What is growing nicely for you right now?

Do you have deer??

So much to comment on! Feels like I missed a week on this thread.

Let me start by asking if Andrea really said growing lady slippers was a great feet!?
And Victor we think you're dense enough the way you are.

Andrea, beautful plants & pictures. I particularly like the peonies and that little irir. Gorgeous!

Kim, incredible lady slippers (nice feet!)

Moonslight, I have Herman's Pride too. I was recently trying to remember if it's a lamium or a lamiastrum. Can you tell me?

Gram, cool wreath.
Schicken, I spent all Fri. & sat putting in my veggie & cutting garden and it's tiny. I can relate.

Victor, I find astilbe take a fair amount of sun. I can't get them to do much in deep shade.

What's an irir, Dave??

Yes, they do best in part shade and good moisture. But these days I have lots of full sun.

An irir is when you do something wrong.

The meadow sage, black-eyed Susans and globe thistle are also doing pretty well. This photo was taken on May 22, and today the meadow sage has sent up multiple flowers stalks (almost overnight, actually) because of the rains the last 2 days. All four plants were cut down to about 4-6" last fall.

Okay, moon, now you're going too far! Not only are you showing all these great photos of your perfect beds, but now GRAPHICS!! Your next post will have what - an audio file attached??? Just kidding - very, very nice!

Dave47, Herman's Pride is Lamiastrum galeobdolon, a false Lamium. I usually cut them down in the fall, and they usually grow into a nice little mound the following spring. I learned the hard way not to water directly overhead, because once the mound is flattened, it seems to be down for the count.

Thanks. It is pretty right now.

Heh heh, victorgardener! Sorry, but I'm retired now and am extremely glad to have time to do all these things. The "perfect" beds are that way because my wonderful son and his girlfriend come each Mother's Day weekend (or thereabouts) and plant my annuals for me. I never had a flower in my yard until they created my first Mother's Day garden in 2000. What a nightmare! It not only cost me a fortune for garden-rich topsoil, but I had to impose on a friend to haul away all the dirt and sod they dug up and left in a mound in my backyard where my daylilies are now. I was still working back then, so they could only come on weekends. One week they dug the beds (2 ft deep) and the next weekend we had the topsoil delivered, and planted perennials and annuals. A couple years after the garden's creation, they bought a load of stone and brought it down (for Mother's Day, of course)and edged all the beds. They want to eventually change out the stone to river rock. The daylily bed was just planted in fall (Sept) of 2004.

The "graphics" are because I've been a computer "nerd" since the mid-1980's, when I first started using them at work -- though there were no graphics back then only monochrome monitors and text.

By the way, if you were asking if I have deer, no, thank heaven I don't. However a few marauding chipmunks and squirrels seem to want to make up for the lack of deer.

Count your blessings! I'll give mine directions to your place.

Good idea, Victor. We can start a parade of them heading west.

Yep, I'm constantly counting my many, many blessings. Nothing precious should ever be taken for granted. Well, I must say, Ohio's deer population is already much higher than it should be. I am fortunate to live in a city (Cuyahoga Falls) that is adjacent on the northwest to the Cuyahoga Valley National Park. The deer stay there, thankfully, because they prefer the tranquility of the park to the traffic of the city. We're a city of just over 50,000 people, but that seems to create enough bustle to keep the deer in the park -- that, and the fact that we are also adjacent on the southeast (the border about 1-1/2 miles from my home) to a city of 217,000 people (Akron, OH). So, thanks, but no thanks NY, keep your deer at home please... LOL ;)

Sorry - they're already making their way along I-80. And they have GPS.

Victor - we can let the head deer borrow my headlight!

Great idea. Would that be Rudolph? Do you have a red lens for the light??

Rats, no!

Grammypheobe, I have 2 sneakers filled with Hens & Chicks. They stayed out all winter. They are fine. Are the plants in your wheel hardy for your area?

What's growing well now is my Clematis. They did super last year and are doing better this season. I've strengthened the trellis, too.
My young grape vine looks like it will give me grapes this year.
My peppers are ahead of last year, too.
My revamped 'Death Valley' garden is already getting admirers along the street, it's only been 10 months since the overhaul.
Some Butterfly weed plants in the main flower bed didn't make it through the winter, most everything else did.
I still have tons of bulbs & roots to plant, I'm behind a bit, lol.
Andy P

Andy - all of the succulents are at least hardy to zone 5, some lower. I went to the cati and succulent forum and got mixed advice. I think I'll leave it outside but well protected. My hens and chicks I leave outside usually do ok during the winter and they're unprotected. One suggested styrofoam peanuts to protect it and I think I'll put it under my deck.

grammy the wreath is marvelous. I think your plan for the winter sounds good. my hens n chicks also do fine, as do the small sedums and other hardy succulents. with some protection, it should be fine.

Grammy, what ever you do be sure they get moisture. They dehydrate in winter.
Are there plants on both sides of the wheel?
It sure is pretty with mixed colors and texture.
Andy P

Good point about the moisture - even though they are succulents they still need some. Also, you can't compare how they do in the ground, where their roots are insulated, with how they'll do in the wreath. Under the deck with protection might work. I would prefer in an garage.

Andy - only one side of the wreath has plants. I think leaves might be better than stryfoam peanuts for keeping it moist but I'm also concerned about mold and rot. I'm going to keep doing research and if what I do doesn't work, I'll just have to redo what died and try something else next year. Garage sounds like a good idea.

boo hoo! I had a beautiful stand of irises a light purple standard/dark purple fall, at least 20 stems and they were gorgeous and a breeze came up yesterday and knocked most of them down. Now there are two gorgeous iris bouquets, one on my dining table and one on my friends, but I had to cut them all!!! Fortunately the other iris colors are made of sterner stuff and are still standing tall. Also my siberians have begun to bloom.
Martha

I didn't know that irises were so fragile.

Grammy, with plants only on one side just lay it flat in a sheltered spot outside for the winter. Let the snow & rain hit it. Give it a fine spray in Spring before you hang it up again to clean it off.
My sneakers were in a sunny spot at the end of the driveway, I piled the snow on them when I shoveled.
Andy P.

Andy - I like your sneakers. What brand and size are they?? I've always left my hens and chicks outside in containers and most of the time they come through the winter alright. Once in a while I lose some but they often need to be thinned out. I've never had sedums in containers though - they're all in the ground. The advice sounds good to me. Thanks!! Grammy

Grammy, I just try to retain their normal growing conditions. Placing plants under a deck or in the garage is not normal growing conditions. Growing them in rings or sneakers isn't normal either but they can do well between rocks or cracks in the driveway.
It's late and I'm rambling, lol.

bigcityal... your agastache is beautiful... I just purchased a few myself this year... not blue though... how many plants started that spot..

Allison

You know I have been comparing that color to purple salvias thinking that it is purple, but it is a dark blue. You might not want the answer - that was one plant in a 4" pot 4 years ago. It spreads by runners so give it room or contain it.

Modern tall beardeds are often bred with large flower heads and multiple buds. Some of them are very top heavy. I am dividing and moving this clump this summer and it will be to a spot that isn't quite so windy. The iris on either side are slighter and stood the breeze well.
Martha

Al, the agastache is beautiful. I know of agastache as something different, but what you have looks like my creeping charlie - a weed that's taking over my yard! It blooms gorgeous in the spring, but I don't let it fool me!

Harper

well the area I planted them in is in front of a butterfly bush and does have some room to spread... the two that I picked up are Agastache x rupestris 'Orange Flare' and Agastache x 'Desert Sunrise'

the good thing is the bed next to them is all annuals... I put an arrow above where they are

Allison,

What are the big purple balls in the back on the right hand side of your picture? Allium? They sure are eye catching!
Would love to see a closeup of them ;)

Kim

Irises, Allium, and lupine, which might not show in this photo.

This one shows a little of the lupine.

Lupine and azalea.

oooh! coming over to pirl's house to dig up some of her pretty iris for my plant sale!! and for me too! I love that one. it is so striking. Beautiful work pirl!
Martha

Thanks. I thought I had them all staked but the irrigation system went on last night and it's so easy to see those I missed - they're the ones that are laying down today!