Hens and wrens
Chicken pot from Mexico. Wouldn’t hen-and-chicks sedum be perfect planted here?
Last Saturday I attended a plant-exchange brunch hosted by an acquaintance of mine. She’s been throwing this party for several years, it seems, and knows what she’s doing. The food was delicious, the company fun, and the plant swap itself festive and efficient. On that chilly, rainy day, we all ended up in her charming, small living room instead of outdoors. About 20 of us perched on sofas and stools, enjoying breakfast casserole and rosemary cookies, and speculating about the plants packed onto the big, blue tarp spread in the center of the room.
As each guest arrived, she deposited on the tarp the three plants she’d brought, then drew from a can a popsicle stick decorated with a stick-on flower and a number. I drew lucky number 13. According to our number we stood up to describe what we’d brought so that everyone could make mental notes on what they hoped to snag. I set my sights on a cedar sage, an Aztec grass, and a clay chicken pot from Mexico (ignoring the houseplant inside it). The only rule was “no taking what someone else has already picked.”
The selection process was fast and furious. In about 10 minutes, the tarp held only dirt, a few leaves, and a couple of sad, little plants that had seen better days. I’d triumphantly acquired the cedar sage and the chicken pot, plus a couple of aloe pups in lieu of the Aztec grass I missed out on.
What did I bring to the party? All natives, of course: heartleaf skullcap, guara, and spiderwort. The gardeners at the party (maybe half of the guests) knew these plants, but the other folks didn’t. Maybe someone out there will be pleasantly surprised by a plant with Texas roots (so to speak), once they try it.
This morning I dug my little cedar sage into the ground under a yaupon holly behind the kids’ playhouse. The site is not promising—thick, sticky clay instead of the loose caliche that cedar sage prefers—so I’ll just have to hope for the best.
Cedar sage (Salvia roemeriana )
While I was going into the greenhouse for my trowel, I heard a wren screeching from a nearby sumac. She sounded alarmed, so I looked around for the cat that must be threatening her nest. She became more agitated, and I realized that she was alarmed by me. A moment later I saw about five wren chicks hopping and flapping toward her. They were a comical sight! Flapping hard, one got off the ground, flew up on the low fence by the greenhouse, and couldn’t quite manage the landing; he flipped upside down for a moment before fluttering back upright. Another chick seemed trying to reach his mom by climbing the privacy fence, peeping loudly all the while. Most of them could get off the ground at least a few feet, but they lacked control.
I retreated into the greenhouse doorway, where I could watch without causing them stress. Mama wren flew ahead a few feet and called to them, and all five chicks fluttered or ran after her through the mulch under the trampoline, peep peep peeping all the way, until they ended up in the yaupon hollies where I’d been working.
In a few minutes I didn’t hear or see them, so I returned to finish planting the cedar sage. Whoops, there was Mama wren again, screeching at me, and then I saw one of her chicks on the ground nearby. I patted the soil around the sage and backed away, snapping a quick photo of the enraged wren.
Carolina wren keeping her eye on me
I hope being in your garden is as exciting—and lucky—for you today. Enjoy this Friday the 13th!
Hi Pam,
Hen and chicks will look perfect in your new chicken pot. So glad you acquired at least two items that you wanted. The plant exchange sounds like good fun. I hope whoever got your plants will learn the joys of going native.
I’ll bet those 5 baby chicks were precious. What a clever mommy bird. Isn’t it great to know that you’ve provided an environment where she was able to raise 5 little babies successfully? Well done!
Happy Friday the 13th to you as well. Hope the bad weather misses all of us this weekend.
Me too! Though I wouldn’t mind a bit of rain. —Pam
Dawn
Pam — I just planted two new cedar sages in my far back bed a few days ago (I had some back there that got trampled during the construction — some of the few plants damaged — and transplanted one earlier but decided I’d like a bigger clump). I’ve had fine luck with them in my fairly heavy soil back there. They’ve seeded out and been big and healthy. I’ll post a picture of some of their blooms on Sunday.
— Susan
That gives me hope for the little guy. —Pam
Pam, the party sounds like it was fun. How wonderful that you have so many gardening friends in the Austin area. I think that is a perfect pot for hen and chicks! I’m thinking of planting mine in my small birdbath this year.
That would be cute too. I hope you post a photo when you do. —Pam
Sweet! There were some little birds in a birdcage at a store I visited the other day. They must be terrified, all caged up, when a big predator-looking thing like a human lumbers forth to coo at them. But that didn’t stop me from doing exactly that.
You rock for bringing natives to the plant exchange! I’m not even going to ask what kind of Texan doesn’t know guara. Harrumph!
(I have two guara; I’m very eager for them to get busy with flowers.)
I bet you’d bring natives to the table too, Chuck. Non-thirsty natives get a good reception here in Austin these days, what with our heat and droughts. Mine were snapped up pretty quickly. —Pam
Nice horticultural pun with hens, Pam, and I envy you getting to be there when the wrens are soloing at Backyard Flight Academy. Fledglings are so adorable.
I grew Gaura lindheimerii in Illinois, and even had it winter over for a few years. I can’t imagine a Texas garden without it!
Annie at the Transplantable Rose
Me either. I need to try the pink variety sometime. All I have is white. —Pam
What a gorgeous array of blooms you have in your garden. My Canadian garden is just waking up. I have lots of plants poking through the ground. I would love to see your chicken pot planted with hens & chicks … how adorable. It has been wonderful visiting your garden on Garden Bloggers Bloom Day.
Thanks for stopping by, C.G.! —Pam
What a wonderful idea… a plant exchange party. I think I might have to snag that idea and call it a Passalong Garden Party next Spring. Thanks for sharing such a great idea with everyone!
I forgot to ask…were all the plants in cute pots or were some in regular plastic pots from the nursery?
It is definitely a fun idea for a group of friends or neighbors who enjoy plants.
Most people brought their plants in plastic nursery pots, a few brought them in decorative containers like my chicken pot, and some brought them bare-root. A few people even brought “bought” plants from the garden center, but they were the exceptions.
Good luck with your party! —Pam