me hold off. I figured that, at the very least, it was sculpturally interesting.
When I came back from Chautauqua, I checked it out. It was even taller and I noticed some little pod-like additions which were hidden from sight, situated on the main stalk of the plant.
I checked it out again a week or so later, and saw some new leaves there, so I shrugged and figured pods equaled new leaf growth.
Yesterday, I was outside getting ready to mow and I did a triple take. Literally. I had just seen a flash of rosy-red hidden within the leaves.
Hello! I was gobsmacked. I was delighted. I was thrilled.
I ran into the house, grabbed the camera and took these photos. I had a suspicion this plant was a type of mallow. Or a hollyhock. Mallow or Malva is the name for a large group of plants in the Hibiscus family. I have planted some mallow in the past but it didn’t last and it was not this species. I’ve never had this particular beauty growing on the property. I don’t know where it came from but what a welcome, delightful surprise it is!
Or…is it a hollyhock? Now that I’m looking at hollyhocks online, I’m leaning toward that as the mystery plant. I can’t make up my mind now. Hollyhocks are also in the mallow family, so it’s a mallow, no matter what. But is it more specifically a hollyhock? Hmmmm.
And another bud is about to open.
I’m grateful I trusted my gut on this one and let it grow. It was a mystery plant and, as you know, I like a good mystery.
Especially one that has a happy ending.
Some people call this a weed, but….really? I don’t think so. It’s also used in herbal remedies.
Nidia mentioned that she wondered if it was a hollyhock. I did, too. And they’re very similar, though I’ve never seen a hollyhock this wide. So, it’s still a bit of a mystery. Same sort of blooms. Same sort of leaves. Any thoughts?
Gardeners: You never know. Don’t yank immediately. You might end up yanking something that looks questionable, but will reveal itself to be a beauty if given time to grow. Cases in point; my bee balm fiasco in the spring and this mysterious beauty that arose out of nowhere.
It made my day yesterday.
Happy Saturday.
That is a lovely coloured mallow! I am glad you didn’t pull it up. What fun it is when things like this happen. I have a huge pot on my patio. About 3 weeks ago, Laura put the seeds and the rind from her watermelon in it. She wanted to see if it would grow. By last weekend, nothing had happened, so we planted a sunflower plant in it. Yesterday I noticed small, green dots in the pot. I seriously thought it might be moss, as we have had tons of rain and humidity. This morning, I looked out the window and there are probably 15 little green shoots in the pot! Serendipity! I love it!
Hope you are having a lovely weekend. Hugs to all.
Isn’t that wonderful? You might have little watermelons growing in your garden!
Wow Claudia…you weren’t kidding when you said you had a nice surprise….If this is a weed..I will take some..so pretty…I do the same…if I find a plant growing that I think might turn in to something interesting..I let it grow….Just think what a would have missed if I had pulled the mystery plant out of my old planter that turn out to be columbine…I am hoping it comes back next year…
Oh, I can’t bear to think about losing out on that columbine!
What a happy surprise! I love the color!
Me, too. Isn’t it lovely?
That is a beautiful plant!
It is, indeed!
I love a mystery with a happy ending. What a pretty flower and I love the color. Glad you let this one bloom!
Linda
Me too, Linda. I’d just about given up on it being anything but big textured leaves!
So, so pretty! I’m guessing you have the birds or perhaps the wind to thank for that one. I’ve stopped pulling things I’m not sure about…and have had many a pleasant surprise myself. I always love a mystery with a happy ending! ;)
I do too. I think I definitely have the birds to thank. Nidia mentioned that she thought it was a hollyhock. I did, too – both mallow and hollyhocks can have the same sort of leaves. So, it’s still a mystery.
I thought it looked like a hollyhock. They grow tall and need a stake. Nidia
I did, too. In fact, I still wonder. But this seems much fuller than a hollyhock. I’m going to keep investigating, Nidia. Now that I’m looking at photos of hollyhocks, I’m thinking you’re right!
We planted hollyhock seeds and they came up beautifully this year. A surprise too this year, a very pale pinkink coral one is opening up next to the vibrant pink of the other plants. Enjoy your impromptu garden! They call unplanned and unplanted flowers “volunteers.”
I have a lot of volunteers on this property, Harvee! Some are welcome…some not so welcome!
At first glance… I thought it was a Fig tree! Haha… But I’ve never seen a fig tree bloom like that. I’m guilty of yanking before double checking .,, I try not to do that now!
We’ve lost a lot of nice plants that way when we first moved in here.
I did it this spring with my already established bee balm. I hope to never make that mistake again!
I thought it looked like hollyhocks. The bloom looks more like hibiscus but the leaves more like hollyhock. Whatever it is a wonderful prize and beautiful color! I too thought maybe a bird or the wind dropped it off.
Maybe it’s a mallow-hibiscus-hollyhock?
Just goes to show you – always trust your instincts. You were patient and now look what you have. A nice surprise, and a new little friend in your garden. Sure is pretty – what a gorgeous deep pinky rose. And whatever it is, it likes being just outside your kitchen door, so it has good taste too! Enjoy this already-too-warm-for-me weekend, and stay cool!
Too warm for me, too, Janet. I’m upstairs right now, gluing together the foundation for Don’s mini (while he’s away for the day) and I’m sweltering!
Patience pays off beautifully!
I’m slowly learning patience, Hedy!
Enjoy your new plant!
I am, Wendy!
I think it’s a hollyhock. In my last house which was a vintage cottage in my family for a long, long time, there were a lot of old, old plantings we’d not seen for years because my elderly relatives had let the large hillside lot ‘go’ for so long that things were really buried, like in weeds. When we moved in, we hired people to come in and clear the lot (wow, was THAT an expensive endeavor); there was little (we thought) left of what had been a gorgeous property; even the trees were diseased except for one amazing avocado. It happened that shortly after, back in the days when Southern California actually got ‘normal’ rainfall, we got A LOT of rain…Jan thru April…and then we began to notice all kinds of stuff emerged from the ground and it was a blissful discovery; I’d get so excited (I know JUST how you feel!!): Iris appearing in beautiful blue-purple patches; TULIPS; plants whose names I never learned…but, here, among spreading beauty, a single hollyhock began to shows its lovely head (your same bright pink) and, like a beanstalk (ala Jack And The…), it grew taller, and taller, and taller til it waved in the breeze as if it was on stilts over everything else!
We’ll see if it’s a hollyhock as it grows taller, that should be the giveaway. They’re wonderfully old-fashioned flowers and those are the kind of flowers I like!
It’s always fun to get a nice surprise. So pretty! I have something growing next to my cosmos not sure what it is but I am just going to let it do its thing. You never know what mother nature might throw your way.
hugs
You’re very right. You never know. It’s fun to wait it out and see what it ends up being.
Hi, it looks like one of the bushier hollyhock plants to me. I have seen them reseed in very protected areas, maybe the little raised bed right next to your house provided a safe haven for one hearty little seed? xxoo
It sure seems that way. By the way, I haven’t forgotten about your McCoy email, Ann Marie. I just have to look the information up. I don’t know a lot about the old crocks, but it looks legit to me. More later.
We were in DC today at the Smithsonian American History Museum and saw the most amazing 5 story, 25 room DOLLHOUSE! Thought of you immediately. It was donated by the owner. So interesting,
I bet it was wonderful! I was there many, many years ago, but can’t remember if I saw a dollhouse. Of course, I wouldn’t have appreciated it then, like I would now!
Oh, that Mother Nature….she is something! Some people say they don’t believe in miracles ~ or say they have never seen one. I believe firmly that if one is a gardner, we see them nearly every day. One just has to look, and also have some faith and patience. ?
Gardeners DO see miracles every day, Chris. You’re so right. And that’s what makes it such a joy!
Ah, beautiful what a nice surprise so glad you didn’t pull it. I’ve tried to grow them with no success I can get a plant but no flowers.
I tried to grow them when we first moved here and they didn’t last. I’ve just read that it’s all about the soil – maybe the soil in the raised bed is richer? Who knows?
That’s gorgeous, Claudia! Amanda and I took a walk tonight and passed what I thought was a hollyhock plant – very tall. At least that’s what I called it. Regarding my morning glory plants, I bought 3 plants at a garden center this spring and just plopped the containers down next to our homemade obelisk. I typically don’t have much luck with them, but they seem to be enjoying the spot they’re in. Three blue flowers were open today. So we’ll both be enjoying our flowers it seems! Have a great week!
Donna
Ah, that explains it! I planted mine from seed, so they’re going to take longer to bloom. August will be morning glory time!