Frog Fruition

Today I got a "do over" in the yardening arena. I've been wanting to plant some ground cover around my chicken run but I didn't have success with the creeping thyme that I planted at the end of May. I thought that Frog Fruit would be a really good option because it seems very hardy in other people's yard so... 

Frog fruit is a fast growing, low maintenance, and long blooming herbaceous plant that attracts bees, wasps, and butterflies. 

Last fall I was gifted a welcome mat sized cutting of Phyla nodiflora and I put it in my front flower bed to overwinter. It didn't survive its new digs, but I thought I might have another go at it again this year. This morning I received more Frog Fruit cuttings from my friend's amazing pollinator garden.  I took pictures of what it could look like when (if) it grows up in my yard.

He gave me some cuttings from his plants that were creeping over the curb.

I really wanted to set myself up for success, so I extracted 3 containers of clippings from my specimens to root in water for  the next phase (and as insurance in case the transplant operation failed). I then scrounged around under the magnolia tree for flagstones to create a path to the run.

I excavated the grass and weeds and then spread out the Frog Fruit cuttings on either side of the flagstone. I sprinkled soil to cover and watered the cuttings into their new digs.

My hens were too cute watching me digging in the dirt and sorting through the cuttings. I could tell that they were thinking "Put me in, coach!"