I think it is wise to check the garden in its worst moment if the workload feels overwhelming

and to look at it in its prime to refill some of your garden joy

I personally keep shovel pruning perennials that are too thirsty and would prefer regular additional water.

if they make it through 2-3 weeks intervalls they may stay.

apart from that managing the details is important and another aspect

I try to mulch my perennials with hemp shreds (meant as horse bedding) and everything from the garden, the material tends to run out too early (no rock garden plants, and gravel garden ones are not mulched)

nutrition is another factor

my dad swears by adding K in order to improve taste and performance of berries or fruit trees, I read somewhere that it raises the drought resistance as well of grass land plants

improving the soil in general can help, if the horizon suitable for roots is rather 2 or 3 than 1 foot deep, they have a better fighting chance.

I consult garden owners from time to time, and I always encourage them to be honest with their energy and workload, and if some plants a fussy/ thirsty or a perennial border fells overwhelming, I suggest to get rid of it or at least simplify it, replace it with tougher, more resilient plants.

(and still be patient and allow plant 3 years to put down proper roots)

Take pictures of each section of the harden, spring, summer and fall. Study them over winter looking for gaps or other unattractive features. Then, eliminate the troublesome plants i.e. invasive, overly thirsty, short-lived, floppy, disease or insect prone etc. Fill the spaces with the things you love that perform well in your location.

I feel like I’ve been doing the same things. Back in March the plan was to inventory each bed, but as of today That hasn’t been started... although a few other things are done. Mulching is one of them. Maybe I’m a few weeks ahead of you but I just finished ripping things out and then putting down plenty of mulch. I don’t know if it looks better but it does look neater, and looking at a bunch of sadly wilted flowers was no fun so I THINK it’s an improvement? In any case it will be filled again in a few months I’m sure.

i find it extremely frustrating when a lot of work goes into a project and within a few weeks you discover or decide that something is wrong. I’m sure it’s all in my head, but once you see it...

We are supposed to get a bunch of rain tomorrow so things will look more optimistic again, but right now it’s all ugly and it’s all too much work.

It’s odd, that this year, has not felt as overwhelming as other years. I’ve put off a number of projects to an undetermined time and nothing is in a state of disorder that I can’t wait it out for the time to get to those projects, so it felt manageable this year.

I think it’s more the disappointments of expectations that have felt more than usual this year or it’s an accumulation. Or it’s just the heat, I can’t decide. [g]

The spring garden, I was happy with and I installed new material to my main bed, the past two years. Switched from all perennials to adding a few shrubs and more roses. I had an absence of Red Lily Beetle for 2 years so I added more lily bulbs two falls ago and divided those I already had. Then we had rabbits this year, a LOT. I think a lot of people have. We have a fenced yard, but it’s definitely not rabbit proof. We just had some new fencing installed and they left some gaps under some of the panels.

The rabbits started the disappointments. Missing plants, lilies were a complete bust this year, then all the humidity, and I ended up with blackspot on two rose bushes. Earwigs, decimated a new section that I just planted after the fence went in. Overnight, they stripped all the foliage off four plants.

Even plants that are doing fine, are disappointing to me for some reason - for no reason really. I’ve been spending very little time outside because of the heat, so you start to wonder, what are you doing so much gardening for, if during the height of summer, you’re avoiding the garden?

We spent the weekend cleaning the house and getting organized and I enjoyed that more than gardening, so that is a clear indication to me of how I am feeling about the garden. And that’s new.

It’s possible that as soon as the heat improves and cooler weather is here, I will pick up where I left off, but, I can’t help but think that climate change is gradually sucking some of the fun out of it.

Linaria, Good suggestions. All very sensible and principles that I usually manage to tend to for the most part or at least aim for. [g] I’m considering that it is time for me to do more soil improvement. I’ve done a lot in the past, but not for awhile. Some of my beds were started with the lasagna method that added a lot of organic matter. That really takes more energy and effort than just about anything else though.

I used to try for low maintenance, but over the past few years, I’ve added some things that are definitely not, like roses. I have tried to add no spray roses, and actually three rose bushes have not had any disease on the foliage this year, so that is a plus. We mulch a lot.

I am going to review again, what I am enjoying and what is dragging me down….maybe after the weather improves. [g]. It’s time I updated my inventory any way.

Callirhoe, I do take a lot of photos and some winters I have the time to do what you suggest, the past two winters I haven’t, so I am due.

Love both your screen names. :-) Thank you.

Katob, I originally thought I'd inventory at the end of the season, but really, spring plants are hard to identify right now. Bleeding hearts, Lunaria, all the bulbs, etc. So I guess you had a better plan, to start in the spring.

I review it year round. I started planting 6-7 years ago and I’m adding a lot of plants every year. I like to try out plants for a year or two, and if I really like it, I mass plant it. So I’m constantly making adjustments.

I usually start to get tired at this time of the year, especially if I’ve had to water a lot...which I did have to this year. But thankfully it’s been raining a lot in the past two weeks so I feel better about my beds. Hope you will too!!!

This thread prompted me to look at and update my 2020 garden to-do list that I did around January. As usual, some stuff got done and some didn't! I take pictures through the garden season and then in January/February update my on-line garden maintenance manual and assess what needs to be done in the following garden year. All of my garden beds are a mix of bulbs, perennials, shrubs and trees. I don't mulch - plants are my my mulch!

In the past two years I have become increasingly focused on trying to reduce maintenance wherever possible to make the garden easier to maintain as we age. Sometimes easier maintenance is more important than less maintenance through having fewer plants! On the one hand, staying active by working in the garden is good for us, but on the other hand physical reality can't be denied :-) I'm also pretty useless in the heat so the past month has been pretty tough - on us and on the garden!

This picture is from May 2017....:

Starting a few years ago I tried growing Emerald Gaiety euonymus on the arbour in the front bed to create an evergreen feature that also tied in to other plantings of the same euonymus in the front garden. By early summer this year I concluded that it was turning out to be too much work to keep it clipped and decided it would need to be removed. However, after mentioning to several neighbours that I was intending to remove the euonymus, all said 'no, don't do that - we like it!' so we have given it a reprieve for another year while we consider how to minimize the work required!

So, the idea that a garden is never done and constantly needs changes resonates with me! But reality sometimes drives what needs changing re the degree of work required. And you need to consider the future if you plan to garden in the current location for a long time - for instance, while our brick edging in the front garden is a bit wonky because I did it myself, I am SO glad now that I no longer need to do the work that was required several times each season the maintain the previous trench edging! And minimizing that annual edging work was the driving force behind my putting in a brick edging (I just wish now I had paid someone to do a better job of it!)

So reassess your garden as needed - whenever thoughts of 'I should change/add/remove etc. something occurs to you at any time, write them down somewhere and use the winter downtime to decide what to do. And don't beat yourself up about the things on your list that don't get done :-)

Review year-round? Ha! I assess every day. Always making mental notes on what needs fixing. Always. I'm never satisfied - I think it's just inherent to my personality. I'm always thinking about what needs to be improved -- maybe it's nice, but how can be it better? I've slowly come to realize, though, that this is a form of stress relief for me -- I have control over what I plant, and the garden is what I make it That helps calm me, that feeling of control. Kind of along the lines of what Ken has said in the past about bad day at work, dig a hole. The planning and the process are what I enjoy.

Regarding the question, though -- best time to review -- I'd say anytime except mid to late July, that is the in-season time that things tend to look their worst. I must say, though -- I have done much better at incorporating things that bloom well and don't look worse for wear during this time, so things are not as embarrassingly bad- or crispy-looking here at this house come late July. Actually, a lot of things are looking quite nice this year -- probably because of the all "fixing" I constantly do LOL! (it's a learning process, no?)

I think it's an inherent trait in every gardener that we are always reviewing, always thinking of changes or additions or subtractions. And even if one is relatively happy with the garden, then you see photos of something someone else has done, and it starts all over again lol.

I am like mxk and am constantly walking around looking at things and thinking. I do think I am most critical at this time of year. I hate the heat, I don't like hot sun, I'm still coping with the loss of a triple-trunk oak tree, as is my newly-shadeless garden, so I am re-evaluating that entire bed. Actually, now that I think about it, I'm probably more critical in September. I don't do much work in the garden much in late July to August, (preferring to walk around and look at things haha!) and so it gets more neglected than usual and things look kinda ragged by September.

I actually found I had a lot more time this year than usual. With the shutdown, then losing my job, I've had time to garden, which was necessary as the last two years I haven't been gardening at all, except for last year concentrating on flowers for my daughter's wedding. So I used a lot of that time this spring to really clean things up, move some stuff, extend some beds, and do some planning, so this year is actually shaping up fairly well. (Except that I realized how much I want to add to and change things!)

I don't know why I never remember to take pictures. I always tell myself I will, if for nothing else but record-keeping purposes, but I never seem to take any. I really need to do that. I do think that's a great idea in helping to plan, revise, and just see what worked and what didn't.

PM2 I was thinking of just sitting in front of my beds with a laptop and planning and researching that way. Problem is my wi-fi doesn't reach to the garden so I will be out there with a clipboard too! Well, once it cools off a bit...

:)
Dee

I’m too am like Woody, I write things down.

I have a running list if each bed and any changes I’d like to make. I also use my phone to voice text any changes to my ‘notes’. Although, that can be a challenge to read later as my phone is not good at deciphering plant names lol!

IMO there is not a best time to review, it’s all the time...as the gardens are ever changing.

Funny how ‘all of a sudden’ you can see something that needs changed/tweaked, and think to yourself.... “what took me so long to see that?”. Then you change it, only to discover it looked much better ‘in your mind’ lol...and now you have to figure out how to ‘fix it’ as you don’t want to rip it all back out! Never ending....

The climate change sure has brought on a new awakening. Causing many of us gardeners to re-evaluate....

I’ve chosen in the past several years to remove many wimpy/thirsty plants as no sense in trying to fight Mother Nature, it’s just too disheartening.

I think if you can do this and just plant more of what does well you will feel much better about your garden... I know I sure do.

Around here come July, I tend to get the blues too. Pretty disgusted with everything at this point as the gardens are looking terrible, and it’s too bloody hot to get out there and do anything about it.

It took me awhile, but I’ve realized that this will pass....as soon, the phlox will be in bloom and lift my spirits tremendously!!....And because of this, they are my absolute favorite Perennial! I just love Phlox and can’t ever have enough!

So if I were you, I would step back, take notes, and plant lots of phlox!!! : D

Thanks Mazerolm, we are due for rain tomorrow. The forecasts aren’t as reliable as they used to be. I’ve had worse years, when I was watering a lot more than this.

Woody, I remember the detailed records and organization you do for your garden. I’m sure it helps you be effective, but even then, the best laid plans of mice and men, as they say…

I guess all of my beds are a mix as well. Some are more shrub than perennials but they all have some of everything. I’m amazed that you don’t mulch! The trees around the property just suck the moisture out of the soil. We could mulch more than we do. We have a lot of leaves in the fall and our neighbor who has 3 mature Silver Maples, gives us all his. Plus we still use bagged bark mulch.

I wonder if what each gardener considers difficult and easy are different? What is low maintenance to me, might not be to someone else.

What does everyone consider the hardest jobs in their garden and the easiest? Or are there certain plants that are easy and some that are hard?

I think that what grows well for you, is easy, but finding that isn’t. Anything that doesn’t grow out of bounds. Shrubs that fit the space you put them in. A reasonable amount of deadheading. And plants that give you a big bang for your buck, long bloom period, looking good out of bloom. But the biggest job to me, which I am in need of soon, is improving the soil. I find that is a big job that is time consuming and requires a lot of energy, but is something you can't get around.

I have changed some garden beds pretty frequently but some I barely touch. And planning, based on what works well this year, doesn’t always help, because each year is different. For instance, the lilies that I almost stopped growing because of the red lily leaf beetle, and then 2 years in a row they disappeared. So my plan was to buy more lily bulbs and this year should have been a banner year, but we had a half dozen rabbits show up and make a meal out of them.

Mk3 - I think that becomes a problem for me. I am never satisfied either. My family teases me, and will give my usual answer, when they compliment the garden, before I can say it - ‘It’s getting there.’ [g].

I wish the garden made me feel I was in control. LoL. I can plan and plant what I want, but that in itself doesn’t assure me of the result I want. And actually, there's clearly a lag between what I want to do and what I find the time and energy to do. I’m lucky that I enjoy the actual physical act of gardening. It’s very distracting and being outdoors is something I have always enjoyed too, just not in the heat.

Interesting, that the two week period you identify as when the garden looks it’s worse, is about when I’ve been the least happy with it too. But I have roses blooming and a Hibiscus blooming it’s head off and two Hydrangea Little Lime that are covered with blossoms, which is more than I usually have this time of year, so I should be pleased.

Dee, watching Gardener’s World, I was thinking that it’s the process of gardening. It’s very complex. When you think about how many different variables you have to address and that are continually changing. The adding and the subtracting is inevitable.

And Monty Don on GW - he has the same problems. He traveled all over looking at the new craze, 'Paradise Gardens'. And that was his project in 2018. He came up with a plan on paper to scale, then transferred it to the ground with string and stakes. He got his plant list and planted the whole thing out, and they had a rainier season than expected and all the grasses he planted flopped down covering all the other plants he put in the bed and he had to change it after he installed it. [g]. So if it happens to him, with all their money and education and experience, than that is just the nature of gardening, I think. I just get tired of that happening sometimes.

I am on auto pilot in July and half of August, watering, weeding, mulching, deadheading. I try every year to get done the essentials before the heat, then whatever I didn’t get to waits for the heat to leave. I imagine most gardeners do the same. I can’t imagine gardening in the South.

I do get ideas of what needs doing and I keep a spreadsheet and write down what I remember. I add notes from gardening shows if there’s a plant I’m interested in. I do add my own photos to that. Sometimes I just keep rolling an idea around in my head until it takes shape, after I’ve sat and looked at the gardens, taking in what I like and what is not the way I want it.

I just find it frustrating if you get an idea you like, you work it out, put it together, and it looks nice for a week and rabbits show up, or Japanese beetles, or blackspot. Or something’s too tall, too yellow, underperforming. Does anyone think that there is a certain degree of luck involved?

GardenHo - Yes, that too - “…it looked much better in your mind.” [g]. Then try to fix it and you don’t want to rip it all out again. Exactly! Never ending.

That is something I want to focus on when I start reviewing, is growing more of what does well for me and requires less intervention. I like too many plants and I don’t repeat plants a lot, but maybe I can do more of that. For instance, Sedums really couldn’t be easier and look good all season. So do some of the grasses. Maybe I need to grow more of those and stop trying to make roses work for me. On the other hand, what could be easier than Hostas, but now the rabbits are eating some of them down to the ground. Along with the lilies and the Phlox.

I’ve added enough plants to offer some new interest in the Fall, so if I get through July, it could be a blip. I do like to clean it up when I’m not happy with it and it’s harder to do that this year. Too hot and I’m not jumping in the car to run to the nursery for new annuals for containers.

To some degree, I think happy gardeners have to be resilient and energetic. I think it helps if you like the heat too. [g]

Nekobus - Very good way to look at it! Keeping us humble….[g]. Adaptable, resilient, patient, in tune with the natural world. So, then the longer we garden, the better we get, right? ;-)

You also make a good point about how our gardening efforts are making a difference to all the critters who visit our garden. I know we are doing our part this year to keep all the rabbits well fed. [g] In my neighborhood, there are very few gardens. Some backyards are grass from lot line to lot line. So even when everything is not working out the way we want it to, we are still providing something that is not all that easy to find in today’s world.

And that’s not even talking about the neighbors! We have a lot of walkers in our neighborhood. Blue collar, hard working, neighbors, walking their dogs, their kids, getting in their morning jog, seniors with canes, kids on bikes and skateboards. We do have a garden in the front yard and a lot of people look forward to seeing all the changes from one season to the next. I’m told they don’t have the time right now to garden but they enjoy mine and hope to have their own, etc. So there’s that as well. Thanks for reminding me to look at it from that perspective. :-)

While I love watching Gardener's World and Monty Don and I do learn something from nearly every episode, it is not my style of gardening. Other than his raised vegetable beds, I think his gardens are a mess!! Too many plants all jumbled together and with almost no consideration to design. I prefer things a little bit more managed and manicured :-)

I also tend to review my gardens in midsummer as that is when growth is most pronounced and I can best evaluate what needs to be pruned back or removed and what might need to be relocated elsewhere. And while I can and do plant pretty much year round, I tend to do my major changes in fall.

As for Monty Don - to each his own GardenGal. I would not say his gardens lacked design. I’d say his idea of design is not yours. ;-) He does have a freer and more wild style but he also uses a lot of structure as a framework as well.

I am fascinated with his work schedule, the way he shares the sequence of seasonal events in his garden, and he shares the problems and failures in his garden to allow us to see that he also has gardening struggles and how he meets them.

I haven’t been watching him until recently, but those are my first impressions. I’m very pleased to find some gardening shows to watch, since HGTV has basically become all about home renovation.

I think the timing of when you review your gardens makes sense, I’m usually avoiding the garden whenever it is as hot as it has been this July, so, I guess I start thinking about what’s next, in late summer, just as the weather cools and I can make plans, like you, to get busy on some projects in the Fall.

I only recently discovered Monty Don after hearing about him when we signed up for BritBox. I enjoy watching after lunch and hopefully after spending at least 2 hours in the garden. But I do both flowers and veggies and tend to neglect the flowers because veggies have so many deadlines and this year furry varmints got my first plantings of sugar snap peas and pole beans. All my flower/shrub beds need work but I always hit a stumbling block. It took me weeks of figuring what to do with an overgrown southernwood I couldn't bare to trash. Meanwhile that end of a narrow border looked completely hopeless.

I don't like Monty's new paradise garden with the grasses and weird tulips. I think witch grass problems have made me leery of planting grass. I haven't cared for it in other people's gardens. But I'm learning about pruning from him and have a halo dogwood in dire need. I wasn't ruthless enough in the spring.

I haven't written a thing in my garden journal this year and I usually document my vegetable plantings. I need to learn to take more pictures.

I have been beating myself up over things like planting invasives and not tearing them out in time. It's easy to be guilty of taking freebies but I actually paid for Limelight Artemesia. I still have hopes of visiting a nursery recommended by a friend. The local nursery tends to carry same ol', same ol' although they have a very nice assortment of hostas.

Step #1 about renovations and my tendency to buy plants without any idea of what I'm going to do with them. My husband calls the collection of plants waiting to be planted my pot ghetto. I went thru the nursery's on-line catalog listing to cut and paste the plants that looked like good ideas. Now I have a shopping list but I'm also whittling it down as I google information about each.

Step #2 pay better attention to what plants work together not only because they look nice but also because they like the same growing conditions. And for gawd's sake, I need to learn to space things out more.

*sigh* I have a small circle garden where I planted tall garden phlox. It is south of the house. I planted some daylilies on the north side of the bed and those dang flowers turn to the sun if they can. I've decided the phlox are too tall for the size bed they are in so I plan to dig them out in favor of more echinacae and shorter plants like yarrow. I do have a patch next to our old barn where their height looks good. I need to learn to divide things like the phlox before they run their neighbors out.

Like woodyoak, I need to remember I have less stamina than I used to. I hate to use the weed wacker and dislike asking my husband to do the trimming. I would not have so much weeding to do in my vegetable beds if they were covered with leaves, grass clippings or straw in the fall. I just dumped bagged mulch after weeding one section then placed a hunk of tree trunk topped with a colorful plant saucer to use as a birthbath. I treated myself to a handmade terra cotta toad house purchased at a craft fair last fall and just unwrapped it yesterday.

Well, looks like I might not have to water today since I think it is raining! I have a project to finish before I can get back outdoors again so best I get back to work!

Some of you have mentioned reduced maintenance, and that is weighing on my mind as I'm tinkering with things. After I put in this gigantic perennial border last year I thought to myself what the h*ll did I do, this is going to be a lot of maintenance. I did incorporate a lot more shrubs this time around, and that will help.

What I am thinking about this year as I'm starting to re-work some areas is the taller and more impactful plants that can stand on their own in a large clump (e.g. Joe Pye, swamp milkweed, culver's root, etc) or a "statement group" (e.g. native hibiscus, Becky shastas) not only look better in my setting, they're actually lower maintenance in terms of being easier to tend because (a) there's not as many of them, (b) that 3+ foot height is a lot easier to work with when they need fiddling with, and (c) fall clean-up of these is faster and easier. I won't be ridding the beds entirely of shorter plants -- they have a place and I enjoy many of them - but I will be reducing them by a fair amount in an effort to reduce maintenance, not just for the future as I age but for now, too, to cut down on time spent on maintenance chores and seasonal clean-up.

I've also been thinking about maintenance of some of the potted plants I have -- I think I'm going to cut down on the patio displays, I hate watering and it's just a never-ending chore. Here again, will stick with large, impactful potted displays and reduce the amount of smaller pots of stuff scattered here and there.

Defrost, I have the same struggles, trying to balance time between flowers and veggies. And this year we had so many rabbits, it made vegetable gardening a real trial.

I really dislike Monty’s Paradise Garden as well. I’m really not a fan of Paradise Gardens to begin with. And I am very cautious about using grasses. I have very few and tried them one at a time. One I added two years ago, is showing itself to reseed too much, but it’s already got a big footprint. So I’m thinking about that. I don’t think I could plant grasses in a mass.

When I find I am not writing in my garden journal, I try to make up for it by taking more photos. There have been times when I have been lax about taking photos and it is always a camera issue. I now have a good camera that I’m comfortable with that is very easy to use and gives me photos I’m happy with so I find I am taking more photos. I also have my favorite times of the day to take photos when the light is what works best. And I do like to head out to the garden, without a list of things I have to do, to just look around and taking a camera with me, makes the best use of that time.

Your Step #2 - lol - I have long ago accepted that I cannot place a plant in the right location for love or money. [g] The spacing is always too close, unless the plant doesn’t perform before it becomes an issue.

I used to plant sunflowers and they did the same thing as your Daylilies.

Less stamina than we used to - ditto.

I am officially only in the garden doing the bare minimum until the weather changes. This weekend DH is helping out with sprinkler duty.

Mxk3, your new perennial bed sounds very pretty! I’m curious about whether you plan to stake any of the taller plants? I know on some of the gardening shows, I see large perennial beds, some with shrubs in them and I can’t help but think, that they look so gorgeous because they have staked some of them to stand up perfectly. But, I did notice in one of the Monty Don’s episodes, that he was out there after the fact, when they had a storm and using supports to lift up some of the perennials that went over in the wind.

For the most part I try to stay away from having to give support. And this year the last windy storm pushed over about 5 of my perennials that were looking so good and then were flattened onto the ground. Some with snapped off branches. I was able to lift some of them and use some stakes and string to get it almost back to looking good, but most years I just take my chances. Now I’m rethinking that and thinking a little support here and there might be worthwhile. Is it really that much effort? Probably less time consuming than having to fix it after the fact.

Can you give an example of the type of shorter plant that you feel is more maintenance that you want to limit?

For me, a plant that requires frequent division is something I’ve sadly let go of. Iris and Shasta daisies being two examples of that for me. I love Bearded Iris, but, I found them a lot of work. I am often tempted to start them again. [g]. Shasta daisies for me, grew like they were on steroids, quickly growing out of the space I planned for them.

Cutting back on potted plants was a real work saver for me. The part I really didn’t look forward to was putting everything away for the winter. I inevitably would have tender annuals or perennials not hardy to my zone and I would think I should try to overwinter them, then there were houseplants I’d have out for the summer. All of those pots would have to be treated for bugs before coming in and then repotted and cared for over the winter. It was a LOT of work.

Now I have two large pots that have year round arborvitae in them, that I find so easy and a pleasure year round. I have 2 large pots of plants out front and two out back. I drag some of the succulents and rosemary from the house to the steps for the summer and one large potted tropical Hibiscus that spends time out every summer and that’s it. Whatever I plant in the pots are either annuals I dispose of or perennials I plan on planting in the garden. It is SO much easier. And I focus more on having a better display in the beds to make up for it.

"I’m curious about whether you plan to stake any of the taller plants?"

Yea, not a chore I enjoy either. I don't have to do much of it, though. Even during this unusually windy year, very few things needed support. The taller balloon flower (I think they're "Mariesii") always need some sort of support, wind or no wind, but encircling with sticks and twine does a fine job. Chelone glabra is another flopper, but I have it behind some "Annabelle" hydrangea, so the hydrangea support them pretty well -- this year was the exception, they were a mess so I had to put up a makeshift stake and twine support. Stuff like Joe Pye, milkweed, native hibiscus, ironweed, monkshood don't flop for me, they're got pretty strong stems, and many of them are flanked by similar-height or somewhat shorter plants which also helps support them -- I think that helps a lot. I don't have anything really top heavy like delphiniums to deal with. My "Becky" shastas flopped for the first time this year, but I think it was due to me knocking them over with the hose in combination with the constant winds. Never had a problem before, though.

"Can you give an example of the type of shorter plant that you feel is more maintenance that you want to limit?"

I have a love-hate relationship with a lot of the shorter plants. Betony really got on my nerves this year. Was absolutely beautiful in bloom ("White Zin" -- blush pink blooms) but a chore to deadhead and looks like cr*p after deadheading. I'm going to keep some of them - the pollinators loved them, and they were quite pretty - but give some away. I always b*tch while deadheading brunnera, I find it really tedious, and not deadheading takes away from the lovely foliage. Got rid of some of those already. But I do love the foliage. "May Night" salvia blooms its fool head off and the dark purple blooms are stunning in late spring, but the foliage is always a ratty mess after deadheading, and there's a lot of deadheading to do with this one.

Other shorter plants aren't as much maintenance. For example, catmint just needs a quick shearing and it bounces back fabulously within about two weeks to be a nice mound of foliage the rest of the season with some occasional re-bloom. Stokes aster are easy to deadhead, as are "Snowcap" shastas and coralbells. "Sunfur" bergenia doesn't need any input from me to look good. So, really just depends what it is. Fall maintenance is another issue, though -- smaller plants = need more of them for a full effect = more cutting back and they're harder because they're so low to the ground.

Mx3, You have a lot of great plants in your garden. A lot of them are plants I haven’t grown. I’ve considered Chelone, but, I always thought that was a pretty sturdy upright plant, so I’m happy to hear that is not the case before I bought it.

I had Annabelle Hydrangea and found the blooms heavy enough to flop and look pretty miserable so after two seasons, I let that go. I’m much happier now with the Hydrangea paniculatas. I’m not 100% thrilled with ‘Little Lime’ because it grows with a layered affect that I don’t enjoy, with branches shooting up in the middle a lot taller than the rest of the bush. I keep hearing that the older it gets the more that evens out, so I am waiting and watching.

I’ve never grown Betony ‘White Zin’. I just looked it up, it’s very pretty! But - based on your experience that is one that would not last for me. I don’t mind a certain amount of deadheading, but if it’s not going to look good after deadheading, probably not for me. But then again, I’m always looking for pollinator plants. [g] Maybe one try would be worth it.

I haven’t grown Brunnera either. I have a Salvia similar to ‘May Night’ but I think I’m going to have to get that particular variety. It’s nice and dark which I like. I have Rose Queen and Blue Queen and Rose Queen, even in full sun, was on the ground and never became upright. Blue queen has just been so-so for me. Not as vigorous. And I agree after I deadhead, the foliage is a mess. I believe that is in part due to earwigs that chew up the leaves at night. I have made nightly trips out to the garden with a cup of soapy water to get control of that situation in the past, but not this year.

I have Nepeta and I really enjoy it. It looks great next to my grasses. It blooms a long time and I feel maintenance is minor.

I just looked up ‘Stoke’s Aster’ - another perennial I haven’t tried. I really like the looks of it. I have a fall blooming Aster that I thought was very sturdy and upright and branches of that came down to the ground and one snapped off in the last windy storm. It was about a 4ft tall plant which surprised me. I thought it was Alma Potcschke, but mine is purple not pink and taller. I just used stakes and string to get that one back together. I probably will stake it early next season. I have not had a Bergenia that didn’t look a mess half the time, so I will have to check out ‘Sunfur’.

I do see your point, that more smaller plants mean more cutting back and I had not thought of how being low to the ground adds to the difficulty but you are right.

I do wonder how you use so many taller plants and how you can do without a lot of edging plants and sizes that gradually become lower. I would love to see photos of your bed. :-).

There are different chelone -- I have Chelone lyonii "Hot Lips" and Cheloni glabra. It's the glabra that gets floppy, but it's pretty and it's a native and host plant for the Baltimore Checkerspot. "Hot Lips" always stays upright in a lovely clump - the foliage is impeccable.

Let me try to grab DH's phone to snap some current pics (I really need to get my own camera or smart phone...)

Prairiemoon: I went to PM you and don't see the link under your profile -- ? Can you PM me so I can reply.

Hi mxk3 - I can't seem to send you a PM either. I went to my own page and looked at my settings and I have it set that anyone can message me. But there's no button there to send a message. Neither is there on your page either.

More Houzz technical problems? I can't even find a place to report it or get technical help.

Some pics of taller stuff for you, Prairiemoon:

Aralia "Sun King", monksood, zebra grass, Annabelle:

"Black Knight" butterfly bush, switchgrass, "Chocolate" Joe Pye, Becky shasta, rugosa roses (the short veronica have already found a home):

"Blue Planet" ageratum (tall variety), Becky shastas, Annabelle, chelone glabra, and "Phantom" Pye in the back:

Different angle -- "Phantom" Joe Pye, chelone glabra, Annabelle:

"Happy Days" helianthus, Benary's Giant Scarlet zinnia, zebra grass:

Foliage of "Hot Lips" chelone -- should start blooming in next couple weeks:

Mk3, you have a lot of garden beds, I’m tired just thinking of keeping up with them. [g]. And they look good in the heat and humidity!

Butterfly bushes are great, I used to have them. ‘Black Knight is one of my favorites. And they do lure a lot of butterflies and hummingbird moths and other pollinators. I had forgotten about the tall Ageratums. I do like those. They’re annual? Do you start from seed every year?

Thanks for clarifying the different varieties of Chelone. It was the ‘Hot Lips’ I am interested in.

That’s a nice combination with Annabelle and Joe Pye Weed. I think I see a white chelone between the two, very different.

Benary Giant Zinnias are great. I don’t always get around to starting seed, or even sowing in place. The years I do, I really enjoy them. And I’m looking for a new Heliopsis that is tall.

OH…I really like the foliage of ‘Hot Lips’. Did you pinch that back at all, to get is so bushy and compact?

Thanks for sharing your garden photos MK3 - I really like what you’ve done and you’ve given me some things to think about and a few plants to reconsider. :-)

Nope, no pinching of "Hot Lips". It really is super low-maintenance and just always looks good.

Yep, white chelone (C. glabra) behind the Annabelle and Joe Pye - they're usually nicely supported by the Annabelle.

I start the ageratum and the zinnia from seed -- both very easy annuals. I deadhead the zinnia occasionally if I'm out there puttering around, but it's not necessary for re-bloom; same w/the ageratum.

Yes, a lot of bed area, that's for sure -- but does it make sense why I think the larger/taller plants are actually less work? (fewer of them, easier to tend in-season, less clean-up in fall). But yea, I kind of do think I bit off more than I may be able to chew when I'm older, but at least for now I get an immense amount of enjoyment out of these - the pollinators go ga-ga over the Joe Pye, butterfly bush, milkweed, etc.

'Hot Lips' just went on my list. :-)

And I am going to have to make more of an effort on the Zinna and Ageratum. I'd love to do more Joe Pye Weed and Butterfly Bush, but I don't have as much sun as you do. I tried them in less sun and they struggled.

If you get a lot of enjoyment out of your beds and can keep them up, then the trick is to stay healthy and fit and able to garden no matter how old you get!

Happy to be an enabler :0p