Piet Oudolf Garden additions and Physocarpus

Hello again,

This week, the Piet Oudolf garden is starting to look great.  It almost always looks good, but it's starting to really come to life, I should say.  New combinations installed last year are some of the highlights of today's blog.

Anemone sylvestris with Nepeta 'Early Bird'
It makes me laugh sometimes to think that I used to not like either plant in this photo. Maybe it's the sum of all parts that make it look great.  But these two look spectacular together.  The Anemone really brighten up the garden nicely. And the Nepeta are becoming a fine addition to the edges of the garden where I had difficulty growing things before.



Monarda bradburyana and Nepeta 'Early Bird'
Who would've thought Nepeta would make it twice in a row. Piet matched these up very well.  That man continues to impress me.  I go back to a conversation with Roy Diblik about Nepeta in which he told me that "It just works well in the landscape.  You can always rely on it to look good when you go back to check on the job site.  The Monarda pictured should be in bloom next week, if it ever warms back up. Their dark, reddish foliage mixes really well with the purple flowers.

Amsonia tabernaemontana var. salicifolia
I love the Amsonia genera, and this one could be my favorite.  For today, it is.  I love the contrasting dark stems, with the light green foliage.  Blue flowers are just a bonus.  We originally had planted red species tulips at the base of the plant, but they have mostly disappeared since planting.  When they were there, the red flowers also contrasted nicely with the dark stems.  These will grow 3' tall and as wide.  I would mix it with an Echinacea cultivar with orange flowers for later season interest.

Physocarpus Summer Wine®
At the employee entrance to our building, I planted these Summer Wine® four years ago.  They have begun to really occupy the area well.  The bottom right corner of the picture is Cotoneaster apiculatus which has textural contrast.  Without irrigation, they have thrived here.  Flowers are a week or so away.  These plants, four years later, are about 6' tall and wide.  They make great substitutes for Prunus x cistena.

Physocarpus Coppertina™
A little lighter in color than the aforementioned Summer Wine®, Coppertina™ has copper tones, mostly in its newer foliage.  Later in the season, it will take on a much more purplish cast.  It always appears a little lighter than the Sambucus Black Lace™. The two varieties mentioned seem to be fairly resistant to the powdery mildew this plant sometimes gets.  At the very least, they prove to be resistant in a dryer landscape.  Neither plant is subjected to large amounts of irrigation and do very well.

Thanks again for reading.  Until next time, have a great day!