Achillea millefolium 'Paprika' (Paprika Yarrow) Very tough little plant. It is very free-form and would be considered scruffy or unruly anywhere but a prairie setting. Bright orange-red flowers that don't stay as long as I hoped. This is one we've allowed to self-seed to fill in the gaps. The Achillea is very happy to oblige. And it grows fast, too. The original plants have more than doubled in width since we planted them. Very good for soil stabilization and erosion control. Very drought and "crappy soil" tolerant. Just wish they bloomed longer. (Planted 2008, Photo taken 2010)
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Astilbe sp. In 2008 we planted two kinds of Astilbe around the elm. (I've misplaced the tags so I don't have their names.) They came up well in the spring, but then they steadily declined throughout the summer. I came to learn that Astilbe are very thirsty plants, and I planted them at the base of an even thirstier elm that is capable of taking up 40 gallons of water an hour. Some horticulturalist I am. Well, in preparing the yard for removing the elm, I scooped up the Astilbe and moved them to a shadier spot which also has much better soil. I gave them a good drink after planting, and the recent rains have been very beneficial. I think they will thrive much better in their new home.
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| (taken 2011) |
Dicentra spectabilis (Common Bleeding Heart) Yes, I have a bleeding heart in full sun. You should see it - I never thought one would do so well as this one has. It's been in this location since 2006, and it is huge. This year it gave a spectacular show. When the foliage fades in the heat of high summer, the tall garden phlox (Phlox paniculata) and variegated sedum (Sedum spectabile variegata) will have their turn to shine. (Planted 2006, Photos taken 2010)
Dicentra "King of Hearts" (King of Hearts Bleeding Heart) A fern-leaf cultivar of common bleeding heart. It is considerably smaller and shorter that D. spectabilis, but it adds a frilly touch to the part-shade garden. The deep pink flowers last for weeks. The foliage has a slight glaucous (bluish) shade, which only adds to its appeal. (Planted 2006, Photo taken 2011)
Echinacea purpurea 'Magnus' and Echinacea purpurea alba 'White Swan' (Magnus Purple Coneflower and White Swan Coneflower) When we first planted the coneflower we quickly saw evidence of Aster Yellows* - on all the plants. Greatly dismayed, we pulled up the worst ones, which left many gaps. We allowed the remainder to self-seed. The following year many baby coneflower dotted the hill. Now, in the third year, we have healthy patches of coneflower with minimal Aster Yellows sightings. As you can guess in the photo, a Magnus seedling grew up through a White Swan ....or is it the other way around? The stems of the coneflower are incredibly stiff and strong; I caught the tines of a garden rake under a flower head - the flower didn't pop off nor did the stem break. These characteristics make Echinacea a perfect choice for our very windy and exposed hill. (Planted 2008, Photo taken 2010)
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*Aster Yellows is a virus that causes bizarre distortions in the flowers, sometimes preventing the petals from expanding, and the foliage to turn a funny yellowish color. It is spread by leaf hoppers and is untreatable. Infected plants aid in spreading the disease and will become worse in ensuing years. UPDATE: For photos of Aster Yellows click here.
Iris germanica (German Bearded Iris) One of the gardens at the Minnesota Landscape Arboretum I enjoy is the Iris Collection. Here are pics of my favorite ones. I'm still kicking myself for not having anything to write down the names - they were quite creative. Enjoy the pics, and none of the colors have been altered! (Photos taken 2010)
The iris below is in my garden. I believe it is Before the Storm.
Paeonia sp. Garden Peony (coming soon)
Paeonia tenuifolia (Fern-leaf Peony) In fall of 2009 a neighbor was splitting their fern-leaf peonies and asked if I would like a few. Of course I would! Only a fool would refuse. I planted them in my sunniest garden, flanking the bleeding heart (Dicentra spectabilis). One of the plants bloomed in 2010, but the flower was on the smallish side. The deep red is a wonderful compliment to the light pink and white bleeding heart arching gracefully overhead. Sorry, no photo of the flower. Another plant set flower, but it never opened.
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| The Fern-leaf Peony is the little fluffy plant at the bottom center of the photo. (taken 2010) |
It is now 2011, and the fern-leaf peonies are doing very well. They have gotten over the transplant shock and are looking very vigorous. They have multiple stems and nearly all of them have a bud. The ants have just recently found the buds, so I am impatiently waiting for when they bloom!
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| If you look very closely you can see the ant. (taken 2011) |
Perovskia atriplicifolia (Russian Sage) Wonderfully silvery-purple and billowy. It is the largest plant chosen for the hill. Although a marginal Zone 4, it withstands Minnesota winters quite well - and the hill is exposed to the harsh winter winds. I think the secret is to have adequate snow cover. By leaving the plants standing during winter they act as a snow fence, preventing the snow from blowing away and, therefore, providing the necessary snow cover. I do cut them back by 1/2 - 1/3 every fall. In spring I inevitably have to remove more so it actually ends up being 1/4 height. But it never ceases to grow up to its 4-foot height each year. In the three years it's been on the hill only one has died. Unexpected bonus - it readily self-seeds! Yay for free plants! (Planted 2008, Photo taken 2010)
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Phlox paniculata (Tall Garden Phlox) (coming soon)
Rudbeckia sp (Black-Eyed Susan) I was surprised to find a rogue Rudbeckia in the Echinacea. "What are you doing here?" I asked, because I really do talk to plants! I'm actually quite delighted he decided to join us on the hill; his yellow flowers will be little spotlights scattered among the lavender-purple and silver blue. Having similar traits to Echinacea, they are also well-suited to our hill. They begin blooming about 2 weeks after the Echinacea and continue about a month after the Echinacea has gone to seed. A great way to keep the color coming! (Found 2010, Photo taken 2010)
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Schizachyrium scopulorum (Little Bluestem) I have had more people ask me to identify "that grass" than all the other plants on the hill combined. As the name suggests, the blades are a delightful blue-green. Very vertical presence. In fall the blades turn a striking red-purple - which is when I get the inquisitive passers-by. In October the flower plumes open a delightful silver. They're not as showy as a Miscanthus (Feather Reed Grass), but the effect of silver above purple is lovely. As winter approaches, the blades turn a buff color with a hint of orange. We leave them up all winter. Sure, they get flattened by heavy snow, but they bounce back up in spring. We actually use the grass as our winter weather vane and wind sock. Since the trees have no leaves it isn't immediately clear if it's windy. Then we look at the grass. If the bitter wind is blowing them around, we know it's better for us to stay inside. (Planted 2008, Photo taken 2010)
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Sedum spectabile variegata (Variegated Sedum) (photos coming soon)
Tiarella sp. (Foam Flower) A cousin of Heuchera, the short stature of Tiarella is perfect for garden edges. I originally planted mine in the little space between the brick "patio" under a bird feeder and the lawn. The first year or two they did fairly well. I keep reading that Tiarella is a tough little plant, but I haven't had that experience, with my own or my clients', so I don't know what the deal is. Anyway, this spring (2011) they were slow in coming up. I was beginning to despair of them until yesterday when I finally saw new growth. They are still very short (maybe two inches) and I'm constantly worried they'll get stepped on when the feeder gets refilled. But I'm going to transplant them, not only because of the danger of being crunched, but they are also no longer in the shade of the elm we just removed. More on the move when it happens.
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| Look at the little flower spikes! (taken 2011) |
