Hi Rita, I have always done the same thing. When I find a plant I love I go wild buying tons and tons of them. First I started with hosta, then daylilies, phlox, roses, perennial geraniums, dahlias, peonies and so on. I too am trying to mix in more bulbs this year and some cottage type flowers. They are all gorgeous mixed together. You know if someone can come up with a perennial flower for the shade that blooms like impatients they will be sooooooo rich and loved by all of us gardeners out there. Hope you have a great spring, Judy

I think your garden is already gorgeous, but I hear what you're saying about wanting to add more cg varieties.

Have you tried larkspur, poppies, cornflowers and nigella seeds for spring bloom? The folks here on the forum got me hooked on sowing those for spring and early summer blooms. I sow those after Thanksgiving and they come up over the winter. My gardens are covered with the random seedlings for this year, growing by leaps and bounds getting ready for bloom. I will never garden without those again!

For spring bulbs, I have fallen for allium and after tip-toeing into those last year with 'Purple Sensation' I have added two more varieties for this year. I also love Dutch irises and Spanish Bluebells.

For shade, have you considered mertensia (Virginia bluebells) for spring blooms? Those are grown in the cottage gardens at a nearby B&B and they look lovely.

What about hydrangea, Cimicifuga Racemosa (actea), foxgloves and heuchera for shade? (I still haven't grown enough shade here, but these would be on my list).

Cameron

One of the reasons I tend to use the same types of plants over and over is that I love them and they do really, really well for me. Plus I get very obsessive and just have to have MORE LOL :-))

I am adding lots more spring bulbs this year also. I have already ordered tulips and daffoldils from Brent and Beckies for fall. And I add lily bulbs each year. My spring order of lily bulbs just went off to The Lily Garden and it is a very long list.

Cameron, thank you for the compliment about the garden. It really is very beautiful even if I say so myself. After all I do all the work so I set it up the way I want. But all gardens can be improved just like a garden is never finished. Always working on mine since I started the big garden redo in 2001. Nothing here but the typical backyard with some boring shrubs back then. I did have a big veggie garden back in those days though, which I only have a small one now.

The way my garden is set up with all garden areas very heavily mulched the seed scattering would never work for me. And probably the weeds would come up before the flowers anyway. I don't like messy looking. I like cottage garden because its organised chock full of color.

The thing is that I have really been thinking of more diversity. And by that I don't mean that I want to buy lots of different types of plants. Not thinking of the one of everything way of doing things. I have a tendency to get the same things over and over again. That of course is because I really, really like them. My garden is loaded with daylilies, lilies and roses. Now I have discovered iris so the iris crazies joins my other plant crazies.

But am trying new things. This spring started with violas and really love them. Ordered Geums, another new to me plant. Added different types of Sedums that I hadn't had before. Planing to sow more types of zinnias than ever before. Doing more varieties of cosmos. Trying annual poppies, new to me.

Going back to some things I had in the past but haven't been in the garden the last few years. Like the cannas I just planted and the Dahlia Tubers I ordered. Sowing sunflowers and mexican sunflowers this spring. I didn't have them last year.

All those new additions are really going to look amazing, Rita. I have a few sedum and plant zinnias every year but not huge spots of them. I mix them in my empty areas to add more color. I also tried poppies last year and they bloomed all summer. Cosmos too, love the way they lean with the breeze. I've never tried Dahila's yet but I love the look of them. I just know I'd never be able to keep up with digging them every fall and finding a spot to store them where the mice wouldn't get to them. I'll look forward to admiring yours in your garden ;)

MeMo

I don't go for lots of anything that I have to dig and lift for storage all winter every fall. But I usually have afew cannas as I like them. Like Dahlias too and sometimes buy afew locally. This year ordered 6 tubers from Swan Island Dahlias. Thats not alot of Dahlias but it is enough for me.

Plus I plant more gladiolas than ever before since I discovered the smaller not as tall Glanini Glads. They have the most wonderfully vibrant colors.

That is another thing. I like to bring back things that have been in the garden for years and then for some reason, are left out for other years. Like I grew zinnias for years, skipped afew years and started growing them again. Same thing with the four o'colocks.