Beginner Gardening: DJ"S SHARING GARDEN DESIGNS "WHAT TO GROW WHERE ???, 2 by Pfg

Pfg wrote:

Good for you, Marti. I love the size of your new garden. Just follow Kathy's lead (mine too, I guess, lol) and plant, plant, plant, and soon you'll have a yard full of color! At first it seems like it will take forever, then one day, voila! It suddenly starts looking like something.

I guess we're all guilty of impulse buying- I'm worse on line even than in the nurseries because I don't have DH telling me we'll never get all that in the car. I tell him I've always been able to get any plants I wanted into whatever car I wanted to get them in, and have done it in front of him, but he still can't believe it. Then I get it all home, or get it all delivered, and then either can't remember where I thought I would plant it all, or decide that the place isn't really right after all. I also hate trying plants out and finding they don't like me, or vice versa, so I don't want to invest in quantity until I've grown things for a while and see what they do. Hence, polka dots.

Kathy, I had the same problem with Penstemon Husker's Red that you had with the valerian. The first year it was just this gorgeous red foliage, and I made a wonderful vignette with Dianthus Arctic Fire, Heuchera Coral Charm and red roses. Then it bloomed tall and gorgeous, but it completely blocked the roses. Once it went by I cut it back, but still thought it was too big and finally ended up moving it back. Pics 1, 3 & 4

Pic 2 is a nice clump of Saponaria. Beyond it is a nepeta and a Boltonia that work well, and behind is Phlox David's Lavender and P Katherine, also good. But on this side, between the red roses and it, I need to figure out what I'm doing. I like the Veronica Sunny Border Blue there, and now I've put a bunch of blue Platycodons nestled in behind it, so lots pink and blue. Then I last year I had Echinacea White Swan, a tall white Veronica and Ammi Majus which made a nice vignette together, then the red roses. The overall was very patriotic, red white and blue. Ugh! Way too bright and contrasty! The whites would look better farther down toward the middle, but I need to find a way to make the bright blues fit in there. What would calm it down? The P Huskers red is now between the phlox and the red roses along the back in front of the wall, along with a small clump of white phlox. I'm thinking maybe soft pinks, maybe some green... N Langsdorfii, Echinacea Green Jewel, Dianthus Loveliness, that sort of thing?

Or I could move the Platys, maybe to the top level. I'll have the same red/blue problem because of the Monarda but at least they are not in full bloom at the same time.

Pic 5 is an noid iris that has been here for years, the only one. I've acquired a few new ones, but no flowers yet. I'm planning to put more TBI's on the top level to bloom with the Sibs and Peonies. The lower bed has a few spring bloomers but for the most part violets, JJ's, and Forget-me-nots cover the ground until the perennials begin to wake up.


This message was edited Dec 10, 2012 12:11 AM