Thank you so much for posting your other pic of Monarda! They are definitely a must. I wonder why they're called bee-balm. I ordered some Monarda seeds from Outsidepride.com and they will be arriving this week so I will look forward in sowing them by mid summer, in trays, separating the seedlings in small pots so that they can go dormant during fall and set out in their final position the following spring. There is a spreading plant with flower buds in the front of your first pic, that is not tagged but would be flowering next, could you remember what they are? The whole combination is very soothing. I don't remember what cultivar of Monarda is coming, but at least it is a Monarda. So goes with my Veronica ( Speedwell), it is a deep blue Noid. All of these plants remind me of those fine days I spent in my youth in Stony Brook and fleetingly in Cornell Ithaca. Your native perennials are so many and have their wild character that perform particularly well in informal gardens. I'm just starting my "wild" gardens here. One the open dry prairie garden, the other the damp prairie garden, half shaded and finally the shady woodland garden with glenn's of sunlight. My property is under the scale for a large farm but is beyond the size of average suburban property ( 6.2 acres) so I have at this stage of my life room and time to think about beautifying my land and succeeding hopefully before parting...
