Etsom·ni·a (/etˈsämnēə/), noun, 1. a sleep disorder caused by obsessive Etsy browsing. 2. The surprising arrival of weird handmade merchandise ordered when one is only half conscious. (True story.) 3. An excuse for me to be an obnoxious, snarky New Yorker once per week.
This year, after many years of waiting, we finally have outdoor space again! Time to plan the planters! Our goal is to benefit bees and butterflies, I’d like lots of succulents, and I’d like a long growing season in each planter. I thought today I’d share with you some of the more surprising plants I’ve come across in my Etsy wanderings. Most of them aren’t hardy to zone 7B where we live, but if I lived in a tropical clime, I’d have the coolest garden!
For more Etsy fun, check out all my weekly Etsomnia™ posts!
Look at this Buddha’s Temple succulent. So architectural! Sold by PapellyBorage is very popular with the bees, plus it’s very interesting to look at! Sold by SeedGeeksThis little darlin’ is known as a Mouse Melon or a Cucamelon. How adorable! Sold by SmartSeedsEmporiumI’ve never heard of Lacy Phacelia, but it would make a beautiful groundcover! Sold by SmartSeedsEmporiumI cannot overstate the benefits of a good bra. Myrtillocactus Geometrizans Fukurokuryuzinboku sold by Lakeside PlantingsI have always wanted to grow Red Hot Poker Plants! Sold by OmoraliOh, that color! Royal Purple Persian Shield sold by HandRFarmsThese are Lithops, also known as Living Stones. So nutty looking! Sold by RarePlantSapphire Tower Bromeliad. Holy cow, that color! Sold by SmartSeedsEmporiumIf this thing turned up in my garden, I would call a priest! Bat Flower sold by TropifyPlantShopNemophilia may sound like a disease, but the flowers are gorgeous! By EpicGlobalSeedsHere is Christia Obcordata, AKA Butterfly Wing Plant, and it comes in amazing colors! Sold by SoiledPlantysI so wish I could grow aloe vera in NY! Hedgehog Aloe Vera sold by DaylilyNurseryI had no idea Corkscrew Albuca was a thing. So fun! Sold by LittlePrincePlantsThis Yellow Shrimp Plant would look great in my planters! Sold by PTplantShopWho needs flowers when your foliage looks like this? Rainbow Dragon Coleus sold by EgrowPlants
Coleus saved my life (well, my garden’s life)! We live on the water in a place with many feral cats. We need them to keep the rat population down, but every time I would set up a planter, they would dig it up and defecate in it. I tried everything, but nothing worked. Then I found coleus canina. Cats hate it, so just one coleus per planter they hate the smell, so it was enough to keep them out. Amazing stuff.
I am redoing my entire yard finally. Been here two years and have many types of plans. Shame this is an annual but I will be happy to add them to that area. Hal
I love plants and flowers but I have absolutely zero aptitude with gardening. My Great-Gran said I had an evil eye when it came to plants and, well, she wasn’t wrong. Succulents and cacti have died in my care. I actually created a successful garden back home in Scotland by planting things that thrived in the wild. That way I did not have to interact with them much and they were protected from my evil eye. I also had a lovely herb garden. That is something I would like to have here.
My OBT 
July 1, 2021 at 7:39 am
Such beauty and so I unusual. Iiked the screw flower and the bat one.
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July 1, 2021 at 8:04 am
Those are so nutty looking! I really enjoy unusual plants, but they’re almost all zones 9-10. I may have to move to a hotter climate.
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July 1, 2021 at 7:50 am
Plant life is never ending. Such beauty .
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July 1, 2021 at 8:04 am
I am endlessly fascinated.
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July 1, 2021 at 9:14 am
I love coleus plants, the different variations. I’ve never seen the Rainbow Dragon. Amazing! 🙂
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July 2, 2021 at 12:13 am
Coleus saved my life (well, my garden’s life)! We live on the water in a place with many feral cats. We need them to keep the rat population down, but every time I would set up a planter, they would dig it up and defecate in it. I tried everything, but nothing worked. Then I found coleus canina. Cats hate it, so just one coleus per planter they hate the smell, so it was enough to keep them out. Amazing stuff.
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July 2, 2021 at 5:30 am
I didn’t know that! I sprinkle chili powder in the flower beds. That works too. 🙂
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July 2, 2021 at 6:56 am
That was one of the remedies that worked only sometimes. These are some hardy cats!
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July 1, 2021 at 10:12 am
I am redoing my entire yard finally. Been here two years and have many types of plans. Shame this is an annual but I will be happy to add them to that area. Hal
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July 2, 2021 at 12:16 am
I’d love to see pictures!
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July 1, 2021 at 11:43 am
I love plants and flowers but I have absolutely zero aptitude with gardening. My Great-Gran said I had an evil eye when it came to plants and, well, she wasn’t wrong. Succulents and cacti have died in my care. I actually created a successful garden back home in Scotland by planting things that thrived in the wild. That way I did not have to interact with them much and they were protected from my evil eye. I also had a lovely herb garden. That is something I would like to have here.
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July 2, 2021 at 6:50 am
I love your evil eye theory. Very funny. It’s like a black thumb black belt.
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July 1, 2021 at 6:55 pm
Oh, now I want all of these!!!
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July 2, 2021 at 6:51 am
Aren’t they fun? I realize it would make a really weird garden all together, but it would certainly be interesting!
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