Wow, what great responses! The picture is of a Piet Oudolf planting that just came up in a Google image search. I really love the textures-- it feels like a very emotional planting. I can recognize a few of the plants, but many are unknown to me. Thanks for the great suggestions-- I have a lot to look up and plan out. I had a mullein grow in the middle of the bed this year, and it had seeded a bit by the time I identified what it was. The foliage looked a lot like foxglove, just humongous. The flower spike was prehistoric looking, very dramatic, so I was sad to find out that it had to go. Once I identified it I discovered that it can be quite the reseeder, and the seed is viable for a very long time. I appreciated seeing it grow and flower because of its strangeness, but I might feel a whole lot differently at this time next year... I found some astilbe at a plant sale this spring, and the flowers have just started. It is quite lovely and delicate. My purple vitex bush grows these incredible feather-like flowers, although it died back to its base after our cold spells this winter. The vigorous leafing that started in early June (frighteningly late-- thankfully I read someone's post on GW and didn't pull it for dead!) should produce some flower this year. So many grasses are invasive, and many others that I like are not hardy in my zone. My bed is sloped and quite well draining, but Pittsburgh's climate has a lot of precipitation in the spring and fall, and longer dry spells in the heat of the summer. I'm trying a dracula lily in there this year and hoping the good drainage will hold it through the winter. I lost my agastache and spurge this winter. I've also had no luck with lupine, although I'm trying again this year. Wish me luck! Elisabeth This post was edited by yutopia on Mon, Jun 23, 14 at 0:46

Some of the small 'The Blues' I ordered last fall from SRG bloomed and these were very small plants so you might be surprised after all. I was. I decided to wait until Fall to place my order from Jelitto since everything I now have decided on is cool season. I definitely have my mind set on the European Stipa 'Pennata'. And some of the other Stipas. Have you ever grown the 'Pennata'? Its planned to be my replacement for the Elliot's Love Grass which is already putting out volunteer seedlings and its only June of the first year. Now, there is invasive but then there is INVASIVE.

Don, Thank you for the synonyms. I ran into an article that states they like to be uncrowded and that is why they like ridge lines. I have some places that are difficult because of many fossils and gravely rock. They are not indigenous to my area but west of here in the Big Bend and the LLano Estacado. I also ran into some incredible habitat photos and plant structure photos. CG,if you are out there reading this, you might enjoy these photos. the following 8 or so photos are all about the plant. the ground looks red so that is either decomposed granite or sandstone or a bit of dry clay in the regolith. I might add some decomposed granite. Here is a link that might be useful: PIcs of S. neomexicana in habitat

TR, I have a question. Was that S. pennata or was it Stipa capillata. Judging from the site and other sources. Bridal veil is S. capillata and S. pennata is European Feather grass. I am confused. What I grew from your seed did look more like the S. capillata. The seed head was not as long as pictured in the S pennata. I think I asked you about that back a while and you were unsure. I am just confused and always like to get the particulars. Please tolerate the nit picker in me. The S. barbatos is much more glaucous in coloring. I am getting good growth out of the shorn clump. I hope the Bridal veil will recover from its dry out. It is brown and crinkled as can be but the roots are still holding strong so I am hoping it has not croaked and will return with the cool weather..The growth that I had on it was much more lax , or lodged as you say. I will try sowing the seed in fall and hold some for the spring.. Jelitto 's Stipa Bridal veil, aka S. capillata