Showing fellow Lawn Reformer and Minnesota garden writer Evelyn Hadden some of my favorite lawnless gardens this week gave me the chance to see them in a new way.   Like this particular view of feather reed grass ‘Karl Foester’ in the bright sun but paired with a backlit hosta in shade.    For another view, see my recent garden-center post glorifying  ornamental grasses.

In the same garden, Japanese blood grass with Sedum ‘Autumn Joy’ and Russian sage.

Nearby, this painted lady has plenty of color in the front garden, thanks to crapemyrtle, Japanese anemone and goldenrod.

And for sheer drama you can’t beat banana leaves – really all season long but especially when the Lespedeza is blooming.  (This one is probably the variety ‘Gibralter’.)   Here’s more about this garden from 2007 when the garden was new, and back when I used really small photos in my blog posts.

For Gardenblogger Bloom Day I just have time for one photo this month, and it’s gotta be of a plant I’ve heard on good authority – from horticulturist Erica Glasener - is pretty rare.  At least these Yellow Waxbells seemed to thrill HER, and I’m going with that.

About the garden those waxbells are growing in, I sure agree with Erica that it’s spectacular.   That would be the garden of Nell Stratchan and Peter Ward in Baltimore, and Nell gave us a tour before Erica’s talk last night to the Horticultural Society of Maryland.  Full slide show of Nell’s garden coming soon.

Here’s my Garden Blogger Bloom Day post and I’ve gotta say I sure love August.  Not a popular sentiment here in the Mid-Atlantic.

Click here for more photos curb gardens that’ll knock the socks off the neighbors.

I hope you have plant swaps near near you because they’re such a cool way to get free plants, especially ones that are new to you.  Also, you can talk to the plant’s donor about it, and it’s honesty just fun to talk plants with other enthusiasts.  This swap was organized by Kathy Jentz on behalf of Washington Gardener Magazine and it’s undisputed that she’s terrific at organizing this type of gardening event or really, any type – photo contests, speaker series – you name it.  We probably don’t thank her enough.

Now about the plants I brought home.  One is a pink crape myrtle about 2 feet tall and the other is totally new to me – labeled “Cassia Marylandica Senna”.   I think this mean it’s a Maryland Wild Senna, which is native to most of the Eastern and Midwestern U.S.

Senna’s in the pea family and looks  a lot like Baptisia, another native, but the donor explained that Senna forms a nice mass of roots, so doesn’t hate being moved like the taprooted Baptisia.  She also told us it becomes HUGE over the season, then it dies back to the ground over winter like the big perennial it is – not an actual woody shrub – and starts again the next year.  Sounds great!

Via Google I found this website, which says that it indeed grows to an impressive 6 feet tall, likes full sun, and likes soil that’s “moist to mesic”  – which manages to inform almost no one and certainly not me about what this plant actually needs.   You can take that as a mini-rant.

Top photo by Kathy Jentz.  I’m on the far left contemplating the asphalt.  Lower photo by Jerry Old Nettel.

Gardenbloggers are recording what’s blooming this month but it’s June, so what’s NOT blooming? (I exaggerate, but you know what I mean.) A quick walk through my garden reveals blooms on:oakleaf and lacecap hydrangeas, daylilies, hardy geraniums, coreopsis, evening primrose, roses, astilbe, rose campion, coneflowers, and others I’ve probably missed. All lovely, but what I’m admiring most are the blooms that are new to me.

Above left is something I rarely see on variegated hydrangeas – blooms.  Guess I finally gave it the right spot.  On the right is a brand-new acquisition, a Gaura with the unceremonial name of Dark Pink (as far as I can tell).  I bought three and want at least six more.  I’ll soon be visiting its grower, though, and who knows but  Sandy’s Plants may have some extras to get off their hands.   I also bought some Agastache ‘Tutti Fruitti, but I’ll link to that coz mine aren’t photographing well yet.

Help Needed with ID of Creeping Sedum

Above left is new favorite of the groundcovers that replaced my front lawn (mostly thymes, creeping Jenny and Potentilla).  It’s ‘Dragon’s Blood’ sedum and in its second year it’s filling out nicely and blooming like crazy.   On the right is what I thought was S. ternatum but now that I’ve seen other plants labeled as that, I’m doubting that that’s what this is.  (Anybody know?)  Its flower – a gold puffball on a pike – was a total surprise.  I want more of both of these sedums, so some of the thymes will have to go.  Sorry, but compared to these guys, most of my thymes are pretty boring.

Still Fabulous

Now for old time’s sake, here’s my best border in June.   Starting at the top you see hardy kiwi vine, cherry laurel hedge, two lacecap hydrangeas, an ‘Anthony Waterer spirea’, and then a skirt of astilbes and a creeping sedum, which I now believe is S. linare “Golden Teardrop.”