evermorelawnless said:

OK how the heck did I not know about this????
Can you not READ my signature line????

Sorry Crittergarden!

I remember when this happened. So adorable!

Somehow I had overlooked this thread, or maybe I thought I was watching it....

Anyhow, JoAnn, I somewhat share your dislike of pink and yellow together, but I think you've done a great job of fixing the problem by using plum and purple between the yellow and pink. I say somewhat because my problem with pink and yellow together is when the pink is pastel and the yellow is bright gold- they seem to fight with each other to my eye. But I do appreciate pastel butter yellow with soft pink or bright yellow with hot pink- I think I like seeing a similar saturation of color if they're used together. There is a softness to the yellow of the peony that makes it work with the pink iris to my eye, and the iris has some plum echoing the other plum flowers.

I've had problems getting the color harmony right in a bed where I use a lot of pink, peach, salmon, coral, and melon tones. I want some pops of brighter shades of these colors in the mix. I had Foxtail lilies in the bed that were mixed colors and the white looked great but the deep gold just wasn't working. So I moved what I thought were the gold plants and yep, you guessed it- I moved the white ones and left the gold!

Then the 2nd problem was the "coral" Oriental poppy I planted there and waited 2 years to see it bloom- what a lovely bright scarlet it turned out to be! I've wanted perennial poppies for years and this was my first one to prosper, so I really hated the idea of risking losing it by moving it (I've always heard poppies resent relocation, but have since realized they can be easily moved if done at the right time of year). My plan was to move the clump this summer, but to my surprise part of the clump bloomed coral!

Now I'm okay with the poppies because they kind of echo the reddish-coral trumpet honeysuckle, or at least that's what I keep telling myself LOL. I realized this year that removing perennial poppies from a spot is easier said than done- they tend to keep coming back. I learned this from the color disaster in my bed of reds, gold, and orange where the "red" poppy I planted turned out to be coral. I've dug it up 3 times and it keeps returning- those tap roots must go really deep!

The remaining foxtail lily is no longer an issue because I accidentally chopped it up while planting bulbs this fall.

Neal - love the photo and the colors of that foxtail lily. The detail is beautiful.

The flow of colors is wonderful in the second photo.

Thanks Arlene! When I look at the foxtail up close I see the bits of orangy and pinkish in there that make it seem to work, but then I back up and the effect is gold. While I did accidentally chop that one up, I picked up 10 more from Brent and Becky's clearance sale because I really do love them. They're one of the most impressive flowers I've seen. The new ones are all planted together (and are well marked this time!) in a bed a little further out- they'll be seen in the background from the bed in the above photos.

The color flow in the 2nd photo is what changed my mind about the scarlet poppy there- there seems to be enough orange in the rose and red in the honeysuckle to tie it all together. Those few coral poppy blooms kind of do that too. Sometimes I wonder if I'm rationalizing that it really is flowing well, so I appreciate that your eye perceives it that way too

Here is an angle where the foxtail lily did look good echoing the lilies in the foreground.

Ideal! The soft look of the colors make it work. Any bright reds or large blooms of white would be distracting. The lavender family of plants is so good at enhancing other soft colors.

gemini_sage said: I've dug it up 3 times and it keeps returning- those tap roots must go really deep!

...because I accidentally chopped it up while planting bulbs this fall.

poppy roots are DEEP!

I hate it when I find 1/2 a bulb in my trowel....

My heart sinks when I hear that sound - sort of like biting into an apple. Having so many bulbs, it is inevitable.

Ugh--me too!
and it is so inevitable

Neal, I like the flow of color there with your poppies --I see enough orange in the rose and red in the honeysuckle

plus and, yeah--poppies, they're baaaaack from what? who knows. Sometimes it can take a couple years even, and you think you got them all and then, oh look, there's a poppy

While I'd like to add a few fragrant lilies to one area, it's so crowded with Asiatic lilies (and clematises, coreopsis and salvia) that I'm reluctant to make any hole to plant any lilies, knowing there would be casualties.

I see why you're reluctant- that is a beautiful display of lilies! However most of the fragrant varieties bloom later than Asiatics, so you may enjoy extending the lily bloom season with some OTs.

I've tried growing many in pots so I could find spots as they bloom. Somehow they end up in other gardens out of deer range.

How do you get pictures on top of pictures?

Oh how I love the fragrant orientals I still miss them so! (sadly, they don't do well here)
Yes, they'd have to end up out of deer range, otherwise, what would be the point?

pirl said:I've tried growing many in pots so I could find spots as they bloom.

I didn't know anyone but me did that!

Many had to be grown in pots to be 100% sure they were labeled correctly. Too many in the past were white instead of pink, or garish yellow instead of the palest of greens.

It's a choice as part of making a collage in Picasa, dirt. You can take any photo and "set as background".

Oh! Cool-- thanks! I don't know about Picasa.

It's free and so easy to use.

Purple Prince (hardly "purple") after the deer feasted on every single bud.


When I moved it to safety it bloomed beautifully!