What the Heck Are You Doing?
The plan for this is finally coming clearer to me and the directions I am going doesn't make sense for the site. The cottage garden plants do not do well on a slope like this without a large grouping of plants to support them. I don't even like the cottage garden look any way. I have realized that I should use plants that form large clumps, planted together to make a grouping of colors. Descriptions like "tidy," and "mounding" are what I are looking for. I also discovered the term herbaceous border. Maybe that is what I really want for this area.
Plants to Keep
So what do I want? I am looking for a more formal look, with larger clumps or groups of the same flower. The main color flowers should be white, but with a couple pops of blue like the hydrangea.
See how these perform, and consider keeping. I am looking for tidy, mound forming plants.
*No need to have really tall plants in the back. It's a slope, dummy! Plus the taller plants will not do well with the winds at the top without supports. Get rid of cosmos. Delphinium would do fine on the East side of the porch.
Hydrangea Blue Jangles
Catmint- Walkers Low
Spirea Blue Kazoo
Spirea Blue Mist
Stachys Lamb's Ears
Dianthus white
Spiked Speedwell (Veronica)
Phlox dwarf blue flame
Phlox dwarf white
Yarrow Achillea ptarmica- Pearl yarrow
Hydrangea- Blue Jangles- This is the showpiece of the bed. I hope I can keep it alive and flowering, and also add the correct amount of acid to keep them bright blue. It might need more water and less sun that this spot has. Buy a few plants each year, or ask for Mother's Day gifts.
Plant Balloon Flower in the meantime while waiting for more hydrangea. This could turn out to be a reliable perennial. Comes up late in spring and doesn't bloom well until the second year, so give this one another chance. Also, Balloon Flower probably needs more fertilizer than I gave it.
Spirea Blue Kazoo-Bluestone Perennials- Dwarf variety with cool blue foliage, rich red fall color and white flower clusters. A neat mounded plant, easy to grow. Put at the very top of the border behind the Blue mist as it is a little taller. Order two of these for Mother's Day.
Blue Mist Spirea- Bluestone Perennials- Misty clusters of rich purple blue flowers envelop the glossy, dark green foliage. Once established, this drought tolerant plant is virtually maintenance free. Caryopteris Beyond Midnight™ has a dense mounding habit. Long blooming. 2- 21/2 high.
Catmint- Walkers Low (add Walkers Deep Blue)- Trim in summer to keep from flopping over. After the first bloom, trim as much as half the plant's height if needed. These tough perennials will grow right back. Three plants now, maybe add three more to make a nice clump. Move these to the middle of the bed and the Veronica behind, try to divide existing catmint in 2024 to fill in that section of the bed. M
aybe buy plants of Walkers Deep Blue if money allows.
Stachys Lamb's Ears- Love the fuzzy leaves, good in dry spot and encourage it to spread. Divide in spring 2023 and make a border in the front of the bed with it. Just keep dividing this and spreading it across each year. Will be a good plant to give away as well.
Dianthus white and Dianthus blue- These will be the border to the grass on the left side of the border, especially the white. Low growing, should like dry conditions. Another key plant to the mass plantings and big groups of color. Avoid planting in rows, even though it is on the border.
Spiked Speedwell, Veronica- Great deep blue color, came up well the second year. Move to the back of the slope, and divide in the spring.
Phlox dwarf blue flame and Phlox dwarf white- These will be the backbone of the front of the border. You can only buy them in plants, so get four of each when finances allow. Hopefully this can be divided in three years.
Yarrow Pearl Achillea ptarmica - Cute little cottontail yarrow. Plant around hydrangea to soften the edges and integrate with the rest of the bed.
*Zinnia- Plant this year where the Phlox will go next year. Nice enough pant, just not showy or big enough for the front border.
Cottage Garden plants to move
cornflower, yarrow, nigella, Russian Sage, African Daisy, Salvia Farincea, and Globe Thistle
Russian Sage- Blue Steel- It's a little tall, so I'll see if it can mostly stay upright. It gives a nice all over "blue" color. Interplant it with the white Yarrow for a little more interest.
African Daisy- Cool blue centers, but is an annual. Grow this year to see if it is worth it to start from seed every year. Needs fertilizer monthly while blooming. Try to propagate by cuttings. This is also the best way to overwinter the plant outside of its hardiness zones. Mix this in with Globe Thistle, plants will support each other and the white and blue will look good together.
Globe Thistle- Cool looking, blue, but may be too tall. Mix with African Daisy
Add in 2024
- Stemless Gentian- ground cover blue and white, front of border
- Caryopetris Beyond Midnight (Spirea Blue Mist)- if this does well this year (blooms late summer, 2023- second year) then get another from Blue Stone perennials (2 1/2 feet tall, may die back to the ground in winter)
Spirea Blue Kazoo- Bluestone Perennials- Cool blue foliage provides a perfect backdrop for sparkling white flower clusters. Hints of burgundy in the newly opening foliage foreshadow the rich red fall color. A neat mounded plant, easy to grow. Outstanding tucked into your existing border or plant in mass for a showy low-growing hedge.
Expand the Right Side- Keep it Simple!
In the spring of 2023, clear the right side of the bank, both of the larger trees and the weeds. Cover with the grey tarp for the summer. Buy New Jersey Tea (Ceanothus americanus) seeds or plants New Jersey Tea if funds allow. Plant in a rectangle around the edges of the slope, at the top, bottom and sides of the border.
Seeds need a winter or cold period to germinate. Sow these seeds outdoors in pots from November through mid-February. In late fall through to mid-winter bring water to a boil and pour over seed, soak for 24 hours. Fill plastic pots with a slightly moistened, sterile, soil-less growing mix. Plant seed 3 mm (1/8 inch) deep in pots and label the pots. Place them outdoors in an area where they will experience the snow and cold of winter. The seed will germinate in the pots in spring as the weather warms up. Be sure to water the pots regularly in spring and once the plants are 5 cm (2 inches) tall, transplant them into your garden. This species is challenging to grow, and a great species for more experienced seed-sowers. Deer and rabbits do like this shrub, especially when it is young so protect new transplants in the early years.
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