Obedient Plants

In the dining room window garden

I wound up with 10 Physostegia Crystal Peak plants. I dunno how.

Well, I do -- I had several that I dug up and potted from around the birdbath. They struggled, like all the other perennials there, with competition from the thyme. I dug up two tiny ones from the front of the kitchen courtyard and potted those up too. (Those were too near the hot flagstones, too tall for the front of the garden, and not near enough to any emitters).

And then I ordered four more from Bluestone, thinking I'd arrange a whole circle of half a dozen or more in pots at the base of the birdbath. 

Something to break up the circle of thyme, without having to plant in the groundcover carpet. But then I moved the birdbath . . . 

Lovely at first around the birdbath, but they declined.

I've had these pretty plants in all different locations and at times they do well, at other times they struggle. Every one I had in every location looked good at first but declined.

They want, of all things, full sun, slightly acid soil and moist conditions, even though they are sold by High Country Gardens as suitable for here. 

Now, with six plants potted up and four more just bought, I needed to find where to plant them all.

🌱 I kept three in pots and put them under the table by the garage door.

🌱 I planted three in a tight clump together in the kitchen courtyard, but made sure emitters were right there. They are way too close together, but they look better massed. So, a tiny mass of them!

🌱 And I put four spread out a bit in the potting bench curve behind the lambsear, again making sure emitters were close to them.

Locations for 10 Crystal Peak physostegias

I'll see how any of them do. The trick will be to keep them moist enough. They are so pretty, but I really don't want to keep problematic plants in my garden.