Visiting gardens gives me so many ideas, and now that my dwarf jacaranda has hit a rough patch (the top fried in the summer sun.) I realized I could use one of those ideas to help it stay in my garden. I’ve seen this done in two gardens, Atlanta Botanical Garden in Georgia and Cantigny Park in Illinois.
The blue bush in Cantigny was my first experience to see this easy garden solution. I saw the blue bush from afar; it immediately captured my attention. I knew I had to get over to see it. What could it be?
The plant label read, “What is this blue shrub? Ha! Gotcha! We spray painted an old (and dead) rosemary topiary.” I loved the joke, just such a fun solution to work through the grief of losing the perfect plant in the landscape.
Then in the Atlanta Botanical in GA, I discovered an even bolder solution, a pink tree! What imagination, what coordination of the color palette for the spring flowers. Instead of losing the layering in the bed, the dead tree is transformed and continues to contribute to the scene.
Of course, eventually, the dead plants will be replaced, but in the meantime, both plants still add to the landscape. As for me and my sad plant situation, my jacaranda continues to grow. It just has a little makeup on it for now. The view is still pleasant from my kitchen window. Garden solutions come in many forms.