Intent

I intended the pink lillies to last for a few years only, and they are fulfilling expectations.  Only two returned this year, and it may be their last.  

The intent for Iochroma 'Purple Queen' was more nectar for hummingbirds.  The Iochroma's intent is world domination.  The unintentional effect has been to shade two windows, keeping the house just a little cooler in summer.  That's...good. 
  The beautiful 'Cafe au Lait' Dahlia was intended to be admired from indoors as well as out.  It is.  Oh, how it is!
 The intent behind planting that lavender just there was to hide the raised bed behind it.  It worked!
The intent of moving the clematis was to give it better growing conditions.  
End of May:
End of June--so far, so good...but..
The existing Clematis on the other side of the window isn't doing well.  Now what? 
The intent of planting the Lagerstroemia was to screen out the house across the street while being beautiful.  The tree had other ideas.  It's dying, poor once-beautiful baby.  The intent for the Calothamnus trio to the left of the tree wasn't to screen out the house across the street, but they have.  The intent was to buy the plants because they were cool.  Huh.  That worked out. 
The intent here was another screen out of a neighboring house.  It took several years, but Metrosideros 'Spring Fire' worked perfectly.
Same intent here, with Pittosporum tenuifolium 'Tasman Ruffles' but not as successful.  Yet.  
 Hope they intend to grow wider and denser.
No intent with Lobelia 'Queen Victoria' beyond growing something successfully that I failed at a long while ago.  Plus, red flowers! 
Intent was to grow a happy and beautiful Acacia 'Cousin Itt'.  Failed.  Now intent on digging it up and throwing it out and not trying again. 
Intent was to have a red rose near an existing red rose out front.  Then the intent was to dig the miserable blackened thing up and throw it out.  Then intent was to give it one more chance, watch it die more, and have better reason to throw it out.  The roses intent all along was to thrive and bloom in a one gallon pot, the sneaky thing.  

Intent for the Euphorbia next to the sneaky rose was to plant it in the ground.  I intend to do so. 

Comments

  1. Great clever theme. Pink lily opened up here today as well. Iochroma I don't recommend. Hacked back twice a year, still grows 20 feet every six months with no irrigation.

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    1. Yep, it's time to cut the Iochroma back again. I'm liking the shaded windows, though, and the hummers are at the flowers all day long.

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  2. I planted an Iochroma ('Royal Queen') in 2012. It was supposed to get 5 feet tall - it was still alive the last time I checked but it's also still less than a foot tall. Clearly, I didn't get a vigorous specimen with the aspirations of world domination yours has. Acacia 'Cousin Itt' does seem to be hit or miss - the 3 I planted under the peppermint willow are impressive (even with a little heat-related tip burn) but of the half dozen others I've planted, only one has thrived. I'm so sorry you've lost that crape myrtle. I remain envious of the Metrosideros.

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    1. Well I guess I got the Iochroma success and you got the 'Cousin Itt' success. That's fair. :) I will enjoy your 'Cousin Itt's from afar, and you can enjoy my 'Spring Fire'.

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  3. No matter what will happen in the end, it all starts with good intentions! Your garden is beautiful, because of that.
    I love, love, love that dahlia 'Cafe au Lait', it is such a pretty one! Talking about dahlias, I finally bought some dahlia tubers this spring but never got around to plant them. They are still in the garage, sigh. Maybe I should check on the tubers, and find out if they are still alive...
    Happy 4th of July weekend!
    Christina

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    1. Poor tubers. But I have my own neglected plants. Maybe we all do. Happy Fourth!

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  4. You win some, you lose some. Such is gardening. Have a lovely holiday weekend.

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    1. Indeed, and thank you. Hope that Brexit thing...um...you know.

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  5. Clematis like cool feet--try a large thick rock over the root zone.
    Sure do enjoy your blog and musings!

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  6. I didn't keep score, but my impression was of more successes than failures. Keep those good intentions rolling!

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  7. One of the joys (or not) of gardening: the uncertainty if ones intentions will go in the direction you want it to be or not. Fortunately most of your garden intentions went on the right way :)

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