• Home
  • ABOUT
  • VIDEOS
  • Contact
  • SHOP

The Impatient Gardener

Garden, Plants

Fill garden gaps for pennies

June 21, 2022

Nothing stops me in my tracks more than when I’m looking at a garden jam-packed with color and texture and come across a spot of bare soil. It puts a screeching halt to well-planned flow. 

Gaps in the garden happen because the plant that was supposed to be growing there didn’t, or perhaps because other plants didn’t fill the space it was expected to. Sometimes these gaps are temporary, such as when a shrub hasn’t yet filled its allotted space. 

Whatever the reason, there’s plenty of time to remedy the situation and by mid summer you can have a gap-free garden without having to make another trip to the garden center.

RESEEDED ANNUALS

Reseeded annuals, which pop up in little clumps around the garden, are perfect for filing holes in the garden. Most of them transplant well if watered in quickly, and the clumps are thinned to the strongest seedlings.

nicotiana alata 'lime green

Nicotiana alata ‘Lime Green’ offers chartreuse color that works with anything in the garden.

In my garden there is always some Nicotiana popping up somewhere and although I have no idea what size or color will come from the seedlings, which are undoubtedly a mix of any number of potential parents I grew the previous year, almost any of them will work in holes anywhere but the very front of the border.

Now is also the time of year when I start to find Verbena bonariensis seedlings or tiny plants of its more charming cousin Verbena officinalis ‘Bampton’, both of which work as excellent fill-ins. Jewels of Opar (Talinum paniculatum) is always the last reseeder to show up and I try to save some space for it around the garden.

These bright chartreuse Jewels of Opar were all self-sown seedlings that popped up around the garden. I transplanted them amongst some annual salvia for a gorgeous effect.

ANNUALS TO SOW DIRECTLY

You probably won’t have a lot of reseeded annuals popping up if you’re an over-achieving weeder or heavy mulcher, y, but there are several annuals that can be sown directly.

My go-to fill-in annual is nasturtium, which has the benefit of working in almost any sun condition and filling in large areas. The pea-sized seeds are easy to pop in the ground and will produce a large mound in several weeks. Be careful to buy a mounding variety rather than a one with a trailing habit.

Nasturtiums, which handle a wide variety of exposures, make a perfect little mound to fill a hole in the garden.

Zinnias and cosmos are also good annuals to direct sow for some additional color. Keep thea seeded area moist for a couple weeks through germination and seedling infancy but once they get going they won’t ask for much other than occasional deadheading.

RAID THE VEGETABLE GARDEN

If a bit of foliage is needed, quick-growing edible plants will fill in an area and add a bit of surprise.

If you have vegetables that need thinning, consider trying to transplant thinnings to the garden to fill a few gaps. Parsley will add feathery texture and kale can provide a bold statement. Or perhaps consider the shiny leaves of Swiss chard for fabulous texture.

Ageratum

Purple-leafed basil fills a hole at the front of the border perfectly. Sure you can eat it, but if you want to just admire its good looks, that’s OK too.

DIVIDE PERENNIALS

Most perennials won’t appreciate summer division, but some tougher varieties such as catmint (Nepeta), Ajuga, Lamium and others will probably bounce back with some extra care.

If you do decide to divide perennials in the hotter months, try to do it on a cooler, overcast day. Most perennials will benefit from cutting back the foliage to reduce the strain on the roots, and of course make sure to water them in well after transplanting and for a few weeks after.

Ajuga (this is ‘Chocolate Chip’) is a tough perennial that makes a great hole filler at the front of a border. Cut it back a big and water it in well if you’ll be dividing in summer.

`What you fill a gap in the garden with isn’t as important as just filling it with something. Consider it your chance to get creative and keep that design flow going.

 

annuals cosmos money saving nasturtium
by Erin @ The Impatient Gardener 
15 Comments

About Erin @ The Impatient Gardener

View all posts by Erin @ The Impatient Gardener

Related Posts

  • Garden wins: What went right this year
  • Plants helping plants: A companion-planting guide rooted in science
  • pink nicotiana flowers backlit during the golden hourThe best (and worst) new seed-grown annuals
  • The new plants I’ll grow again, and the ones I won’t
previous post: No Mow May could backfire: Here’s why

Comments

  1. jillwini says: June 22, 2022 at 2:27 pm

    Those peach colored Nasturtiums are beautiful. Could you tell me what variety they are? Thank you for this post! I now have some ideas for a few glaring, unexpected gaps I’ve encountered this year.

    Reply
  2. Christine says: June 22, 2022 at 2:49 pm

    I only planted Jewels of Opar for the first time last year. I never knew they reseeded. I have been pulling all these little light green sprouts till I realized that’s what they were! I love it! Although I gotta say, I am glad I like them because there are quite a few! lol

    Reply
  3. Carol G says: June 22, 2022 at 2:56 pm

    Erin
    Based on your posts about annuals from seed, I grew cosmos, nasturtium, calendula, zinnia, marigolds, snapdragons, and sweet peas this year. I really looked forward to nicotiana alata Lime Green, but then got concerned when I read about toxicity to domestic animals. I do not have any pets but my neighbor’s cat visits my yard often. I have not put any nicotiana in the ground, am I being overly concerned about the toxicity? I did put Lime Green in containers on my raised deck since my neighbor’s cat does not come up there. thank you.

    Reply
  4. Joan Schmidman says: June 22, 2022 at 3:05 pm

    I’ve had my eye on that blue cheer delphinium since I saw it last year. Never could find a place to buy a plant or seeds. Where did you find it! Gorgeous color!

    Reply
  5. Jill says: June 22, 2022 at 3:43 pm

    Great suggestions. I sowed quite a few zinnia and calendula seeds in 4 inch pots for just this purpose-except my gaps tend to be in the back so didn’t quite do the trick. My biggest gaps are where my hardy hibiscus are. Empty area until late June when they start to fill the gap themselves-I could use some suggestions for those spaces.

    Reply
  6. Ann says: June 22, 2022 at 4:14 pm

    Nasturtiums are my fav! I love looking at them and eating them! I love the basil idea! I never thought if that one! I love your posts so much!

    Reply
  7. Andrea says: June 22, 2022 at 4:51 pm

    Thankyou for this great article! When is it too late to direct seed zinnias, cosmos, and jewels of Opar? I’m zone 5b northern Illinois and I’d like to throw some down

    Reply
  8. Carol says: June 22, 2022 at 5:40 pm

    OMG. I just came in from my garden where I was noticing gaps. I’m going to my garden store tomorrow!

    Reply
  9. Kath says: June 22, 2022 at 9:16 pm

    I so appreciate how well spoken you are! It’s truly a pleasure to watch your channel and read your updates, keep them coming!

    Reply
  10. Sandra Elam says: June 22, 2022 at 10:07 pm

    I am loving my patches of reseeded zinnias, cosmos, violets, and dill. I just threw down a pack of black-eyed susan seeds. I don’t know if they will come up, but it sure is fun when they do.

    Reply
  11. Tess Hackett says: June 23, 2022 at 6:51 am

    I love this post. Just the sort of thing I needed ideas on when the mulch is thin and I have gaps that weeds are taking over. I will try these strategies in the garden, thanks Erin.

    Reply
  12. Diane says: June 23, 2022 at 1:32 pm

    Timely advice as usual. I’ve been outside all day moving plants around. The garden evolves every year, have to make room for new plants and as you said, there is an abundance of seedlings to fill in the gaps! (hundreds of tall Verbana! ) Enjoy your inspiring tips.

    Reply
  13. Anissa says: June 23, 2022 at 3:09 pm

    Always inspiring Erin. I’m in 7a, it’s been up in the 100’s F this week, I am still thinking of seeding some zinnias and cosmos but I am thinking I need to see if we are getting one week of cooler temps, I can water every day but they don’t get water till I’m home from work. So I need to make sure they don’t dry out and roast. I’m thinking this is my best bet at having some this year. Love all your shares and suggestions, the photos are excellent too!

    Reply
  14. Jennifer Patterson says: June 25, 2022 at 10:52 am

    I am on the line zone 3/4 and have huge gaps in my gardens, it seems nothing reseeded from last year except the weeds! No nicotiana, no zinnia, no jewels of opar etc. Plus the starts I did earlier either never germinated or died. Out of 2 packages of sweet peas I have 6 plants. I am so very disappointed, I am not a newbie to gardening! I Just went out yesterday before the rain and tossed out some cosmos and a couple others.

    Reply
  15. Diane says: June 25, 2022 at 2:09 pm

    Just today I noticed this beautiful bright seedling…it looked too pretty to be a weed, and then I remembered you said Jewels of Opar reseed. Mine was in a pot last year, so I never even thought that I would find seedlings. I am so happy, I am moving them all around garden to see how they do. Thanks again for tips!

    Reply

Leave Your Comments Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

About

The Impatient Gardener

Do you love gardening? Me too! I'm Erin and I garden in Southeastern Wisconsin, zone 5. The Impatient Gardener is all about real-life gardening: the good parts, the bad bits and even the funny stuff. It's part information, part inspiration and a little bit commiseration. Thanks for visiting.

Here's some more about me.

CONNECT

Winner

Garden Comm award

MY FAVORITE GEAR

https://www.amazon.com/shop/impatientgardener

Instagram

The morning sun makes Aralia ‘Silver Umbrella’ glow. This is a very difficult to find grafted, variegated variety that perfectly hugs the north corner of our deck. Below it Incrediball hydrangea is starting to form flower buds.
I got my new drone last night and had just enough battery power to quickly throw it up for a herky jerky first run. It’s nothing fancy and I wasn’t really trying to film anything in particular but thought you might enjoy the view, particularly of the climbing hydrangea, which is looking gorgeous.
Let’s take a closer look at a little corner of the garden just off the patio. It will be a couple weeks before it’s really coming into its own. Swipe for closeups and names of what’s all here. Somehow the dahlias I put here didn’t end up in any pictures, but I have a short orange dahlia called Melody Swing planted in here as well.
Why yes, that is Swiss chard growing right at the front of my patio bed with all the dahlias and nicotiana and other goodies. And, assuming I can fend off ambitious rabbits or other critters, I think it’s going to be really good. Stay tuned. 😀

Follow me

SEARCH

Popular posts

  • Oh how I love a great garden path
  • HOW TO CHOOSE A MEMORIAL TREE
  • DEALING WITH DISEASE: VERTICILLIUM WILT
  • Plant to know: Lady’s mantle

Find us on Facebook

Archives

  • ABOUT
  • TALK TO ME
  • TERMS & DISCLAIMERS
  • PRIVACY POLICY
  • Home

STAY UPDATED

Copyright © 2022 · Prima Donna theme by Georgia Lou Studios

Copyright 2009-2021 ©The Impatient Gardener