What you describe as your patchwork garden is how I made 90% of my gardens! Except my problem is when I am at a nursery looking for that one plant on my wishlist that I have to have, not finding it but leaving with a bunch of plants that I have no idea where I'm going to plant! However I find even when I plan out stuff by height and bloom time it still doesn't always work out the way I hope. I think a holding garden helps us see a plants habit and decide where it will work in our gardens.

Meredith, Hi!!

Now you sound like me. Seems I have a holding garden tucked into a corner of every flower bed I have, and all for the same reasons as you have them. I see something I cannot live without, bring it home and then wonder where on earth I will plant it! I think it must be typical of gardeners.

Sometimes the odd clusters of plants work well together but more times than not, we rework them and transplant them and end up doing almost the same thing somewhere else. It's just a good thing we can laugh about it and move on. And it's a good thing plants can tolerate our erratic behavior!