Great Utility Box Plant Combination

One of my favorite combination of plants to hide the utility boxes is a mix of flowers that bloom at different times of the year, and a feather reed grass that provides a nice backdrop. Now, this combination also dies to the ground in winter so if you really wanted to hide a utility box you could use an evergreen shrub, but nevertheless over the years I found this combination works really well together:

• Calamagrostis acutiflora 'Karl Foerster' feather reed grass
• Iris sibirica - Siberian Iris
• Echinacea purpurea 'Magnus' - Huge purple coneflower
• Aster novae-angliae 'Purple Dome'

I learned that you don't want to have too many different types of plants, you want to have just a handful and have repetition so it looks really pleasing to the eye and not like just a hodgepodge of plants. 

Echinacea purpurea 'Magnus'

Iris sibirica

Echinacea purpurea 'Magnus'

Aster novae-angliae 'Purple Dome'

Purple Dome Aster Divisions and Moving Plants Around

Here's an overview of all the moves I made today. I moved a lot more than I had planned, but hopefully we get some rain and everyone settles in. 

Spent a few hours today moving things around in the back yard and mulching the side yard. Some of the more significant moves to mention, I moved a dianthus over to the edge by the patio to give some year round structure. I like my salvia, but I don't like how they die to the ground and basically disappear. After the move, I'm liking how the right side of the bed looks almost complete.

I moved my sale table Blue Marvel salvia over to the middle. The middle of the bed is like my holding zone, not sure what I want to do with it just yet.

This was also my first time doing divisions of my Purple Dome aster. This all-star plant has been killing it the past 2 seasons, and I learned that you can cut them up and divide them like a hosta. Let's see if my little sprouts turn into whole new plants (for free). I remember when I got them in the mail I was surprised how small it was, and it turned into a purple dome in the first season.

Purple Dome aster division (super tiny sprouts)

Added some purple dome aster divisions to the front utility box bed too because I'm not sure if the Gaura are coming back. 

I did some 'cosmetic mulching' in other parts of the yard - you know, when you just dust some mulch over the top so it looks like you mulched and the colors match.

Fall Favorites: Gaura lindheimeri and Aster novae-angliae 'Purple Dome'

It's officially Fall - I've had my first pumpkin spice latte from Starbucks, the sun is once again south of the equator, and it's time for some last minute planting, grass seed, and gorgeous under-rated fall blooms. Here are a couple of my favorites blooming right now:

This aster is easily twice the size of anyone's mums right now, and comes back year after year. It's called Purple Dome for a reason, and is completely covered with these gorgeous purple flowers. This is one of my favorite plants in the yard, partly because when I first got it, it was this tiny little sprout and surprised me with how well it did even in the first season. Can't say enough about this one, wish my yard was bigger so I could plant more!

Aster novae-angliae 'Purple Dome'

I didn't know what Gaura lindheimeri were until I saw them on the sale table at Lowe's. What a pleasant surprise! The foliage looks like rosemary and the flowers look like little butterfly kisses on red stems. Simply gorgeous! Give me more! 

Gaura lindheimeri blooming after 2 weeks after being on the sale table because it was a dried up runt. This specific variety is BELLEZA Dark Pink. 

Summer Views from 2016 Quick Garden Tour and Update

I don't intend to recap every single thing that happened to my yard this year, but I will post a collection of photos in case I want to look back at them during the winter, or have them to compare to future photos. Here are some of the major events:

1. My epic battle with the rabbits continued for months, and I'm trying to make peace with the fact that they will eat some of my plants, and that's okay. (trying to convince myself).

2. My hardy pampas grass grew to record heights, I can't wait to cut it down this winter and get the official measurement.

3. My emerald green arborvitae in the back yard got a weird disease and partially died, had black fronds, then grew back, and actually put on some good growth.

4. I had 2 out of 15 or so Surprise Lillies bloom this year, which was a surprise indeed, I heard they don't like being transplanted.

5. I had a short Japanese beetle scare a few months ago and had to spray my birch trees. The spray seemed to take care of them, I only had to use 1 bottle. 

6. My mail order purple coneflower 'Magnus' came back to life and actually flowered!

Front yard Summer 2016

Emerald green fighting off a disease, it seems to be winning. The mail order phlox around the base is taking well and should be nice in the Spring.

Late summer back bed, not much blooming but things are definitely getting bigger. I'm liking the idea of a back bed that is more filled in with plants touching or overlapping and blooming at different times.

Back bed island earlier this summer. Birch trees put on a lot of healthy growth, can't wait for them to do it again next year, they are super healthy in spite of a Japanese beetle scare a few months ago.

Back bed late summer 2016 - Purple Dome is about to flower, blue fescue is looking good against the pink rock.

Early summer view of the utility box bed, Shasta daisy did great this summer, but the Russian sage is getting a little unruly, I cut a bunch out and replaced it with my first try at Gaura 'Dark Pink' which I'm hoping is hardy in this zone. I moved the PowWow Wildberry cone flower to the back because it's really too short to hide the boxes anyway.

Those Effing Rabbits!! Decapitated Dusseldorf Pride

I'm seeing red, I'm steaming right now! I feel powerless against them, and yet I'm forced to slowly watch them devour my garden bit by bit. Every morning I wake up and enjoy a cup of coffee outside in the cool spring air and I inspect my garden, only to find teeth marks and decapitated flowers. I think it's all just the same rabbit. I've said it before and I'll say it again, I blame my neighbors for not planting anything. Nothing! My back yard is a beacon of deliciousness. Can you blame the rabbits? They would be happy to come from all corners of the neighborhood to feast on my tasty variety of offerings - when what is the alternative? Overgrown juniper bushes and crooked solar powered LED lights? I probably sound like a huge garden snob right now but I don't care, I'm a target.

Rabbits decapitated every last flower on my Armeria maritima 'Dusseldorf Pride'

My EverLast^™ Lavender Lace Dianthus 'KLEDG13146' wasn't safe, they systematically stripped every flower from 3 plants side by side, working their way down the row.

Now it's personal, you don't mess with the perfect radial symmetry of my 'Tiny Pearl' lily

Garden Bloggers' Bloom Day - September 2015

'Purple Dome' indeed, these New England asters seem to be peaking right now. I can't believe they grew from little tiny 2 inch plugs back in early Spring. They've grown into nice globular shapes and they're covered in purple daisy-like flowers. I've heard they have problems with powdery mildew - I treated them with neem oil and so far haven't seen any signs of it.

They're absolutely bursting! From the looks of it, there are plenty more waiting to open, so hopefully I have these wonderful purple blooms for weeks.

Happy Garden Bloggers' Bloom Day for September 2015! This might be the last of the flowers, but I'll definitely have some grasses blooming next month. My hardy pampas grass is already taller than I am!

One last hoorah from the Armeria maritima 'Dusseldorf Pride'

My collection of purple late-summer blooms: 'Purple Dome' aster, variegated liriope, 'Wee One' dwarf lavender, 'Little Night' salvia, and 'Little Spire' Russian sage

Purple Dome Aster Ready to Explode

My 'Purple Dome' New England Aster is ready to blow up, but will it bloom in August or wait until September? Side note, I can't believe it's almost September!!! This Aster novae-angliae 'Purple Dome' has been growing and growing all summer, and started as a little 2 inch plug I got by mail.  Who knew it would grow into a bush like this in one season?

Aster novae-angliae 'Purple Dome' August 13, 2015

August 24, 2015 even closer to blooming!

Here's a baby photo from this Spring, holy cow!!

Measuring New Growth: Darkest of All, Purple Dome, Wallowa Mountains

A few plants aren't growing much at all, and a few are really taking off! Let's check in on some plants with new growth and new changes.

Erigeron speciosus 'Darkest of All'

Remember when this one was a sidewinder plant? It's now sending up 5 brand new stalks from the base and leaving the old sidewinder stalk out to dry.

Let's see what else we have. This Aster novae-angliae 'Purple Dome' was super tiny when I got it, now it's turning into a small bush and is becoming much more dome shaped. 

Finally, check out my favorite little plant Arenaria 'Wallowa Mountains' Mossy Sandwort. It's not only expanded and rounded out its edges but it changed texture as well - the tiny longer leaves died off leaving little tight clusters of green. It looks like green coral.

Arenaria 'Wallowa Mountains' Mossy Sandwort

Super Tiny Aster novae-angliae 'Purple Dome'

I ordered two of the Aster novae-angliae 'Purple Dome' aka Purple Dome New England Aster because I love the deep purple color of the flowers and I wanted something that would bloom in late summer or early fall, like a hardy mum, but something that would fit into a smaller space. These looked like a good dome shape at 24 inches tall and 18 inches wide.

I saw online that they ship in 5 inch pots, so I was sort of hoping for something a little larger to arrive. I was surprised that these little sprouts were only about 2 inches wide. They have a long way to go, and can hopefully bloom this fall. My lavender arrived 3x as big in a pot half the size, what gives?

Aster novae-angliae 'Purple Dome' arrived smaller than I was expecting, I hope it grows quick and can bloom into a nice dome this fall.