Those pictures are the 'before' to my recent bed widening project. The plants were competing a bit too much for light once the lilies started to multiply, and the air circulation wasn't good enough to keep powdery mildew off of the phlox. Now the daylilies are spaced farther out in front of the lilies and phlox. In the very front, I added new layer of amaryllis with low growers like moonbeam and verbena underneath. The soil here in the Mississippi Delta is known as Mississippi Gumbo Mud, and is unusual enough that engineers from all over come to learn what is involved in building roads and buildings on top of it. It's pretty much pure silt and clay from eons of the Mississippi River flooding. It's about the worst draining stuff you can imagine, but after you rototill in a couple of feet of compost, it's fairly awesome.

No, I don't own a nursery (thank the lord!! this is not a good time for that industry :-)) but I've been a manager and the perennial buyer for a couple over the last 15 years and most recently, a sales rep for a wholesale grower......probably made sales trips to your neck of the woods as EWA was my primary territory. No doubt you have visited the nurseries I used to work at - they are a couple of the bigger ones in the Seattle area. Of your ballotas, the pseudodictamnus is probably the least hardy, sorry to say. The reports of a zone 5 hardiness are very optimistic. It might make it through a zone 6 although will likely die back to the roots. Even Annette, who shares a similar zone with me, has had trouble overwintering hers. But you never know....keep your fingers crossed! Annette, I treat pretty much any 'evergreen' perennial/subshrub the same....if the foliage is damaged or looks ratty after winter, I cut it back as soon as new growth begins to emerge in spring. I mow back my parahebes (and hebes) often :-)

im in hot and hiumid NC and we have hooks and they actually dry toweks quicker imo because the towels arent folded in thirds to go over the bar. i would do hooks and i would do them off that wall if possible. if the shower is deep enough that a towel hook on the wall opposite the shower head would keep a towel from getting sprayed i would even consider putting it there. Afterall the only one using a bath towek are people showering in the shower. a hand towel will be at the sink. if that doesnt work i would consider the back of the door.

Deborah, I'm a few months late, but yes, I think the lovely color combination of Augusta Luise next to Jacqueline du Pre will be perfect. I look forward to photos of the real thing. Diane