The Rozanne geraniums will look great spewing out of the fence - they are vigorous plants that bloom their heads off from June to frost for me. As far as the evergreen foundation shrub goes - I think keeping it was a good decision since it provides structure, an area for the eye to rest, winter interest, and is a nice counterbalance to the looseness of the perennials. If you want to change it up for fun, I suggest looking up cloud pruning for the shrub. I have an area with a Japanese maple just like yours underplanted with cloud pruned boxwood, and the green Hakone grass, and it looks so well designed that it's my favorite spot in the garden. You could try alternating the geranium in the front (give each plant 2-3 feet diameter space, they will definitely take it) with the Hakone grass for a contrast in texture. I have both the Aureola Hakone grass, and the regular green one. I prefer the regular one (which strangely is much harder to find) much more, it's a bit taller, and looks like a fountain bursting with lush bright green growth. I think Aureola is more garish and might clash a bit with the pink roses, but then again that's a matter of personal taste :)

Flowergirl, I don't know what all the brown leaves stuff is all about. All I know is that it has occured every year on my type IIs and this year I have even had it on some of my type IIIs. I think that our extremely hot weather and lack of rainfall didn't help with the situation. On my type IIs, I just normally cut them back and they come back just fine and rebloom for me. In fact, the HF Young and the President combo I showed above has even more blooms on it now than it did when I took the picture. Joan, the weather was great when I was gone. We had about 3 inches of rain at home while I was gone and have had over an inch of additional rain since getting home. We are still over 9 inches short for the year however. Things are looking better though. Julia Correvon is reblooming some, as is Polish Spirit and Princess Diana. Esthomizzy, my Freckles has done as I described every year that I have had it. It was sort of an iffy clematis for me to try and grow and Dan at Brushwood Nursery suggested that I grow it in a pot on a southern exposure. That is what I have done and may explain why it loses all of its leaves during the extremely hot summers we have as well as the fact that it is supposed to go more or less dormant in the heat of the summer. The buds on the plant have opened up while I was on vacation and are delightful. I must say however that the plant hasn't really grown much in the two years I have had it. It may have done better if I had a suitable southern location where I could have put it in the ground.

Isn't it exciting! The snow is completely off one garden and I see my globemaster alliums have multiplied again!!! I've gone from 1 to 3 to 5!, a fall blooming allium shows green too, I see green on alyssum sax. compactum (gold) lemon lilies= a type of daylily, artemisia 'silver mound', liriope (lilyturf), chives, brunnifolia- ground cover, thyme, hens and chicks, and columbine. yippeee!!!!! Karen

Hi Rachel, all made sense to me! Wouldn't delphiniums be lovely. Yes absolutely its the sheer range of perennials and flowering shrubs, bulbs available to gardeners in temperate regions that's so astounding, that make gardening easy, interesting and creative. They have short growing seasons though, but spring summer and autumn are all absolutely wow seasons. I'm in Hong Kong, gardening up in the dense forested hills over looking the South China sea. Zone wise I think it's just beyond Miami towards the Keys. On occasion I get a few things from Florida, like palms and orchids that I haven't been able to find anywhere else. I suppose other people find it maddening they can't grow all our lovely things too. For me I realise "gardening" has taken a back seat unfortunately as I've found collecting plants just to test them against our climate has taken up so much of my life. So less gardening and more plantsmen. Opening frontiers. I just found it so frustrating that I couldn't design with the same almost inexhaustible palette as before. Agapanathus for example, any kind or species won't grow here, just too much rain rain rain in summer, they rot even if planted on little mounds and are from summer rainfall regions. Evergreen, perennials none will do, last one or two seasons at the most then gone. It took me a good number of years just to collect all the various species in contention and test them.........the way things proceed. Before when I had an idea, creative flow I just did it. Magic wand, a winding bed of blue agapanthus into the distance. No more. It does make you search for alternatives though. I love Hostas, didn't even try them I just know they won't do but discovered Proiphys amboinensis which is even nicer........ It's exciting to discover things that do very well of course. This year I've been concentrating on Aglaonemas, Tibouchinas especially T granulousa, Azaleas, Salvias like S guarantica Black and Blue etc, Gingers, Largerstroemia........a whole range of lovely summer flowering Asters in fantastic colours that seem to love being wet humid and steamy and come back and back, found these in Bangkok. A few aloes even do well. Hardly any succulents do, but those that grow in seasonal (summer) damp places in the wild in Africa are thriving for me, A. ecklonis, A. cooperi......one from Uganda not even sure what it's called. They also flower so well, twenty stems to a clump If we didn't push the boat our gardens would end up looking like the municiple plantings all around us which become very repetitive. Winter is a fun time because we can indulge our fantasies.......all temperate perennials are treated as annuals for me they just don't get through our summer. Some are more worthy than others and yes Canterbury bells do very well as annuals if you can get the right plants at the right time........we need retailers to think out the box too, right. Retailers here are selling Hollyhocks in full flower and bud right now. It does make me laugh and cry same time. They would be fine in winter but all the trouble and expense of importing them to die an instant death is just completely ga-ga. Already after two days the flowers are drooping in the humidity, they won't last four days even in the shop. They look so lovely and exotic too which those huge frilly flowers and saturated colours. I must say when I first moved here I was burnt a good number of times. I assumed retailers new more than I did. In some cases it's just as well they don't as then I am able to secure the odd gem that makes a fantastic winter annual. Could be a sign of madness but I still keep getting burnt. For me also a language thing. Yesterday I snapped up a Spiraea 'gold fountain'. I wasn't thinking but the intense Spring chartreuse colour and flickering fern like leaves ..........who could resist. Even if by some miracle it survives this summer our winters are not cold enough to initiate flowering. That snow white fountain of May will never be, sigh. One for the compost bin. {Whisper} Jasmine officinale 'Fiona Sunrise' is a real surprise! It hasn't flowered (think the night temps are too high) but it grows brilliantly sending up gorgeously ferny chartreuse tendrils every year, far more interesting and delicate than the rampant potato vine! I told my Mum about it and she shrieked "burn it"! Where she is it's a real nuisance taking over everything in sight, for me its a charming little hanging addition to pots and planters. Im in awe that it survives our summers, looking so fresh and lovely, like Spring everyday. Good luck.