Favorite Plants

It occurred to me, when I started my current garden nearly four years ago, that I should focus on one specific plant or variety and "get really good at it". When I mentioned this to a local grower, he suggested Daylilies - beautiful, easy to grow, "you can't kill them", and abundant producers of blooms. When I bought my first three plants from him, his gift to me was a tiny Lavender. I now have about a dozen Daylilies in my garden (Chinese Princess, Russian Rhapsody, Chicago Knockout and others, including a few surprises from a plant rescue mission last winter), but it was that little Lavender that really attracted me. It is now about four feet in diameter and about to bloom for the fourth year in a row. I've added other Lavenders over the years, but it's only been the "Provence" that has done well. Nevertheless, when the oldest of them began to sprawl too much last year, with opening centers, I decided to make something else my favorite plant and began looking into Salvia. I already had Blue Salvia and Common Sage in my landscape, but added Russian Sage and Pineapple Sage last year - both doing well - and finished the collection up earlier this year with East Friesland Sage, Argentina Blue Sage, Mystic Spires Blue Salvia and Salvia May Night.