Tuesday, August 17, 2010

It Took One Hour to Make This Change

Obedient plant at 11:00 AM today. It's the little white specks you see amid the Black-eyed Susans.


Here is a close up so you can better appreciate the nothingness of this plant in my garden.
I have seen this plant in other gardens where it has a bigger head and looks much nicer. In my garden it never gets much better than this---until today...

Obedient plant at NOON today:
Don't you think it looks so much better here? LOL. I am off work today and I decided there is nothing I like about this plant, so I dug it all out!

Now I have this big empty spot to plant something that I will enjoy more.
I have no idea what yet. I may leave it bare until next spring. This is a prime spot in the garden--right up front and I need to think about what to put here. I want something that has more WOW factor than the wimpy Obedient plant.


Here is a long shot view after the removal. To me it looks so much more neat and tidy.

Did you notice that the Black-eyed Susans are much more full than the last time I showed them to you? I think they are at their peak now. I have removed most of the the stray volunteers. I really enjoy them in big clumps. I think it will be really nice if that area I showed you a few days ago fills in....it is way at the end of the above pic. You can see a ton of BES's there now. Once they fill in, though, that area will wrap around another 10 feet or so into the woods and, I hope, be quite spectacular in late August.

Have I shown you this pine tree trunk full of Black-eyed Susans? It seems like I have. I moved it in front of the old wagon wheel a few weeks ago. It seems to work well in this woodland area.


I am posting this pretty late to link to Jean's Blooming Tuesday. But I will anyway. I hope to have time later tonight to check out all the other gardens. My days are so full when I am off work, that I can hardly find the time to post. There are a zillion and one things that I have to fit in to the extra 8 hours. Usually I post at 5:00 a.m., but today I slept in until 6:30 a.m. and then got up and scrubbed the floors and the bathtub so I would be sure to get that in. At 9:00 a.m., we had to go to a window showroom to pick out the type of windows we want installed. The contractor should be able to do the inside work in about two weeks.

Tomorrow I hope to show you some changes I made on the deck yesterday.

10 comments:

  1. Zoey, I've never had obedient plant but must agree, yours weren't to impressive. The garden is still full of color and looking beautiful! Jean

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  2. I can't believe it, mine is so full and lush. Maybe it didn't like that spot huh? Hope you find something you like better for that prime piece of real estate. :)

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  3. I have one obedient plant and it really did nothing this year-I know one a joke. I guess I thought it would spread.
    You should think if you want a spreader or tall flowers to replace them.
    What would be really neat is sunflowers! I had an old friend who started hers in dixie cups to make sure they had a good start. I have a few now, but the deer got most of the flowers and lettuce I planted by seed.

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  4. I'm with you, sometimes you just have to cut your losses and yank plants out that just don't perform, especially if it's in a really visible spot. Let us know what you decide to put there...it is always exciting to get to re-design a little bit!
    Scott

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  5. That obedient plant always make me crazy. on one hand I hate to remove it because it fills in places but on the other , it will take over the world so I hate to let it go. I am with you though. I think I will pull mine out too before it reseeds too much. glad to hear I am not the only one out there who is bewildered by this plant. your garden is great!

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  6. Stopping over from Jean's. What a gorgeous garden you have! With or without the white nothing flowers :)

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  7. Hi Zoey, I know JUST what you mean about some of the plants I grow, sometimes they just get on my nerves, too. Your garden is beautiful with or without the dis-obedient plant and I can't wait to see what you do next!

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  8. Your gardens are breathtaking! How do you draw on your pictures? I'm computer illiterate and I hate it.
    You have a real knack for combining your colors and blending them. That's a gift I think. Love that silver amtemesia and rose campion together. I wintersowed rose campion this January but it must not be planted in right place because it doesn't seem to grow but never dies. Guess I need to move it to another location when the weather starts getting cooler. Will add silver artemesia on my list for 2011. Did you WS both of those plants? I notice that your liatris are a rose color not purple/lavender. I didn't know there were anything but the purple/lavender color. What do you do with them when they are finished blooming? Do you cut them back to the ground? I want to move mine around to the front flower beds come early Fall. Do they transplant well?
    When the BES finish blooming, do I take the dried seeds and save them, and then cut them back to the ground. I want to move some of them to the front beds too.
    That Laura garden phlox, is it easy to grow? I have just started growing garden phlox this year. Most of mine are light purple/lavender colored or light pink but I have no idea what variety they are as they were given to me, two at Plant swap and another from church friend. That one called Blue Paradise is calling my name..love that blue!
    I don't believe I saw any bee balm in your gardens or clematis, did I overlook those?

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  9. I have some of that white obedient plant. I wouldn't want a lot of it. When the flowers fade, they look dirty. I'm glad it doesn't spread like the purple kind.

    I don't normally do much cleaning before work, but sometimes put on music, and do some "aerobic housework" in the morning. You must have lots of energy in the mornings to do all you do.

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  10. Obedient plant is a THUG! You think you've torn it out, but I'm afraid you're wrong. It may be back next year.

    It takes over beds in a very short time. It comes in the white which you had, and a medium-purple.

    Have you considered replacing it with a nice showy phlox in white or purple/lavender?

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