how i redesign for more color ~ the rubik's cube method
why can’t you just relax?
My husband says to me…or maybe that’s just me talking to myself…
Either, way I find it impossible to just live in the moment when the garden is always calling to me and suggesting ways it can be ‘better’. The floral display and color transitions so quickly, and I miss so much of it with long days away doing ‘other things’.
The butterfly favorite, phlox paniculata, ‘Jeana’, is glorious this year and creates a lovely frame along the patio wall.. Even May’s Chelsea Chop didn’t slow it down much. While taller than usual, it’s more open and airy than in years past, thanks to the staggered chop.
Now that the demands of the Community Hospice House gardens are easing, I am shifting focus back to The Big Little Garden and scheming for ways to add to the drama and succession bloom. Some changes and additions are happening now, and some are planned for next spring. I am fortunate to have both gardens for inspiration and discovery. In fact, my new obsession plant (keep reading) recently installed in a CHH garden has given me ideas about how to improve my east garden bed!
a change is gonna come
The garage-side, east facing garden is my beautiful, sparkly ‘princess’ garden in June with purple leaf penstemon, fluffy white valerian, spiky purple salvia ‘Caradonna’, yellow miniature ‘Moly’ allium, electric blue sea holly, neon primula candelabra and more. It’s a wild thing, but it makes my heart sing.
Fast forward, and June’s sparkles have given way to the delicacy and subtlety of bronze fennel’s yellow umbellifers, the orange spikes of kniphofia…and…not much else in the way of bloom. The baptisia’s glaucous foliage is lovely. But the impressive clumps of goldenrod won’t bloom for another month, and amsonia’s foliage display is months away. To make matters worse, the baby bunnies have mowed down a large area of echinacea pallida along the front of this border, just as they were beginning to bloom. I’m tired of fighting the rabbits. What to do? Time to mix things up!
too much of a good thing
Swallowtail caterpillar munching on its host plant, bronze fennel in The Big Little Garden
The bronze fennel is stunning, but is threatening to take over the entire garden. So it will need to be better controlled next spring (and deadheaded this fall before another billion seeds are spilled into the garden and lawn!)
I don’t mind it’s aggressiveness because it’s a vital host plant for our swallowtail butterflies and I’ve counted at least six different caterpillars feasting on the delicate fronds (turn up the sound on this video to hear this little guy munching on the fennel).
I won’t disturb the fennel or the adjoining plants now that the caterpillars are on the move and looking for a suitable stem on which to pupate. There will be time for that next spring!
The mass of bronze fennel collides beautifully (in my opinion) with the blue verbena hastata, another native and larval host plant for the Common Buckeye butterfly! It’s been blooming for weeks (I wrote about it recently here) and still has a bit of gas in the tank. When the sun is shining on this garden, every bee in the neighborhood is buzzing between the fennel and the verbena.
rubik’s cube gardening
So, here’s my plan. I’ll leave the fennel alone for now to protect the swallowtail cats. And the verbena hastata is going no where! But, just to the left is a grouping of interesting and beneficial plants that are just having a pause in color. I recently squeezed in 3 new blue scutellaria incana, but it seems there’s still room for a bit more drama.
Seeing how beautiful the ‘Jeana’ phlox is today, it occurred to me that this might be just what I need to fill the ‘color gap’ in this bed.
So, I snipped a few tall stems and stuck them in the soil in front of clumps of goldenrod just to get an idea of how it might look. Bingo! I think it will be great. I annotated this photo for future reference next spring.
I find this method of planning by cutting plant stems and trying them in other gardens to be helpful to visualize the possibilities. I saved this diagram to a special Google Photos folder called ‘2026 planning’ for easy retrieval in the spring when plants are just beginning to break the surface.
rearranging/repelling/planning
Knowing that the soft blue Scutellaria incana (my new lust plant shown here in the Community Hospice House gardens with red lobelia and white phlox) will grow significantly and bloom heavily, I think two clumps of ‘Jeana’ phlox will be plenty. I will only need to remove one clump of goldenrod to make room for the phlox that I will dig up along the patio wall. I already cleared spaces and planted the 2 scutellaria. The scutellaria is in the mint family so is not on the rabbit ‘menu’ nor is phlox paniculata. I have also added the beautiful, fluffy white calamintha (another fantastic rabbit repellant) at the front of this border.
Since it’s a bad time to try to move the ‘Jeana’ now, I’ll wait until spring. I will transplant two clumps of phlox from the patio garden and move the goldenrod somewhere else, watch the color unfold, then probably tinker some more. I’m excited to see the combination of the pink ‘Jeana’ phlox and the light blue & white scutellaria, aka hoary skullcap. Both are ‘near’ natives and favored by insects and hummingbirds.
Observing/photographing/documenting
Now that I have fallen hard for the hoary skullcap, I intend to try it in three different gardens, all with different growing conditions. This approach helps me better understand the plant’s needs and growth habit and guides me in recommending the plant to others (or not!). I diligently photograph and document the plant throughout the seasons, and love to watch for insect interactions, especially for plants that are larval hosts for our moths and butterflies. It’s been interesting to observe how my 4 varieties of native milkweed have performed in various locations this year, with some blooming and ‘busting’ quite early while others in adjacent gardens are still in full bloom.
why plant that when you can plant this?
This has been my method, more or less, for 30 years. It might sound crazy and complicated, but it works for me. I’m always examining a plant in the garden thinking ‘is this the best that I (or the plant) can do?’. If the existing plant falls short on wildlife value or beauty, it’s going to ultimately be on the chopping block. It’s only a matter of time. It took me years to gather the ‘courage’ to say goodbye to a plant, as I somehow anthropomorphized the plant, thinking that it would somehow take my rejection personally. No more! Now, I remove the plant, pot it up and either give away or set aside for an upcoming plant sale ~ and replace it with something better! This is not a sign of failure. It’s a sign of growth and exploration. Or at least that’s what I tell myself in order to justify buying yet more plants!
With few exceptions, I give new plants at least two to three years to show me what they can do (or not) in the garden. I find the adage ‘sleep, creep, leap’ as a good reminder that plants need a year or two to fully establish their root systems before displaying their full ‘above ground’ potential.
Next up is my sunny south facing garden under the kitchen window. I’ve been eyeing the gooseneck loosestrife and shasta daisies for a couple years. Neither of them are particularly useful for wildlife. So, it’s finally time to make a few adjustments! More on this project in a future post.
focus on beneficial weeds!
Community Hospice House volunteers have been observing the fascinating relationship between bumblebees and a very interesting weed that has popped up in the meadow and even placed itself quite perfectly in an empty spot in one of our ornamental gardens at Community Hospice House.
It’s called plantago lanceolata or ‘narrow leaf plantain’. The bloom seems to be quite irresistible to bees, especially our many types of bumblebees. They spend many minutes traveling around and around the small blooms, gathering pollen from the rays.
Apparently, the Baltimore Checkerspot butterfly has adapted to this non-native and will use it as a host plant for larval development (that means making more Checkerspots!) when its native host plants are in short supply.
Native to Europe and the UK, it has become naturalized throughout north America. As weeds go, this one is fairly well-mannered and attractive, and we are letting it thrive due to its wildlife support. If you see this in your garden, perhaps give it a chance before pulling! The bees and butterflies will thank you!
fantastic time in dublin!
Dublin, New Hampshire, that is. Many thanks to the Garden Club of Dublin for the invitation to speak to members about moss gardening. I had a fantastic time and the setting across from Dublin Lake was stunningly beautiful.
It’s always encouraging to have attendees respond well to my presentation about moss gardening. After all, moss is our original ‘native’ plant.
If your group is interested in hearing about moss gardening or a variety of other topics like gardening for biodiversity, reach out and we can discuss options!
in the news!
The Community Hospice House gardens were featured in an article in Nashua Link Ink here. The article was written and photographed last October, but it is a fitting tribute to the dedication of the CHH volunteer gardeners.
This week, New Hampshire Chronicle filmed three NH gardens, including Community Hospice House, featuring our volunteers who completed the UNH Master Gardener program of study. The target date for airing of the show is mid-September. Stay tuned for details!
Summer is flying by. Let’s make the most of it while it lasts! Until next time, stay calm and garden on.
~ Barb