Why Every Gardener Needs a Mystery Garden

Every gardener needs a place to plunk miscellaneous plants, plants they procure without knowing much about how they look or behave, plants that may not have a clear home.  Three years ago my in-laws helped us remove several overgrown junipers from alongside our house.  We put in a curved bed in the exact footprint of the former shrub.  During the first year of the bed it was my cut flower bed, full of zinnias and cosmos.  Now it is my mystery bed.  


I have a hard time saying no to plants, so here is where miscellaneous perennials find a home.  I don’t know what color the plants’ flowers are, or when they will bloom, and the hues are lush and ever-changing.  I delight in peaking out my mudroom door each morning at the colors of that day.  Its along the south side of the house, and gets great sun.  The location also means that the garden is almost a secret garden, in that few people (other than myself) ever look at it.  Its not in front, where 20 feet separates our house from the road, and every walker, dog, and runner.  This bed is tucked alongside the house, along a path less travelled.  In other words, it’s for Kurt and I to be surprised by, this joy of spontaneous color.  My mystery garden is just for fun, and every gardener needs a place to play.