More pix from last year …
Heuchera and Lysmachia. Renegade Gardener in recent post: Pay attention to leaf and form. Sydney Eddison when I told her I had a lousy eye for color: Here’s a good way to start: If you plant something dark, why don’t you plant something light nearby?
Scotch thistles and bottle tree. (Note to self: Write post praising biennials.)
I used to know the species name of this Euphorbia. This is in September, and the red stems keep it looking good even after the most of the orangish blossoms have faded.
Ironweed and cleome by the driveway.
I often give smallish perennials a year in a container and then transplant them in the fall.
I think I really like Sanguisorba. Didn’t even give it the time of day until reading Oudolf. I think I’ll like it better once I get a decent drift of it going. (I think I’d like the picture better if it were in focus.)
Some of the better performers in what amounts to a bog garden in wet years: Eupatorium, Veronicastrum, turtlehead. The Monarda and Tradescantia is pretty rank in there, but it’s faded away here in September.
What lovely pictures–I adore the bottle tree! And I’m jealous of your ironweed. The small nursery where I worked had a few pots of it for sale and I am still kicking myself for not having bought it. It has such great height and I love that shade of purple.
Hello Craig,
You commented at Pam’s “Digging” blog, and I just had to come over to see the bottle tree – it’s wonderful! As a former Northern Illinois gardener, seeing your plants is a nostalgia trip. Monarda could be such a thug up there, but in both my Austin gardens has been a wraith of a plant, always on the edge of croaking.
Four below is cold in any season, but March? That’s terrible. I hope you get some real spring soon!
Annie at the Transplantable Rose
Hi Craig,
I read your comment on Pam’s blog so I came to see your bottle tree. Very nice, the blue bottles really look good in your garden. Loved the pics of the plants and flowers too. BTW is it always as cold where you live this time of year? I hope spring will come soon for you too. If it’s any consolation, here it is mostly wet. 😉
Yolanda Elizabet
Yesterday’s lows were a record for the date, and also a record low high of 7. We are paying the price for a very warm early winter, with 60s in early January. More seasonable 40s coming this weekend. I think we can make it.