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bosewichte

help fix a 'polka dot garden' that's totally out of control!

bosewichte
3 years ago


Feeling a little overwhelmed! We moved into a new place last year with 'blank slate' garden beds that wrapped around the house, at least 10' wide. I didn't have a huge budget so what went into the beds was basically little cuttings from friends, garden center clearance stuff, and favorites from the local greenhouse. I love the 'cottage garden' look and had planned to have 'drifts' of the same type of flower. But the garden has done so well that, well, it's taken on a life of its own. The tiny catmints that I bought last year now have a 3.5' spread! The false indigo is massive! Everything is double what it was last year, and I don't even know how to begin to 'fix' it. Do I have to wait until fall and then just dig up or split the 'crowders'? I'm just afraid of damaging the roots. Are there certain plants that HATE to be moved? I know that false indigo and sunflowers fall into that category. What about delphiniums, foxgloves, daisies, black-eyed susans, yarrow, lupine, etc.? The mature plants are so massive! Lesson learned! ;)


Can I prune things into submission? I'm thinking the sides (not the tops) of catmint, artemisia, etc.


The photo attached is from a month ago. This is the size I thought everything would stay. It has nearly doubled since then and so much crowding.

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