Welcome to the Party!

Last fall I began a huge makeover for my garden. I spent over eight weekends digging new beds, transplanting dozens of plants, lifting and ammending the soil, etc. Plants that no longer fit into the design or were smothering their neighbors went to new homes. A few, like the hideously meatball shaped barberries that I had thoughtless planted in the shade of a planet sized viburnum, were enthusiastically chopped into pieces and given shallow graves.

One of the best parts of the makeover was choosing new plants. I linked the pictures to the nurseries I bought them from. If I purchased them locally, photo credit is given. All the plants from Prairie Moon were purchased as bare roots. My selections from Lazy S's arrived as healthy, vigorous plants. Here's what I added:

Ornamental Grasses

Chasmanthium latifolium (Northern Sea Oats)

photo credit

I purchased these from Lazy S's Nursery when I redesigned the Bed of Death and Misery, the driest shade in my garden.

Variegated 'River Mist' Northern Sea Oats

photo credit

When I saw these growing at our local nursery, I stopped in my tracks. The combination of variegated foliage and greenish white seed heads is truly striking. 

Perennials

Campanula 'Summertime Blues'

photo credit

I bought this off the clearance table to tuck into a spot next to a dwarf sweetspire. It's not as aggressive as other campanulas. I love the blue bell shaped flowers.

 

Liatris ligulistylis (Meadow Blazing Star)

Meadow Blazing Star from Prairie Moon is excellent for attracting monarchs.

Dracocephalum 'Fuji Blue' (False Dragonshead)

photo credit

Dracocephalum is one of the toughest plants in my garden. I also have a beautiful white form that blooms in the spring. They'll take dry, partial shade. My pot of 'Fuji Blue'  dried out severely before I could get it in the ground but once planted and watered, it bounced right back.

Xanthorhiza simplicissima (Yellowroot)

photo credit

Laurrie of My Weeds Are Very Sorry introduced me to yellowroot when I asked her to help me redesign part of my front garden. I'm adding more in the spring. It's actually a native sub-shrub with beautiful fall color and lavender spring flowers.

Chrysoganum 'Allen Bush' and 'Pierre' (Goldenstar)

photo credit

Green and Gold is an excellent edging plant for dry shade. I actually killed a patch of it once when I moved it to a moister spot. It's easily overrun by other plants and needs its own space. 

Smilacina racemosa (Solomon's Plume)

False Solomon's Plume has creamy white flowers in the spring and red berries in the winter. I planted these near the spigelia.

Porteranthus stipulatus (Western Indian Physic)

Unlike the most recently introduced cultivar of porteranthus, porteranthus stipulatus thrives in dry partial shade. It is very similar to Bowman's Root, which grows effortlessly in my garden.

Polygonatum odoratum (Variegated Solomon's Seal)

photo credit

I added several variegated Solomon's Seal in my quest to find plants that would thrive in dry shade. It's also fragrant. Bonus!

'Sunday Gloves' daylily

photo credit

'Sunday Gloves' was my lucky break at our local garden center. Most of the daylilies were picked over or weren't the color I was looking for. 'Sunday Gloves' is a fragrant rebloomer with huge flowers. 

Hostas 'Twilight' and 'Grand Marquee'

Twilight

photo credit

Grand Marquee

photo credit

I bought these to add to the hosta grouping under my river birch tree.

Rubus pentalobus (Creeping Bramble)

Creeping bramble is a fruiting vine in the raspberry family that bears edible golden raspberries. It thrives in dry, infertile soil and will spread indefinitely. I bought several pots and am using it in front of my potted birdhouses on my front porch. 

Lespedeza bicolor 'Yakushima'

photo credit

'Yakushima' is a dwarf bush clover that thrives in dry, infertile soil. The flowers look like little sweet peas. 

Aquatic Plants (for the muck bucket frog pond)

Oenanthe javanica 'Flamingo' ( Variegated Water Celery)

photo credit

I bought this to add to my frog pond. I was able to buy it and the other water plants for only $3 each at the end of the season. Happy!

Equisetum scirpoides (Dwarf Horsetail Rush)

photo credit

This tiny rush is perfect for my tiny pond.

Lobelia cardinalis 'Fried Green Tomatoes' (Cardinal Flower)

photo credit

All of my water plants are doing well in my little pond. I've never grown aquatic plants before but they seem really happy. 'Fried Green Tomatoes' is very winter hardy.

Roses

Peggy Martin

photo credit

This tough climbing rose was accidentally sent to me due to a computer error. That's my kind of mistake!  It's also known as 'The Rose That Survived Hurricane Katrina'.

Jude the Obscure

photo credit

I've been wanting to grow this rose for years and was finally able to make room when I redesigned my sunniest perennial bed. I ordered it from Chamblee's Nursery and it arrived in excellent condition.

Shrubs that don't seem like shrubs

Lespedeza thunbergii 'Spring Grove'

photo credit

I was warned against buying a lespedeza thunbergi because they get big and sprawly, but big and sprawly was exactly what I needed for a particular spot by my driveway. I like that it can be cut down to 12" in the winter so I don't have to worry about killing it when I cover it with freshly shoveled-off-the-driveway snow.

Bulbs

Belladonna lilies - pink and 'Fred Meyer Whites'

photo credit

'Fred Meyer Whites' are the toughest, most xeric belladonna lilies available. Advertised as highly fragrant, I combined them with several pink ones and planted them in the driest spot in my front garden. After seeing so many pictures of them on various blogs this summer, I just had to try them. When the bulbs arrived, they were enormous. I'm excited to see them bloom this summer.