Secret gardens, and their potential

One secret garden in plain sight, between two wooden walls.

The torenia flowers came packaged four-to-a-pack, and two were selected for the Baker's rock garden, adding a welcome bit of blue color.

That left two sections to find a home, and it was decided to "hide" them in plain sight, between the juncture of two walls. A tiny garden bed would be built between several rocks, giving it room to grow several inches tall.

Torenia fournieri, as it is formally known in science, is also called the wishbone flower, and is grown as an annual in this part of the country. It is found in shades of blue, pink or white, with yellow markings. The green leaves have serrated edges.

The idea for the secret garden came from another spot in the yard, where a columbine plant had rooted and bloomed underneath the fire pit. It was a pretty pink when it bloomed in early June, and fun to find in an unusual place.

Columbine is a perennial plant, also known as Granny's bonnet, according to the Old Farmer's Almanac, or almanac.com. There are more than 70 species; mine were blue when purchased, but they have popped up in several places around our big yard. I'm not sure where the pink came from, but it was pink in one part of the yard and blue in the original place it was planted.

The idea of a secret garden will be to someday try to enchant the new grandchild with the wonders of a flower garden. While our granddaughter is just six months old, I hope to introduce to gardening in a few years, and it will be a delight to tie it in with "secrets" and such.

Right now the torenia secret garden dries out quickly, so it needs to be watered every few days. But it's still fun to see it, in an unexpected spot.

"The Secret Garden" is also a beloved children's novel by Frances Hodgson Burnett, first published in 1911. It was a personal favorite ... Guess who I plan to read it to, some day?

This is the second 'secret' garden, under the fire pit.