Sunday, August 29, 2010

Repetition

It all started with one pot of the medium sized, variegated Miscanthus sinensis 'Morning Light'. I divided that plant for two seasons running. There are now thirteen.



This past spring a large clump of another Miscanthus cultivar came home with me from a client's garden. I divided that large clump into six and planted three at each end of the sunny utility meadow.



Some where along the way I bought four of the variegated Yucca filamentosa 'Bright Edge'. More recently a pot of Feather Reed Grass, Calamagrostis acutifolia 'Avalanche' came home with me. I divided that in to three before planting it.

I think I have enough of the variegated grasses and grass like plants now to impress upon a visitor to the garden some sense of structure through the design notion of repetition. No doubt I will divide some of these again and spread them into the further reaches of the garden to be in the future. It will take a lot of repetition in a space this size to fully get the point across.



Some things do not need my help to repeat themselves. The Angelica gigas is quite happy in the sunny utility meadow. Their deep maroon heads bob above the meadow lush.



I am finding the perennial sunflower, Helianthus maximiliani in all kinds of places now that it is blooming. It tremendous size, eight feet plus and six feet around is some cause for concern. It really must be in the right place and I can't say all those seedlings, already at four feet, are.



This late summer blooming perennial sunflower would be a choice plant to repeat, but where is the question? Come spring it may be time to move them from the roadside vegetable garden area down to the much more expansive sunny utility meadow and plant them in one large group.

6 comments:

Anonymous said...

As always, just beautiful. I think you missed your true calling -writer and photographer.
Sallysmom

chuck b. said...

Is the Society for the Promotion and Dissemination of the Fine Mixed Border Plant Angelica gigas taking requests for seed? I should like to submit a request.

chuck b. said...

You mentioned Eupatorium purpureum recently, but I can't remember what you said. Anyway, I just bought some seed from Prairie Moon Nursery so I can try it in my garden. They sent more than I'll ever use of course, so let me know if you want some. I also got gigantic perennial sunflower Helianthus giganteus, and Liatris ligulistylis which is supposed to be excellent for monarch butterflies. Let me know about those too.

Christopher C. NC said...

Sallysmom there is till time for a second life calling.

Yes Chuck the Society of PDFMBPAG is taking requests. I sent some out before. You didn't get any? The seeds are still a few weeks away though.

The Eupatorium here is self seeding very well. Between dividing clumps and moving seedlings around we will have plenty. I think one giant Helianthus is enough and we have 3 kind Liatris already. We also have three species of Milkweed and hardly ever see Monarchs up here except during the fall migration.

chuck b. said...

I looked in my main seed box and I didn't see it. But I know there are a couple other seed stashes I haven't consolidated, so I'll keep checking.

Pam said...

I've been away from blog reading for too long. It's like when you go away on vacation, and come back - and you see so many changes.

Beautiful, as always.