Ramblings in May

It has been a while since I have written anything, so I thought I would share some rambling thoughts at the end of a busy May. I don’t usually do stream of consciousness writing but what the hey?

So in no particular order here are a few of my thoughts related to how my own relatively new yard’s landscaping is developing.

#1 Prairie Smoke is even better than I thought!

I have planted this native of the prairie in my own yard as well as clients and really enjoy its nice green color, ferny texture and easy care.
The Spring interest that starts at the bud stage and proceeds through bloom and the “smokey” seeding stage and lasts over a month though is what has really turned me on to this plant.

I better add #1B – Having a lake in the background makes your plantings look better. Be sure to add that to your garden.

#2 You better not forget to deadhead some plants

Self-seeders like Agastache, some Asters, and Monarda better be deadheaded if you don’t want a thousand baby plants to pull next year. While I even did deadhead my Monarda fistulosa, I didn’t do it early enough because I (and the bumblebees) were enjoying the blooms so much. Well, this spring I had hundreds if not thousands of little baby Bergamots. This summer I am cutting it down after it blooms early!

#3 Calamint does not self-seed, but Calamint neptea ‘White Cloud’ does in a MAJOR way!

I originally got this bee loving, non-stop blooming perennial from a local nursery I used to frequent in Crystal Lake. This, for the most part, was a fine nursery/garden center. However, for some reason (maybe because they are easy to grow from seed Jim-duh!) they decided to carry a version of Calamintha neptea that self-seeds like nuts!

Why this aggravates me is the straight species DOES NOT SELF SEED AT ALL!

I have not checked to see if they still carry this cultivar if they do I should probably tell them. Thankfully my employer (who are very picky -in a good way- about the plants they sell, only carry the straight NON-self seeding species!)

If you want this pollinator friendly non-native, please just get the straight species (Calamintha neptea ssp. neptea) and make sure it is not the potentially invasive self-seeding monster, ‘White Cloud’!

#4 After a LONG winter Foliage trumps flowers

My front bed has very little blooming now. Only one chive plant is blooming in the photo below.

Yet, I think this looks pretty nice. Especially after our latest never-ending winter. What do you think?

#5 It’s better to be lucky than good

I planted these wild geraniums (in the foreground of this photo) and one lone woodland phlox that I grew from seed last year (back by the bench).

I basically planted the phlox in a spot that was the front of a bed that had nothing else and I thought I would see it often enough to remember to water it. No design thought what so ever.

It just happens to bloom (at least this year) in perfect sequence and color harmony with the geranium I planted last year. This helps to tie these beds together and make it seem like I know what I am doing (at least when walking down this path). A tall order to ask for any plant.

My next post will probably have more of a point then this one, but I am not guaranteeing anything till the Spring rush has slowed down.