A very little known perennial is the enormous Persicaria 'Crimson Beauty', The true cultivar is completely sterile, so no seedlings. It blooms ivory turning rapidly to cherry red in September and is spectacular when backlit.

On the south island of NZ there is a semi arid grassland area in the rain shadow of their "alps" that is host to a lot of grasses . One native being th ubiquitous Pampas Grass. Pampas grass is actually native to most of NZ but there is seas of that noxious stuff there.The European explorers of the time got lost in this area and their horses and them were badly cut up. They call it sword grass.
we also grow the NZ tea here in Texas. Does PG grow in OK? It does here but it needs to be cut back severely every year after winter. Bleeding arms was my treat every spring. I paid some one big bucks to be rid of the stuff. It had grown huge.
I don't know if Muhlenbergia capillaries is cold hardy for you. I have always like Indian Rice grass (Achnatherum hymnodies) for backlighting. That is hardy all the way up into Canada.

Noooo, Indian rice grass was an absolute nightmare of seeding into every single pot, getting a grip with gnarly huge roots and almost turned me off grasses forever.

A 'friend' gave it to me.

Have paid an eye-watering amount for some muhly grass (suposedly capillaris) after 3 failed seed growing attempts....and looking at the sorrowful plants which arrived (from Ebay, so mea culpa) I have grave doubts that this will be a contender either. Surely the grass is not a vaguely striped lime colour?? (altho' I admit to vast ignorance)

The only trouble with grasses.....was grasses getting into my grasses...and not being sure what was just a harmless poa or what had a vicious rhizome until entire clumps were over-run. Have still not solved this problem satisfactorily....so am limiting myself to just a small handful of very recognisable types (and no miscanthus, which must be the last 2 decades pampas grass, here in the UK)

I am pleased to say that the nursery trade has almost stopped indiscriminate selling of bamboos (not those well(ish) behaved fargesiodes or dendrocalamus....but rampageous phyllostachys and...gasp....even sasas. Dealing with hateful bamboo almost signified a premature end to our nascent landscaping business, back in the late 90s after dealing with far too many punctured pond liners and broken concrete paths and collapsing walls.

So, DB...what do you actually grow? Curious people want to know?

M. capillaries is a dime a dozen in the nurseries around here. $1.90 for 4" and $6 for 1 gallon. Muhley seeds need to be fresh, or fairly fresh. I plant them quickly when I get them. I saw this bank of pink in the setting sun around some dark green small agaves. The tops of the pointy leaves barely made it out of the cloud. It was a beautiful effect.

Well I am sold on the bluestem, even if not for this particular place. Thanks Tex. I'm nutty for grasses and I do have Panicum 'Northwind', still immature but quite handsome. I must confess, I have a few soldiers of Karl. He's hard to beat for very vertical and narrow structure.

campanula, thanks for the suggestions. I think the carex and tussocks prefer part-sun and moisture. I should have mentioned that this area gets full sun and tends to get dry in the summer (I generally don't provide supplemental water except for establishment). Right now what is thriving in this spot is echinacea, alliium, sedum, lambs ears and the aforementioned potentillas.

I'm not looking for anything too tall in this spot so the woodies are probably out but I love the red twigged and red leaved recommendations and will check them out for other areas.

nhbabs, the dogwood does sound lovely. The new growth being red would look fabulous backlit.

Laceyvail, little known is right... I had trouble finding your 'Crimson Beauty' Is this also classified under the Polygonatum genus?

Hmmm, muhly grass? Dave's Garden says it will survive in 5a but I wonder if that's stretching? Any thoughts?

Our friendly government run plant database has populations of it growing by the coast in quite cold places and into the heart land . Here is a fact sheet on it. Interesting planting suggestions. Plant seeds fresh in winter.( Hear that Campanula.)

I bet that there are differences in cold hardiness of the different populations. There are differences in appearance and when the bloom as evidenced by the different varieties available at SRG. It might need snow coverage to protect it from cold. I do notice that it is native to the East side of the states.

Here is a link that might be useful: M. capillaris fact sheet

greenhearted, there is nothing really wrong with Karl Foerster, the guy was pointing out that it needs more water in a place where water is way short in supply while Little Bluestem can manage without waste. Its true, you do see it on every corner it seems in New Mexico. It didn't do well here, because we are too hot along with too dry.

camp, If you want to kill Indian Rice Grass, just water it well. Its a quick death, easy kill. I lost most of mine in a single rainy month. I have one straggler left out there on top of a hill. In a desert landscape it looks breathtaking, like a soft misty cloud among all the pointies & sharpies.

wantana, UGH YES, we have plenty of Pampas Grass here. Like the plague it is. That and the thirsty Miscanthus are everywhere as if these two sharp leaved grasses are THE ONLY ACCEPTED GRASS to plant if you want grasses in a well designed garden situation, anything else would be not approved with the exception of Pennisetums which are also everywhere.

Particularly overused is the boring mix of Miscanthus and Knock-out Roses. Seems every formal planting at every business or housing entry has this and the swells here seem to feel its a requirement in Nichols Hills. The striped Miscanthus make me nauseated. That yellow/green with roses is gag.

I call these "Corporate Grasses". Suitable for corporate business landscapes done in a controlled, maintained, professional manner.

Making things even more offensive are the frightening #'s of grass doughnuts. I guess many folks think the grass is supposed to be a tall ring with a big ugly dead center or maybe its just too daunting to even consider dividing the razor sharp grasses up? Especially attractive are the doughnuts that never get last years growth trimmed back.

Even better...Often I see them "hedged". This is when you trim them way back in summer so they don't look messy but instead form a neat uniform "shrubs" either as an isolated shrub or even better, a long hedge (without leaves). I see lots of those too.

The Gulf Muhlys do well here but I see them being used surprisingly less. You'd think that pink would make them in higher demand.

On a better note, it is becoming very common to see city plantings done in all native grasses. So much nicer that what I described above. Very low maintenance.

Oklahoma has a native muhly called Muhlenbergia riverchonii. Its much cold hardier than the M. capillaris, blooms about a month earlier so you get a longer period of interest. Its lower growing but just as wide as M. capillaris, the seed heads are an unusual musky, smokey purple, its rather hard to pin down as to the color but quite nice and elegant in a subtle way. It almost never puts out volunteer seedlings. I do have one coming up in a sidewalk crack (arg) that is impossible to transplant-- wouldn't you just know it.

High Country Gardens carries it. Its hardy to zone 5. I highly recommend it.

Thanks wantonamara for that link. I'm in northern Illinois and the state is in the green, so perhaps it will work.

The visual image of their suggestion to harvest seeds using a comb so as not to disturb the plant's appearance made me laugh. I may have to plant it just to amuse my neighbors.

That's pretty cool, TR! Undaunted... apt from what I have read about the OK climate in this thread

greenhearted, I use one of those Afro-Hairpicks on my Mexican Feather Grass. I comb all of them that need it when they start "shedding". That's another grass that makes for stupendous backlighting. Seeds about very generously however. I also like Purple Three-Awn grass for the same effect. They are both short grasses and they glow all season, not just in fall like some others.

campanula, what grows best here are natives...or those from like climates (china and japan)...thus our worst scourges, like Japanese privet, honeysuckle, bamboos, and kudzu.
I have moved a bit farther east, into Arkansas, and can grow more moisture loving plants than were possible even 100 miles away in NE Oklahoma. I was thrown a monkey wrench in having a seasonal flooded yard...in Oklahoma, which would dry to bone hard by end of summer (usually).
It's not easy having both extremes, but TR has pretty much the dry to deal with.
And to correct above, the pampas grasses that we grow (darn common names) are natives of Brazil and Argentina.
Back on topic, the muhly grasses are lovely backlit, but I had issues with hardiness in Z6 (possibly because of that wetness factor though). My theory is like that of Tony Avent at Plants Delight, try it three times...if it keeps dying, you can stop.

This post was edited by dbarron on Tue, Sep 30, 14 at 15:58

WellI sure saw some pampas grasses in the works down there. The plumes weren't as nice. Maybe a relative.

There is always macleaya cordata (for the brave....with space). I rather like this thuggish plume poppy and may risk a cluimp along the eastern edge of the woods.

Plume poppy is a new one on me. I can imagine that really glows in late afternoon sun. I think it would look quite pretty on the eastern edge of your woods against the dark background.

A lot of the types of pampas aren't hardy here (Aw, shucks). Ravenna is showing up everywhere lately, speaking of the big ones. Neither really shine when backlit.

Deschampsia which camp brought up is a really good one for ethereal light effects, it offers nothing for winter interest but I keep considering it. I like the grasses that will stand up until late winter, makes such a difference in the landscape so I value that aspect. Eragrostis is good too, similar in a way to Deschampsia, here is a planting I shot last year at a public park, it looks great massed if you have the space, these were about chest high.

I loved my plume poppy in my old house, BUT I was very glad for the retaining wall of the bed that it was in for it does have a tendency to expand its foot print. Not a good plant for a small garden un less one has good edging WALLS.. I just love how water beads up on the leaves and rolls off. It reminds me of the part in Bambi where everything is perfect and good and the rain starts to fall on this big leaves and roll of onto the little animals below. I would love to water them just to see the effect. Rice paper Plant is even worse about that tendency but an interesting plant. Both need more water and rich soil than I can give in my situation now and a larger garden than I had back then.

I thought of some smaller reddish leafed plants that are smaller than a full-sized dogwood.

- Little Bluestem grows just fine here in full sun without any supplemental water (it grows wild) and at this time of year is getting coppery tints that look lovely with the sun behind them. I don't find it spreads particularly, though mine is in a field not in a formal garden.
- 'Lady in Black' aster or Penstemon 'Dark Towers' might look nice.
- Physocarpus 'Little Devil' is a much smaller than average ninebark (4'), and has the typically colored reddish leaves and light pink flowers though both are smaller than other ninebarks, so it might work well in this spot for you.

Greenhearted, yes, 'Crimson Beauty might go under some other genus names, but I think that there is also one out there that seeds all over the place. I've had mine for close to 15 years and there has never been a single seedling.

I've had a number of discussions about this with one of the employees at Rare Find Nursery. They apparently had one of the seeders some years ago. I recently sent the employee a start of mine for her own garden and perhaps some day it will show up in the nursery.

Oh wow, that Eragrostis *drool* In digging around, I found an Eragrostis curvula which has that weeping grace of Nasella but is hardy in my yard... and unfortunately appears to be invasive.

Plume poppy! What cool looking leaves. I love that scene in Bambi too. I tend to run out after the rain to admire the beads gathered on my lady's mantle and caught between the spikes of hens and chicks.

nhbabs, thanks for putting your noggin to it. Nice list! That aster is gorgeous. Do you have it? I've never grown asters before... I think because I've always been under the impression that they are finicky, but I'm not sure why I think that. :)

Ah, so very rare indeed laceyvail. Perhaps we will see it in production yet.

Personally, I would go with a mixture to provide texture as well as color. Ornamental grasses are fabulous companion plants for many of the choices mentioned here and will provide interest, color, and bird habitat and seed through the winter. The choices are pretty much endless and if you choose the right ones, you can front-light it during the fall and winter months and have pretty fronds to show off.

Here is a link that might be useful: Ornamental Grasses

Greenhearted - there are asters...and asters. They have been on my radar this year (I have space) and I am discovering what a varied taxon the asters belong in. I am especially loving those close to the species (which also tend to be least disease-ridden) such as ericoides, cordifolia, laevis and (my current favourite and top contender in the backlit stakes) - aster pilosus...or frost aster....in that low winter sun, flowering in November...yay

I have always been a fan of daisies in all their forms

I for-see an interesting relationship as I discover more about these lovely plants...and my baby seedlings and cuttings mature.

greenhearted, The love grass at that park is Eragrostis trichoides which gets about 4ft tall. Weeping Love Grass is a non native from Africa and has a different habit, not as compact and the blooms don't completely obscure the leaves like that, they are on longer stems and spaced further apart. There is another type that is about 2ft tall called Eragrostis spectabilis that blooms pink. All the varieties of love grass seed very generously.

I am pretty sure Deschampsia is another that will seed about but it has a similar garden effect.

There is also a blue variety called Eragrostis elliotii which is about 3' x 3'. The seeds start in May and it stays cloud-like until fall.

I love daisy type flowers, especially the tiny but numerous kind. Lazy Daisy is like that and it makes little clumps of pure white for a long period. Its an annual that needs sandy soil and is another self-seeder but here I usually consider that a plus.

Here is a link that might be useful: http://search.aol.com/aol/imageDetails?s_it=imageDetails&q=eragrostis+elliottii&img=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.anniesannuals.com%2Fsigns%2Fd%2520-%2520g%2Fimages%2Feragrostris_elliotii_blg.jpg&v_t=nscpsearch&host=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.anniesannuals.com%2Fsigns%2Fd%2520-%2520g%2Feragrostris_elliotii_blg.htm&width=117&height=167&thumbUrl=http%3A%2F%2Ft1.gstatic.com%2Fimages%3Fq%3Dtbn%3AANd9GcR-NlBe8i4pDIYu58M6lJ3n-uDkkydkpLQN9qGnaYSEwmGyeyNIaIBsXakf%3Awww.anniesannuals.com%2Fsigns%2Fd%252520-%252520g%2Fimages%2Feragrostris_elliotii_blg.jpg&b=image%3Fq%3De%3DimageResultsBack%26v_t%3Dnscpsearch%26oreq%3Dae026c9e7818483aad3e1a8de743b317&imgHeight=299&imgWidth=209&imgTitle=Eragrostis+elliottii+%26quot%3B&imgSize=8010&hostName=www.anniesannuals.com

ooh, I almost forgot (cos it is a new one for me) but sanguisorba is proving to be a sweetheart....there are a few shorter ones such as 'Tanna' and (I think) Red Thunder....but I have the plain officianalis which I hope to grow with carex testacea and anomethele lessoniana (and maybe one of the panicums- or one of the eryngoes), - part of my sowing strategy for 2015..........
.....and then there are the umbels....but best not to get me started here as this was another well-trodden path....however, if you have enough moisture to consider angelica sylvaticum 'Ebony' or 'Vicar's Mead'.....the same colouring as the dark leaved elders....lovely!.

Thanks grandmamaloy for weighing in. I do already have a nice mix of textures in this bed so I'm just looking for one or two types of plants to pull all my chaos together :)

campanula, I do have a few frost asters that wandered in of their own accord. Very charming. 'Red Thunder' looks nice too, a Piet Oudolf intro. I'll have to remember to check in with you next season to see who your favorites are among your fledglings.

I am also a fan of the presence of umbels and wish I had the temperature and moisture to accomodate them. I made the amusing mistake of googling Angelica 'Ebony' and got some very non-family-friendly images.

That E.elliotii is really nice, the compact size and long display would be ideal... but it would probably freeze its britches off in zone 5. What is Lazy Daisy?

Lazy Daisy is an annual wildflower. I ordered seed from Native American Seed. It blooms heavily from very early spring to around the end of July, then it starts dying back. Its a good if you are doing a prairie but would probably be too aggressive for a bed.

E. elliotii isn't really compact, the stems are about 3ft tall with the seedheads held well above a compact clump. It also seeds aggressively. I pull the volunteers.

Here is a link that might be useful: http://www.seedsource.com/catalog/detail.asp?product_id=3064

Greenhearted, I only found aster 'Lady in Black' recently (after looking for it locally for years) and so don't have much experience with it. The flowers are quite small but there are lots of them, and I I really like plants that have nice foliage as well as flowers.

Thanks for the additional info, TexasRanger and nhbabs.

Oh, I came home from the library late...and saw a lot of backlit muhlenbergia capillaris (I think)....splendid!

dbarron, thanks. I am just about sold on the Muhlenbergia riverchonii that TR mentioned. Especially after reading that it will tolerate alkaline clay!

To any of you who have muhly grass, does it have to be divided often? At least it shouldn't be such a bear as miscanthus since it is smaller (one hopes!)

What about companions for this grass, any favorite combinations?

Here is a link that might be useful: Undaunted

I never, ever wear pink....but admit to a weakness for this colour in the garden....so I have recently sown something of a blushing hooligan - filipendula rubra, after admiring this in Scotland. Who could object to massive candy-floss heads with handsome palmate foliage (plenty could, it seems as the warnings regarding FP's land-grabbing attest). Added in with some violent magenta (geranium psilostemon) and maybe a slash of lime.(angelica archangelica, golden alexanders)...and I think this will be a modern and striking combination.
If my muhly grass does well, I may well add in some drumstick alliums and chocolate cosmos....or mix in with sanguisorba (although this is also new to me).
Since the eastern and western edges of the woods overlook meadows and the river bank, there are ample opportunities for backlighting.

HMM, you might have made a sale here. LOL. I just finished planting three of the flamingo muhly from HCG down in a natural seep/drain area. I might need some of this for the uplands area.

I have a wild population on M. lindheimeri AKA Big Muhly. It seems that depth of soil and water is the factor in how large the grass gets. Sun or lack of sun keeps it small and flopped over in a wispy growth habit. It is used by ranchers to locate underground springs, or so a "spring finder" for the Bamberger Ranch told me . He walked up to a few muhleys in a small draw and dug in and there was moisture. There is one that is planted on a Bank leading to a Small embankment with a drain over a small mostly dry arroyo in the bottom of a steep valley near here and that muhly is huge, not big. We also have seep muhly that likes the same conditions. Mine grow on shallow limestone and caliche based soil with leaf mater sometimes over it. I do not think they will ever need dividing. I have never seen a muhly with a dead center except for Ring Muhly who grows in a circle by natures design.

I also have Bull muhly ( M. emersleyi) and that has staid in a nice clump for 12 years. It was the first thing I planted out here (in the wrong place) and never watered or cared for.

I have Bamboo muhley and nature sacks that back routinely to the ground. We are on the edge of its hardiness.

I have heard that Muhlies do not like a haircut in spring. Good, I am a lazy gardener.I will go au-naturale with glee.

Dream on Mara. The Queen of the Prairie (Filipendula) "Likes consistently wet or moist soil". We must just accept the fact that we cannot grow anything like that (wah) and be content with our grasses, yellow snakeweeds and liatris in fall.

Maybe camps will feel sorry for us and take a picture of her cotton candy blooms so we can get a gander of it from long distance.

Heck, I don't even think you could grow a Turkeyfoot (big bluestem) down there but that makes us even since I can't grow the Bamboo muhly. My 'Red October' came in the last bluestem shipment instead of a spring backorder as I expected, they must have had one left. Its got some red on it, I could hardly wait to unwrap the brown paper.

We finally got water from the sky last night but are climbing back up into the 90's mid week. In spite of this fall is right around the corner, or so the weatherman keeps saying. I don't think there is a muhly out there I couldn't fall in love with. The Pink Flamingo is just starting to show signs of pink along with the gulf muhly's. I have my cute little baby ring muhly's in the ground now and am hoping the whole front area will be awash in a low growing mist of back-lit pink next fall. Pink ground fog?

I'm chomping at the bit to order even more little bluestem, got the thing all filled out last night but am trying to get a grip. I think I am loosing my head over the B.S. this year. Frankly I worry.

campanula, I love the chocolate color suggestion and will keep that in mind. I currently have some 'Angelina' sedum and 'Summer Beauty' allium together and the lime and pink do make a happy combination. I have FP on my list for a one-day renovation of the drainage swale that cuts through our property. I have compiled a list of plants that do well with moisture and occasional drought... though I am nervous about its enthusiastic nature :)

wantonamara, thanks for sharing your experiences with muhly grass. Not needing frequent dividing is music to my ears. So if it does not like to be cut back in spring, when are the dead blades removed? Or is it supposed to be left on the plant?

Oooh, texasranger, you got the 'Red October'? I am excited to see how it does.

I did, I did! I am beside myself. Big Chief Sitting Bull is now planted right down there by the road sign on the west end of the hell strip. From what I read he comes true from seed. I saw a whole field of Big B.S the other day, it was gorgeous. I got 3 'Indian Steel' Indian Grasses too. Its our state grass and really, don't ya think a body ought to grow at least one plant of their state grass?

What is a UK grass? Any national grass or local ones over there?

Hmmm, who knew there was a state grass? I just looked up Illinois and it is big bluestem. I agree with you Tex; I am compelled to grow my state grass ;)

Oh No! That means you will have to order that 'Red October' for sure and have your very own turkey foot. I looked them all up one night, every state has a state grass, a state flower and a state tree. Our state flower is mistletoe because it was the only green thing in winter people could find to decorate graves with after the land was opened up for settlement. Recently they added gallardia which is cool because it attracts lightning bugs at night, they have a symbionic relationship and besides, its a bit more desirable and attractive than mistletoe which is a parasite. It grows wild along the roadsides but then mistletoe is also quite abundant.

Oh darn, the responsibility of being patriotic is a heavy one but I cannot be remiss in my duties...

How interesting about the mistletoe. And wow, I did not know gallardia attracts lightning bugs! I always felt very meh about gallardia but now methinks I was hasty in my judgement.

Molinia caerulea...or purple moor grass is one of our indicator species....although my woodlands are mainly carex sp.and reeds on the wetter edges and cocksfoot and sweetgrass (dactylis glomerata and anthoxanthum odoratum). Deschampsia, holcus mollis. briza maxima and hordeum (foxtails) species are common in my locale,
We tend to use the smaller fescues and oat-grasses for ornamental use...as well as a few annuals such as the sweet bunny-tails - lagarus ovatus.
We have no equivalent to prairies, Tex....although we do have moorlands - shallow soil on granite bedrocks which will only support heaths, cotton-grass and mosses. East Anglia was once all wetlands and alder carr which was drained over hundreds of years leaving behind rich, dark friable nitrogen-rich soil - the best in England for arable farming.....along with a completely flat landscape, we do have wide open fields, uninterrupted by trees, hills or anything other than power-lines....and acres and acres of wheat, barley, rootcrops and onions......as well as the bulk of the UK bulbs industry.
Trees, specifically the oak (and to a lesser extent, ash, yew and beech) are deeply symbolic, rooted in the cultural and social history of the UK.....although we have fluctuated between complete forest coverage (ancient neolithic forest) to almost complete tree loss although a big push has led to us finally catching up with the rest of Europe with around 12% woodland cover.....or back to the highest level since 1750. Grass has invariably meant some form of lawn grass - although we have been growing ornamental grasses, they tend to be non-native....or grown as part of wildflower meadows - probably the nearest to your prairie plantings.

I snubbed gallardia for years, I'd had some perennial type in the past and it was sort of bleh. Then PoSw sent me some free seeds of the annual kind, G. pulchella. Talk about non stop blooms, it never stops and ends the season as a perfect round globe smothered in white seed balls that catch the late afternoon sunlight in fall-- all on what moisture falls from the sky. I've had it ever since along with an annual type that blooms solid red I got in a trade. The annual out blooms the perennial putting it to shame so thats the only kind I grow. I pull whole plants out like tumbleweeds in fall to keep them from dropping seeds.

Tx ranger we do get A. glomeratus in the wet gullies by streams. Not on my land.

Greenheart. I don't know how it will behave in areas with lots of winter but here, big muhly looks great without a hair cut where you cut all fronds off. I might pull off the dead stuff individually. We get a lot of fronds living through the winter.

I did order a bunch of the M riverchonii 'Undaunted" See what you started.

I think purple moor grass is very pretty. It is recommended by Roy Diblik in his book "Know Maintenance Garden." He is the reason I bought 'Summer Beauty' allium.

Your description of the annual gallardia sounds much nicer, TR.

Wantonamara, I hope you'll post pics of Undaunted once you get them! Nearly everything herbaceous dies back to the ground in my climate so I might have to get out the scissors but I'm out there anyway, trimming everyone else back.

Where I am putting them they will be swallowed up in the native grasses. I will have to put red flags by them to make sure I don't weed them . I am fighting KR Bluestem (from China and forms monocultures.) It better live up to its name to get along in my garden. Right now it looks like native raw land because IT IS. Alkaline clay (if its lucky) , Alkaline caliche, Alkaline this and that is what it will get. Heat and now water after the first year. I guess if your muhly is all dead to the ground there is no reason not to cut it back. I like big plants because they show up in the morass of nature. I have begun gardening for perspective. How one sees things from a distance.

I got my four "Undaunteds" in from HCG. Nice plants. I got two of the Pink Flaming Muhleys too. One was goo an the other was a runt. I think they are about ready to start scraping the bottom of the barrel.

{{gwi:269773}}

Have your ever divided any muhly's? I'm wondering about the 2 undaunted Muhly's I moved, they looked punk all season like big grasses aways do when you move a mature clump. I'm wondering if I should dig them out and divide them to make smaller plants like those you have up there? Mine originally filled out fairly quickly. I planted them in fall and by the next year they made nice sized blooming plants, then the next year they were 3ft wide which was bigger than HCG had indicated.

By the way, they changed the name, they were called 'Autumn Glow' back before HCG closed their local store and quit selling as many natives. Maybe they changed it since they glow in summer, not autumn? I wish they'd go back to selling those hard to find natives like they used to carry.

The ones you bought look like 2 year old plants judging by the old growth that was trimmed back at the base or maybe they are divisions from a large plant?

Nice looking plants, wantonamara!

Too bad about the Pink Flamingo... I got an email this morning from HCG that they are having a buy two get one sale... Pink Flamingo is included.

Be warned , That they might be puny. I went by a favorite nursery in Austin and they had 1 gallon plants of Pink Flamingo at Muhley $2 less , no shipping. I was a little miffed , you might say. So I made my peace with my miffedness by buying more. They said it was flying out of there very quickly.

Speaking of Filipendula Rubra, (Queen of the Prarie)...I planted 3 very small plants in my bog garden several years ago. They have completely taken over and spread over 40'.
Beautiful , with their pink cotton candy blooms... and yet, in a 'normal', drier

I dedicated a spot to Crocosmias. I like how the setting sun will hit them as they fill in. This one's 'George Davison'.

Beautiful Crocosmias Catkin! I had forgotten about them. I used to have them in the bog garden,.. red ones that I loved... But I think there was too much moisture. Will have to try again,
Campanula~ Sorry about the pic. That was taken about 10 years ago.. back when my digital was only a couple of pixels, and I was younger and could take care of such a large space.
For now.. I've just let nature take it's course and I can barely make my way through the long neglected paths... Between the Macleaya cordata, Bee Balm, Sorbaria and Filipendula, the plants have spread far and wide! Next Spring I'll take some better pics with a better camera. LOL. Lucky you with those fox gloves!!!!! They're so beautiful!!!

Thanks, Mertie!