Cedar18, Thank you! I dug phlox from a friend's house after she passed and was delighted to see it bloom. Most of her's were shades of red violets. I have no idea whether it has a name or not. I thought it was a pretty god combo too. Now I have false dragonhead blooming in front of it. (Physostegia)
Kathleen, the first time I dug it up I understood it's name :o) I think your's will get taller. It likes water.
Radio, I had a hard time placing it. Finally, I set it here. This bed was never finished either. Nothing ever looked right. I think it's fixed now.
Kathleen, I think it will be back next spring. It's tough!
Joe Pye is heading for the sky.
Billy- Thanks for the idea. I have been jotting down what else is in the red-violet family and was going to move things around to put Salvia leucantha and Aster 'purple dome' with the magenta Phlox. They don't look the same until you put the blooms together and they do blend nicely. I have Physostegia too but had not thought of that addition. Excellent! A new grouping and all 'free' from my own garden.
I didn't realize Ironweed liked moist soil. Now noted to self! Great info here at DG.
Mine is in with the dark pink NE asters, the electric blue NY asters and some goldenrod. It will be a nice contrast to the goldenrod and the pink of the asters, which are 6 feet tall.
Cedar18, laughing, my sentiments exactly. Next year I'm not buying much, I'm going to move what I have, around. I have a lot of late blooming flowers, but all in one spot. I just walked around the other day and wrote down everything I have blooming. It's more than it looks.
Kathleen, that combo sounds beautiful!
I just found a close-up of the phlox in the picture above.
Actually, I've ripped out some of the goldenrod - taking over the planet kind of plants, but then I knew that when I let it grow (no, I didn't actually plant it there, but like the poor, goldenrod is always with us). I added a bushy aster today and got some flat-topped aster seed which will go where the goldenrod isn't. Found them back in a field right of way and decided that the farmer would just run them down, so it was a rescue of sorts. The leaves on the ironweed are toast, but the stems still look green and the seed heads continue to mature.
I probably should take notes, but then spring wouldn't be so much fun, trying to figure out how things got to where they are. It is like a treasure hunt every year: "Did I move that there, hmmm?"
ROTFL!! I keep a journal of all the plants I've ever had, dead or alive and if I move them, it's written down!
I love to find out I've rescued a plant!! I tried lettting wild goldenrod grow too and don't have it anymore. I haven't tried the newer ones, but I like them.
There's one that's a more lemony yellow, I told Stan that if I ever bought on, that would be it and he gave me the strangest look!
:o) I may end up with one someday. We were at a wildflower area and I saw one that was different.
Stiff Goldenrod. Not sure if I named it that or if it's the real name.
Yes, that is Stiff goldenrod, Billy. In some regions, it can have a flat top. Where I am, it begins flat, and ends almost vase shaped as the flowers continue to bloom.
I wonder if that's the one that came along with the ironweed. It's roots were so tangled in with it that I left it. It was rather flat topped.
Thanks Leftwood. I think it's pretty. I just don't know how invasive. Being a wildflower preserve it might be a good reseeder or runner.
Kathleen, I guess you'll find out next year. Anyway, it's a bonus :o)