I had peppermint (Mentha) and it was lovely. I especially liked the dark purple flower spikes at the front of the Birch Garden, a very rich color. But it was too aggressive, so it was ripped out, and I replaced it with a full, soft Nepeta, which is much better in that spot. The garden still smells like mint there (the leaves smelled good, but handling the roots gave off an unpleasant too-strong mint smell.) I am still ripping runners out, and will need to be vigilant about that.
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| Mentha from MoBot |
I had a nice small Hinoki cypress (Chamaecyparis obtusa 'Nana Gracilis') and I loved the graceful, fernsprayed leaves on this small evergreen at the front walk. It was supposed to stay about 4 feet tall, and narrow enough for that space. But the deer loved it too, and it didn't last a season before being stripped to ugly branches. The foliage does not regrow.
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| C. obtusa 'Nana Gracilis' from Morton Arboretum |
I had a dwarf viburnum with maple-like leaves, Viburnum opulus 'Nanum', and loved the little round shape at the edge of the west walkway at the feet of the Alberta Spruces. Very nice fall color, and the leaves were interesting close up. An excellent foundation plant, only getting to 2 feet high. But it was immediately eaten by something (leaf beetle? It may have simply been rabbits) and constantly looked bare. Regrowth looked shriveled, the whole thing struggled.
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| Viburnum opulus 'Nanum' from MoBot |
I had miscanthus grass, Miscanthus sinensis 'Gracillimus' in front of the air conditioner units, but they were way too huge, and blocked the walkway. I kept cutting them back, but that was a chore. Here they are, trimmed, but just inappropriate along the walkway. You had to duck sometimes.
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| they flopped and got even bigger than this |
I had Spirea japonica 'Goldflame' by the front walk, where the builder had put it in. It thrived, but the three little shrubs had merged into one big planting, too big for the space. I wasn't crazy about the neon pink flowers and chartreuse foliage, but it was the hulking size that made me take these out.
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| these got too big and spread across the walk |
I had various azaleas, rhododendrons, mountain laurels, lilacs but none were successful. The 'PJM' rhododendrons that lined the garage wall were good bloomers, but got a lot of diseases and grew leggy. I took them out. Same thing with the lilacs, which bloomed well but got the yellows.
I had heathers, Calluna vulagaris, lots of them, various cultivars. I loved the winter foliage when it stayed colorful, but mostly they browned in winter. This is not the climate for heather. I also loved the tiny jeweled masses of flowers in summer, but one by one each heather plant declined, and fewer came back each winter. They are all gone now.
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| from heathersociety.org |
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| they were nice in my garden while they lasted 9/6/09 |
I had Indian Pink, Spigelia marilandica, which is a beautiful tiny woodland wildflower with crimson and yellow flowers. It likes shade, and I tried it under the plants in Northern Exposure, where it would get some shade, but they did not thrive. I tried them in containers where I could better control the moisture and shade, but I lost those too. I might try again, I really liked this little plant.
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| from M. Gervais at Fine Gardening |
