When deciding what to plant in a particular area, I take into account a number of factors: amount of light the plant will receive, how large the mature plant will become, whether I have a hose nearby for the mid-to-late summer watering, and what other vegetation occupies the area, so that there is a complementary blast of colors and textures year-round and that the community created all play nicely with one another.

However, plants tend to have will of their own and do as they please, growing where their seeds land, despite the gardener’s intentions.

The Tina-planted plant is the Pink Skullcap, Scutellaria suffrutescens, a spreading, low-growing evergreen sprinkled with small pink flowers throughout the long growing season. The I’m-gonna-land-where-I-please plant is the mallow Rock Rose, Pavonia lasiopetala, hovered with arched branches and open-petaled flowers, over the Skullcap.

Pinks on pinks, I’m charmed by the Barbie-esque look!

Since the photo, I’ve cut back the Rock Rose as they respond well to pruning because they bloom on new wood. Trust me when I say that it’ll grow back quickly enough. The Skullcap has been in that spot for many years and had spread to about four feet in diameter. During late winter I pruned it to a two-foot diameter mound, making room for some other plants to settle in next door, out of the photo’s range.

Clearly, these two twin pinks get along and I’m sure in short order, there will be further pinks-on-pinks as summer moves forward and everything continues to grow apace.