Jenn sorry, we were posting at the same time. Veronica are terrific plants, I like Red Fox & Royal Candles very much and whether your pale pink is 'Pink Damask' or not it is lovely! There is something about that shade of pink that I find so appealing!

On recommendations from Forum members I got 'Royal Candles' and am so happy I did. I now have a group of 5 and another of 3.

Your Viburnum are wonderful! 'Popcorn' has great flowers and I have always liked the almost pleated look of the leaves. The fall color of 'Blue Muffin' is very nice. I really need to get some Viburnum!

I love your 'Icicle' - such a clear white! I have never seen a verbascum in person- love the raspberry sherbet tones of yours.

I invested more in that 'Popcorn' than I have ever spent on a plant and fell for it in a big way. Then, I was looking for something non-invasive to replace a beautiful red burning bush I hated to take out, and found 'Blue Muffin'. Now I am completely addicted and confess to buying 3 more from Bluestone's Friday sales - all viburnum Juddii, which are supposed to be the most fragrant. They will be tiny of course, but hopefully they will grow quickly!

Love all those veronicas.

Veronicastrum virginicum (Culver's root).

Have 'Fascination'. Fasciation at the top of one of the flower spikes.

and 'Lavendelturm'

Nice Veronicas everyone!

peren.all, is the Viola 'Etain' something that's come back for you?

A veronica that came in a seed mix during my winter sowing phase. The whites and pinks faded but the purple has spread like crazy.

Veronica 'Charlotte'

Veronicastrum (Culver's Root) 'Fascination' flops in some shade so I cut it back earlier in the season..... thinking of moving it to more sun this spring. Bees LOVE this!

Viburnum Snowball

Jenn I do highly recommend 'Icicle'. It would make a great addition to your collection if you had the chance to get it.

Well worth the investment for 'Popcorn'. It makes a statement and you will get years of enjoyment. I call that a good deal! I am sure 'Blue Muffin' will make the burning bush fade from your memory in no time. That was a good move and you can see the flaming invasive in other peoples gardens lol! Yes, I hope your new ones establish quickly, it is one of the good addictions!

sunnyborders your Veronicastrum over the years has inspired and humiliated me. Mine has never grown half as well as yours!

Can see from your pictures, Peren, that you certainly have some greater successes with other perennials than me! The obvious factors aside, think it can be a real challenge to understand why individual perennials do better in one location than another.

sandyslopes 'Etain' has been an utter disappointment. It has come back for a couple of years but smaller each time. I don't expect to see it this spring.

Pity the pink & white did not last but I like your purple. I really like 'Charlotte'! Veronica are such great plants and need no embellishment but the slight variegation is a very nice added touch.

Clearly Veronicastrum does extremely well for you too even if you feel it is getting a bit too much shade. It certainly has not stopped it from flowering beautifully! Bees are highly attracted, one more reason to enjoy them.

Wow, another gorgeous Viburnum! That is a beautiful specimen. Seeing these makes me wonder how I could have gone so long without them!

All of your veronicas photograph so well. I really, really am going to try to take more diverse shots this year. As it stands I have only one V

Viburnum

Sheesh. My memory is the worst. A couple more

Valerian with Veronica in the back

Verbena Bonariansis

oursteelers we would so enjoy seeing more of your lovely garden! I can understand with your two adorable little ones that you would have less free time on your hands than most of us.

You have yet another terrific Viburnum. It is beyond pretty. I just read there are 150-175 species.

You have to love a twofer! The Valerian and Veronica certainly set each other off beautifully. I am such a fan of blue and that shade of pink with it very nice! Has the Valerian been well behaved for you, as in did it seed about? It did not last long in my garden.

I have always admired Verbena b., tall but airy, a true see through plant. A little out of my zone hardiness but I very much like seeing it in others gardens.

Peren, valerian does seed a bit in my yard and it can get large so I’m moving it to the other side of the fence. It takes up too much space in my sunny areas, which are pretty much filled.

The other side of the fence is roughly 150 ft, about 10 ft deep on the roadside that we have to maintain. Since I don’t use weed killer that is a lot of hand weeding I don’t have time for.

I’ve slowly been adding plants over there to eat up some ground. Valerian is perfect cause it’s so carefree. I also have a couple fruit trees, roses, peonies, junipers, clematis and hardy geranium over there.

Getting rid of healthy plants has always been hard for me and it’s kind of nice to have a place to put things that ended up not pleasing me as much as I thought, especially since we have to take care of it anyway.

I have a veronicastrum. It is not a named variety. I still haven’t found a spot where it looks good but it is hardy and vigorous and sometimes that’s good enough for me.

A bit of a trade off in that situation. It is great to have extra space but I can also appreciate the extra work in prepping/maintaining it. I don't use weed killer either and it does make for more labour. It does sound perfect for the Valerian but it just flat out sounds like a beautiful garden with that mix of trees and plants. I too have a hard time getting rid of healthy plants, well except maybe Ajuga lol!

I hope you are able to share pics of the area when you feel ready.

north53 I would be delighted if mine looked like yours, I think it looks fabulous in that spot! Very nice combo with the Delphinium, Lilium & Physocarpus?