FEVERFEW, a "volunteer" bloom, forms the basic structure of this bouquet. The feverfew went in first, followed by the roses.

By Carolyn Parker

TWO YEARS AGO, a road revision edging our corner property added a 1,000-square-foot strip of land next to our property line. The city planted the area with multiples of dwarf coyote bush, red salvia and manzanita. Now, however, volunteers are taking over, and I couldn't be happier.

For those of you unfamiliar with how the word "volunteer" applies to the plant world, it's when the seeds scattered from an existing plant germinate. In other words, they volunteer themselves to grow, without your permission, in new areas of the garden.

The other day, as I marveled at 21 volunteer feverfew plants thriving in the land addition, I thought about some of the plants that are on my list of special volunteers. Every serious gardener has his or her own particular set.

FEVERFEW PARTHENIUM

My volunteers include hollyhock, nigella, verbena bonariensis, columbine, gaura, lavender, oregano, white strawberries, fleabane (Santa Barbara daisy) and cream California poppies.

All the above look great with roses, and I see them as a magical component to my garden. Sometimes they pop up and look gorgeous in places I never thought of. They can also be lifted and moved to more appropriate spots, or given to friends and neighbors. If I don't want them, and catch them before they're too big, they're usually easier to pull out than weeds.

Feverfew

Feverfew is a real workhorse. This herbaceous plant comes with both double and single flowers, and feverfew parthenium, my favorite, has stunning yellow-green leaves. I count on it each June, at the end of the first rose bloom. Its daisy blooms pick up the slack, in place of roses, for making bouquets. And I often use it as a filler with roses.

Red Salvia Greggi

The red salvia greggii that the city planted is volunteering now, and the new plants are blooming magenta. When a plant of purple verbena bonariensis sprang up among the red salvia, it looked so good, I encouraged it to reproduce by scattering the seeds myself. (By the way, red salvia greggii is extremely drought-tolerant.)

ERIGERON DIVERGENS, (fleabane, Santa Barbara daisy).

Fleabane

Fleabane, a common plant in these parts, is so regenerative in my garden, I must keep it under control. Since it also has a knack for making a great architectural statement, I use it to edge a long brick pathway leading to our entranceway. All the rest gets pulled out. Unless you don't mind having it show up everywhere, I recommend figuring out a structural use for it, since it's one of those rare plants that blooms almost all through the year.

NIGELLA

Nigella

Nigella scatters so many seeds, I never know where its blue, pink or white flowers will appear. In a large informal area, it doesn't really matter. The feathery green leaves are pretty, and if you don't want the mature plant, pull it out before it blooms.

Hollyhocks

For years, I had 10 and 12-foot-high hollyhocks, before the deer finally decided they liked them, too. Mine were bright pink and deep plum. My husband brought home seeds from the San Jose State campus, where he teaches art. I just scattered them in an open area and added a little mulch on top.

California Poppy

A friend of mine first told me to "scatter and mulch" when I was the grateful recipient of some cream California poppy seeds. I saw a photo of a vase of flowers in an interior design magazine. One of the flowers looked like a cream Cal poppy. I was beside myself, and had to have one of my own. This was long before they were common. A year later, I was strolling through the exquisite display gardens at Western Hills Nursery and saw the cream poppies. I rushed to the salesperson and asked if they had any for sale. She said, "No, just take a few seeds."

CREAM CALIFORNIA POPPY

Startled and delighted by her generosity, I plucked one seedpod and placed it in an envelope. I had visions of cream poppies weaving through lavender nepeta, and bordering our roses along the edge of the property. My dream came true. The first few plants came up beautifully. I then scattered their seeds to create a vision that lasted for many years. With the change to our property line, the poppies are now coming up in the new area that we've come to call The City.

Most of my volunteers were surprises to begin with; I didn't know any better. It's nice to know beforehand if a plant is prone to reseed, and then plant, or not plant, accordingly.

In the summer, The City became home to another volunteer: one I had nothing to do with. A Cercis occidentalis, commonly known as a Western redbud tree, sailed in on the wind from who knows where. I'm thrilled to have it.

Columbine

For the newspaper article, I didn't have enough room to write about COLUMBINE. I can't resist adding this picture and letting you know that it's wonderful with roses, and begins blooming before they do. After they finish blooming, cut the plant back, then pretty new leaves will soon appear that look good under roses. They come in many colors.

COLUMN ARCHIVE >>