Now watch, they'll do great next year just to spite you. Yes, I talk to my plants, the cats, the birds, the bees, the groundhog, myself, etc. I'm sure the neighbors think I'm a bit looney. Hmmm ... maybe I am.

Do you have Joe Pye Weed? I have about a million seeds on my bush out there right now.

The back meadow is gorgeous. Funny about you threatening your plants....

I do talk to my plants, but mostly in a non-confrontational way But, if they don't do well, I have no problems yanking them or moving them.

It funny how some plants I have been wanting to grow is growing like weeds in your yards. I seeded some bergamot - nothing germinated. Bought a baby Joe Pye weed seedling - died in a couple of months. But, my one and only golden rod survived two years. My purple and white Japanese anenomes are like weeds though.

I know. Sometimes it just doesn't seem fair, does it. I planted a root of Joe Pye in late Spring and it shot up to 6 ft, tall in one growing season, bloomed like crazy and has the million seeds. It will probably come up everywhere next year because I'm always covered with the seeds on my clothes and spreading them everywhere. I've never grown it from seeds though. We'll see what happens. I suppose they don't call it Joe Pye WEED for nothing.

The anemones are beautiful!

The Joe Pye is pretty much a native here since our property is mostly silty-clay basin with a lake, much of which is left in a natural state. I did plant one in the garden. It's huge, the blossom heads are bigger than mine (!), but it's a bit shadier there than it would like so it's leaning quite a bit. I haven't noticed it self-seeding much - the boneset nearby does it enough for both of them!

The anemones seem to be quite tame here - must be because of the cold climate winters, and perhaps because I have them in a *dry* bed; one that I don't irrigate except when they are blooming.

I certainly threaten my plants. 'If plant (insert name) doesn't bloom, out you go!' It mostly works, but if not out it goes.

Lucy,

I had to check your location to see if you were my neighbor down at the corner of the road. She has a small but BEAUTIFUL garden, folowing your philosophy. She will give a bought plant just two chnaces: it can thrive right away where she plants it, or in the first place she moves itt to, then OUT it goes.

I call her Attila the Gardener. But she sure has a beaituiful garden!

Attila the Gardener. I like that. Could apply to me, too. Sometimes I have tried hard to make something do well, but not often. One I remember was a beautiful rhododendron that my son bought me for Mother's Day. After three years, it finally became compost food.

This mostly happens when I try to grow things that don't do well here without a lot of work. Rhodies, azaleas, lupines... some things aren't meant for my climate or my soil. It's a lot better to grow plants that do well in a particular area than to try to change the weather and soil to make the plant happy.

Karen

I guess I am like that. Poor performers reside in the compost pile. LOL.
This year I ruthlessly pulled out 3 Asclepias. They were too gangly looking and no blooms for too long and when they do bloom, so inconsequential as to not justify the space they were taking up in the garden.

Love the fact that you live near such a fierce gardner. Unfortunately we are on the other side of the country.

Dianne, I love what you have done with your front yard! The garden there is gorgeous!

Thanks, Janice. It certainly is a labor of love. But, I have met so many neighbors since I was out in my front yard so much. I know all the regular walkers and dog walkers, and when some of neighbors go to the gym (they didn't take up my offer of getting their workout by helping me shovel out my lawn )

Attila's great results inspire me, but only rarely will I uproot something before it dies dead, dead dead.

I'm learning to use her technique, but very slowly. I'm a wimp that way!

Nothing wrong with caution Rick.

Dianne.

Had a lot of catching up to do to get current on this thread...Good job everyone...I love the look of Dianne's front lawn..I find it so hard to believe that folks (mostly men, sorry guys) love the big green field of a lawn..Sad to say that is what mine is but I yield to the mighty mower and have beds scattered around the perimeter..Now if I lived in a neighborhood I would have a front lawn just like that. Maybe the plants would be different because of locale bu tit would be similar..