What a cool mix of plants, I like how the tropicals are mixed in with perennials. I bet this bed only gets better until frost! Red and purple is one of my favorite combos and I can't resist a variegated plant, so I really like your mix.

All of mine flower the second year. I got tons of onion and chive seeds and bulbils. The bees like the flowers too. I used to have a huge clump of chives but dug it up, divided it and gave it out to a few people. Chives can be kind of weedy I got little clumps popping up all over. I've let some onions and chives dry out, chopped them up etc, and they still come back. So they are very tough.

Thanks everyone. It's fun to share and to see what everyone else is up to. Bonnie, I looked up the varieties of rudbeckia you mentioned, and you're right, they both look very similar. I would guess the Irish eyes, but I'm not at all positive about it. Yes, the Striped Roman are paste tomatoes. I purchased my first pressure canner this year, and hope to figure out how to use it. Maybe I should invite my mom over. She used to can when I was a child, but I don't quite remember what she did. Carrie, ever since I saw Vera's pics of blue flax, I just had to have it! ;) This was the only plant that survived, and I was very thankful it did. I think Echinacea is so pretty. I'm beginning to get more interested in growing native, drought tolerant plants I don't have to baby and water constantly.

Thanks Bonny! Piti, I know that in the midwest it would be very difficult to grow those blue beauties. :O( In my second year of winter sowing, I inquired about them, and someone responded that I would also not be able to grow them, but I discovered that there was a garden full of them in Montreal and since my mother is originally from there, she encouraged me to try. She figured if they were able to grow in the Montreal area, then I should be able to grow them too. She was right! This is my first year with Brookside. After taking this picture, we had a heavy rain and she plopped. I don't know if I have Rozanne - I might. I buy a lot of things for cheap at yard sales/plant sales, and end of year. Today I picked up 2 White Astilbes and a Goldstrum Rudbeckia in gallon pots for just $1.00 each. They were in the 'dud' pile at a garden center. I know I already have over 7 nice footings of White Astilbes in the gardens from WSing, but I took pity on them. Don't have Goldstrum yet so that one is a bonus. Usually there's no tags on what I get from the 'dud' pile and I know I got geraniums last year... The Lynchnis is Lynchnis Viscaria Splendens Fever - German Catchfly. I will have lots of seeds available soon!