Perennial Sale!

My favorite greenhouse, Wagner's, is having a sale. All perennials are 40% off. I spent a long time there on Sunday, browsing the selection. What a great way to spend an hour.


My intention was to look for some shade-loving plants for the front yard. There's a big (maple?) tree in the south half of the front yard that shades pretty much that whole side. There's a nice border of hostas along the sidewalk, and the rest of the space filled with a sprinkling of ferns, lilly of the valley, and lots of weeds. I wanted to find (a) a shade loving vine to climb the arbor on the shady south side, and (b) a shade loving plant that would aggressively fill in the space under the tree that the ferns have failed to fill.

"Silver Moon" Clematis

I found one variety of a flowering vine that likes partial shade: the "Silver Moon" clematis. I can't wait to see if it will flower in the spring. I wonder what "pruning type 2" means. And I wonder if I need to add wires or string or something to help it climb.

"Cherry Blossom" Lenten Rose

For the space under the tree, I am giving this "Cherry Blossom" Lenten Rose a try. It was the most expensive of my picks, but I have high hopes for it. The actual plant looks thick and sturdy. The tag says it's "exceptionally vigorous" and is an excellent groundcover for shady areas. Exactly what I need.

So I'd found what I was looking for. But then I kept finding more plants that wanted to go home with me. My front rock garden is still a weedy mess, because even though I've planted lots of low, thick groundcover, there are still areas of bare dirt. So I splurged on three new plants for the rock garden.

"Black Scallop" Ajuga

I love the "Chocolate Chip" Ajuga that I planted the last couple of summers. It's pretty all summer, and it is spreading nicely. This "Black Scallop" version has a bigger leaf, but otherwise looks very similar. I hope it spreads as well. This one supposedly likes partial shade, so I put it on the side of the front rock garden that gets a lot of shade from the maple. It will get dappled light during the day, and some sun in the late afternoons.

Mexican Evening Primrose

Now that I've decided to focus my energies on vegetable gardening, I didn't plant a single annual this year, and I missed the color. When I saw this Mexican Evening Primrose, I was wooed by its pretty flowers combined with its groundcover properties. The tag promises "profuse day-blooming flowers over a long season." This should be a treat!

"Heart Attack" Sweet William

Presumably named for its blood red blooms, I fell in love with the healthy-looking thick foliage and the potential for bright color in the spring. The tag says "Heart Attack" Sweet William is perfect for amassing in beds and borders.