Anyway.
Here are some newbies...
1) Liatris spicata ‘Kobold’
I couldn’t resists this pretty little thing that makes butterfly-attracting spikes of purple-mauve flowers. I picked up a couple and added them both to the flower bed in the middle of my backyard. I like the grass-like foliage, too.
2) Rudbeckia hirta 'Sonora'
I am in love with Rudbeckias and keep squeezing new ones in wherever I can. When I saw this one, I had to have it. Apparently, it’s a short-lived perennial, but who cares. Even one year with these gorgeous blooms is good enough. I picked up one and planted it under my kitchen window.
3) Eupatorium rugosum ‘Chocolate’
What’s there not to like about this plant with dark, bronzy-brown leaves? And in the fall, there will be an autumn display of fuzzy white flowers. Pretty cool. I picked up two; one of them ended up on the left side of my yard and the other ended up on the right side of the house. Both of them are doing wonderfully.
4) Platycodon grandiflorus ‘Sentimental Blue’
I’m a sucker for flowers that come as close to being blue as possible, so I picked up two of these and planted them in the center of my yard. The plants were already in bloom when I brought them home, so I knew in advance how pretty the flowers were.
5) Gaillardia Dwarf Goblin
I added two of these lovely plants in the center of my backyard. I just couldn’t resist the flame-red flowers that are edged with yellow. The bonus is that Gaillardias are some of the longest-blooming perennials, from early spring right into early fall. You really can’t beat that.
6) Rudbeckia hirta ‘Cherry Brandy’
Have I mentioned how much I love Rudbeckias? I have? Well, then it shouldn’t come as a surprise that I picked up two of these plants that will eventually produce large, daisy-like flowers with cherry-red petals surrounding a black center. Wow. Can’t wait.
7) Heuchera ‘Melting Fire’
I really like the foliage on Heucheras and have added a few to my garden. I picked up two of these at a fabulous price (less than $2 a piece) and planted them in front of the house.
8) Rudbeckia maxima
You thought I was done with Rudbeckias? Don’t be silly. I picked up this plant, the mother of all Rudbeckias, and planted it in the new circle we carved out some time in the spring. It’s going to grow really tall, anywhere from 59 to 94 inches. Pretty neat, huh?
It’s the plant in the middle of the circle.
9) Clematis 'Niobe'
A garden isn’t complete without a Clematis. I picked up one of these, along with a trellis, and planted it under my kitchen window.
10) Clematis 'Rhapsody'
Well, I couldn’t stop at just one Clematis, could I? No, of course not. So I picked up this gorgeous plant, and another trellis, and planted it on the right side of our home.
Aren’t the flowers just stunning?
Well, that’s it for now, folks. Yes, there are some more plants waiting to be written about. Eventually I’ll be done with that. It would help if I stopped buying plants.
Some really pretty choices, Martha. I'm so impressed with the selection of plants available in your area. I've just about stopped going to our local Walmarts and home improvement stores because they have the same basic selection of perennials and annuals over and over with almost nothing new. We do have some independent garden stores, but they're so expensive. Of course, it's probably just as well...I think I've just about run out of room. :-)
ReplyDeleteBy the way, I love your white coneflowers. They are doing so well! Something is eating the petals on some of mine. And I don't want to put anything on them that might hurt the bees and butterflies. :-(
I do love that clematis. Some of my beds are in need of an overhaul - can't wait to plan a few out.
ReplyDeleteBeth, I am so pleased with the selection of plants I found this year. This is my first gardening season in my new city, so I didn't know what to expect; mostly because it's a smaller city (100,000 people) than where I lived before (close to 3,000,000 people). But regardless of its smaller size, this city had oodles of gorgeous things for the garden. I guess the people here enjoy gardening, so there's enough of a demand to keep things interesting.
ReplyDeleteThat's too bad about the coneflowers. Some of the leaves on my own are being nibbled on, but it hasn't gotten too severe. And I'm like you. I don't put spray or add anything to my plants that might hurt beneficial critters like bees and butterflies and so on.
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Tatiana, it has been a gardening season. Last year, when we moved into our home at the end of June, it was too late to plan a garden. Instead, we gutted the place and cleared the flower beds completely. So this year, I had a nice clean slate (quite a few, actually) to work (and play!) with. It's a lot of fun.