Michelle, with the buddleia, you're supposed to whack the thing back to about 4" every spring - I'm going to do that this afternoon if the wind isn't too bad. They flower on new growth.

I dunno how many of the things I planted, I used them in the border until the pine trees grew up and shaded them out. They're pretty easy to propagate from cuttings. They do ok in the clay.

That buddleia dies flat to the ground for me and never comes back well in summer. The last few years I cut it to the ground in Spring and it never came back very well. It barely bloomed last summer. White buddleia and nanho blue do better. Ellens Blue - not very good. The Black Knight was in a spot where it looks like a missing tooth in Spring. :-)

There is a beautiful white buddleia in Durango in a park that starts out at about 3' high in Spring and easily reaches a globe-shaped 8' x 8'. I love that thing!

Cheers,
Michelle

David - meant to ask you - how big does Linda Campbell get for you? Is it a spreading shrub or more upright? I am trying to decide where to plant mine.

Thx,
Michelle

Not planning to shovel prune anything yet, but I did have to replace a few things that decided on their own not to come back.

Gaillardia 'Oranges & Lemons' - it wasn't really their fault, I moved them three times last summer, LOL. I lost two of them, bought three more just like them. They are beeaaauutiful, IMO.

Physocarpus opulifolius 'Coppertina' - this is another one that is getting a second chance. The one in the island bed came back nicely, in spite of the deer nibbling on it, but the one on the corner of the house is on a slope, and catches the brunt of the wind isn't showing signs of life. That one was a bareroot planted in the fall, but I ordered another one just like it, because the foliage on that one is gorgeous all summer.

Mums - I had 2 red and 2 yellow, cheapies from Walmart, so no surprise that they didn't come back. Well, one made a small attempt, but it got the shovel anyway. Ordered some from Bluestone to replace. These should come back every year.

Sphaeralcea munroana (Orange Globe Mallow) - these are very xeric, and I think the wet winter did it in. I replaced it with the Belacanda chinensis (Blackberry Lily) sprouts I wintersowed (thanks, Skybird!)

Gaillardia 'Golden Goblin' - this was a sad specimen of a mailorder plant I got last summer on clearance. I'm hoping to find something yellow to replace it with at the plant swap next weekend.

Sedum 'Neon' - these are very healthy, but don't fit into my color scheme. They have been potted up, and are headed to the swap.

Once things start to bloom, I'm sure I'll move things around, but I probably won't ditch anything ... unless it was mislabeled, and ends up blooming pink or purple. Then it may have to find a new home.

Bonnie

Linda Campbell gets about 4 ft high, and I'd say it's more of a spreader than an up-righter. Several big healthy canes going off parallel to the ground. So call it a 4' dome.

I've got to separate some mums here, and fill in the long border line. Thats a drawback when I try to do something like that - a big long line of one flower. It can be spectacular, but if a couple die off, it shows up like a missing front tooth.

Bonnie - for some reason, Oranges and Lemons took longer to establish for me. I wonder if it's less hardy that some other gaillardia?? It looks a little stronger this year than last. Amber Wheels seemed to take longer, too.

Orange Globe Mallow does well here. Mine shares drip irrigation with a small cutleaf sumac. Want me to save some seeds this Fall? It's supposed to be easy to start with seeds.

I like Coppertina alot, too. HD had that one last Fall and I planted it. It looks great this Spring. Awesome color!

I'd like to see a picture of your garden in bloom, without pinks and yellows. Sounds like an interesting color scheme.

David - thanks for the size info. It sounds a little smaller than advertised, which is better for my garden.

Haven't tried mums, are they easy to grow? Am I missing out on something great?

Cheers,
Michelle

Thanks, Michelle, I'd love some seeds this fall! I know of another spot that would get less water, and less snow cover in the winter that it might like better.

I guess when I say I have NO purple in my garden, it isn't totally accurate. There are some herbs, such as lavender, in the herb bed, but they are away from the house, and are not mixed in with all the warm colored perennials. I have to admit though, the only pink flowers I really care for, are the peachy pink ones.

Yes, mums are very easy to grow, and they put on a show when everything else is fizzling out. During most of the summer, they look like small shrubs, very neat and tidy. It just wouldn't be fall to me, if I didn't have mums blooming.

Bonnie