Thanks, Tee.




....and thanks to you too, Janice.

That's one of the nicest beds here. I'm planting extra pieces of lamb's ears in other beds so (hopefully) they'll be that nice too. I'm tired of buying wood chips, getting them here, putting them around all my plants and dragging hoses around when these plants will cover and shade the soil for me, without being moisture or nutrient hogs themselves.

I'm trying to turn my entire back yard into a meadow, wildflower, whatever you want to call it space and eliminate mowing, etc.. with some more traditional beds and plantings here and there. Not sure how it's going to go. I really am not as much of a formal Cottage style gardener as a "whatever" gardener. Perennials are my absolute favorite. I don't plant many annuals at all.

I'm a "whatever" gardener too.


Wonderful that you're doing that, Tee! The critters will love it too!

Thanks, Chelle. I love the look of your "meadow" (is that what you called it?) and that has also inspired me a bit to keep working at it. I've only been here two years so I guess I've done okay for the time but I am impatient!!

Yeah, the wildflower meadow, or sometimes I call it the butterfly meadow 'cause if I want to snap some photos of flying flowers that's where there'll be plenty.

I'm always adding a bit of this, and a little of that to it....it's easy, and the rewards are enormous. You just have to be content to allow some grasses and such to grow in there as well....it's impossible to weed that big of an area. I dig out some when I add transplants; otherwise, I just don't sweat it. I mow mine off once every three years or so, it seems to help for some reason. This year is a mowing year, I believe.

Cottage Gardening is exactly that! ........A "whatever" garden!

The English cottagers threw seeds of "whatever" they could get...vegetables, neighbors plants and seeds, wild collected seeds, "whatever" and grew them around sometimes quite humble cottages.

A charming mish-mash really!

Tee, can't wait to see your wildflower garden.

Sure it will be wonderful!!

Thanks, Janice. We back up to woods and there is no use in trying to fight it. Natural and meadow-y seems the only way to go.

After reading the posts about lambs ears yesterday I went out and checked on my clumps..yes a few had grown into the bed around my 2 new foxgloves (Candy Mountain) that I raised from seed and only got 2 to live. Anyway I thinned them out and had a big pile but feel secure I can keep them under control..They pulled rather easily after our rainy fall..I have only had them 3 years so they are not bad..The blooms are beautiful additions to dried arrangements..So I will watch them and probably plant them in other spaces as I like the silver look..
Verbena Bonariensis is another plant that I love but it does reseed a lot..In spring I keep taking it out until I get the amount of plants I need in that particular..A few times I have found a plant transplanted by wind in another bed and if I want it there I leave it.
I also have a plant I got in a seed exchange a few years ago..The person who sent it had it labeled rudbeckia triloba and it reseeds a lot for me..Again I just keep pulling out until I get it the way I want it.
Last year I had so many plants reseed I had lots of them to pull...Just wondering if this year will be that way or will there be less reseeding...
I realize I may be wandering a little off topic but it seems to me anything that reseeds is a tough plant.

I agree, Veronica!
Reseeders are so nice, IMHO, as long as one likes the particular plant!

Just went out in the rain to put raincoats on the soaked semps. Lots and lots of rain since last night.

Verbena bonariensis was another problem child for me. I've been trying to eradicate it for 4 years, but it keeps popping up. I must have an endless seed bank of it in my soil.

Karen

Borage is another of my favorite reseeders. I don't have to do anything more with them than just pull the ones I don't want....and they're very easy to remove. Need gloves, but I wear those anyway.

You must have great soil, Karen!

So pretty, Chelle! Love borage.Great, great photos.

Can't think of a garden flower reseeder I have planted, that I don't welcome.

If it doesn't work in the spot it pops up in, they are easy enough to move or give to a friend.

Those seedlings are welcomed by the children in our neighborhood, who are starting little gardens, too.

Well I do have an "issue " with an amaranth that I got from a seed exchange. It grew so big and was quite striking but I decided to remove it...Several years later I am still getting the little seedlings..They are red and easy to identify so I pull them up...Funny thing is I am beginning to wonder if I should at least re-plant one of them....Anything that determined may need to grow...

Amaranth love lies bleeding grew taller than my 6 foot husband.


The prettiest amaranthus that I ever grew were the poinsettia types


Karen

Mine was somewhat like the love lies bleeding but the flowers were not quite that long and thicker. And it was that tall....Did yours reseed?

It did, but easily identified and hoed out in spring. I know how they reseed, so cut it down and ditched it before it had time too drop too many seeds.

Karen

I'm interested in seeing if, and how much my celosia spicata reseeds. My plants made about half a cup worth of seeds....not including the ones that fell before I got them!

I grew Celosia spicata the past two and got oodles of seeds from my cut seed heads. I didn't cut them all off this year and will also be interested to see where they came up and what I get this year.

Beautiful flowers, Karen.