Native Plant Garden, Complete!

Well of course a garden is rarely "finished," but in the case of my small yard and the obsessive nature with which I purchase plants, this one really IS. It pretty much ended up as I planned it, with a bottlebrush buckeye (Aesculus parviflora) subbing for the Fothergilla.

Planning really does pay off, as now my only tasks are to keep the English ivy from invading through the fence, keep the creeping charlie from invading from the "lawn," and control the Anemone from within.

I think the aggressive anemone may be why my black cohosh has yet to bloom, though they are reportedly slow to establish..It has been getting plenty of water this monsoon season, but the anemone is probably crowding it and zapping all of the nutrients. The pale leaves are the tell tale sign.

I know I also planted the black cohosh too close to the Clethra, but I was loathe to move it. Speaking of the clethra, it is getting ready for its moment. It rarely looks like much, which is why it was planted behind the multi-season stunner Itea. However, it beats itea in the scent category. Also soon to bloom is Heuchera "autumn bride." IF the black cohosh was blooming this year, it would be blooming now, as a gardener in an adjacent neighborhood has a few that are gor-ge-ous.

This subtle garden never commands attention, but there is always something blooming, and the wall of green is soothing. It's a place I can stare when I am exhausted from constantly rearranging things in the sunny border.