Time to recap the Amazing Combined Border with my next-door neighbor. It started with the removal of a large Bradford pear on the property line and, in its place, the planting of 5 Arborvitaes ‘Green Giant’. Then, in a nutshell, everything was removed and rearranged.
The top photo was taken after the 5 trees were planted but before I’d filled in my neighbor’s side of the border. The next photo is how it looked in its first year from her deck and finally, a close-up of her border.
Here are some lessons learned.
1. The correct order of operation is to draw and create the border, THEN insert the plants, starting with
the LARGEST and working down to the groundcover. I can tell you from my coaching gigs that nobody does it in this order, and it’s no wonder they don’t like the results. Typically gardens are half-filled with plants in the wrong places and the new design is far better when they’re moved out of the way first. In this case almost all the
plants were moved to the holding garden to await the preparation of their new sites.
2. The farther away plants are, the larger they need to be. Or if the
plants aren’t large, the larger mass they need to be planted in. Keep
the small stuff closer to the house where you’ll see it. And if
there’s only one of something it had better be a BIG something.
3. Before drawing any lines, decide on your traffic routes, where paths need to go. Functionality comes first.
4. Use large curves for the lines of the border, nothing busy. Stand back
and view the lines as they’ll typically be seen – especially if it’s
from above. Now’s the time to make that all-important line one that
you like.
5. Once the new bed has been created, smooth the grade before planting anything. Then after planting, correct the damage (extra dirt here, not enough dirt there) and step gently everywhere to settle the soil before mulching and watering.
6. When creating a border where weeds have flourished for decades, weed first, then cover with 3
inches or more of mulch. Keep on top of the weeding the first year and subsequent years will be considerably less work.
7. Use anything you can get your hands on to fill up the new border. Less desirable plants can be moved or given away later as plants fill out. Especially don’t throw away perfectly good plants just because they’re not your favorites – until you have replacements for them. (I’ve cringed 
many a time when shown empty or near-empty yards, whose owners proudly report having gotten rid of the few plants there were. Half the time it’s the very plants I was about to recommend.)
8. In the case of my neighbor’s backyard, I was frequently warned not to block her two sledding runs into the woods. Otherwise a few dozen kids would be really unhappy with me. There’s also a good chance they’d just plow into whatever I planted in the way. So functionality asserts its dominance once again.
Honestly, it’s more like Perennials I’ve Given Up On
and Ripped Out. That’s because I hadn’t yet learned this
little ditty about
them: "First year sleep, second year creep, third year leap." Unfortunately, it’s true and really bad news
for impatient gardeners like myself. So truth to tell, I’ve given up on plenty of perennials before
giving them enough time to show me their stuff. Others have honestly
underperformed for me:
- Monarda up and died after 3 years.
- Euphorbia ‘Martinii’ – they’re dying one by one.
- Foxglove – famously short-lived in much of the U.S.
- Geranium ‘Johnson’s Blue,’ which seem to do well for everyone else, so it’s
an unsolved mystery.
- Stipa tenissma – a gorgeous short ornamental grass that I had high hopes
for.
- Artemesia ‘Powis Castle’ and others. They hate humidity.
- Plants I started from seed which never had much impact in the garden:
Campanula carpatica, Veronica spicata and Catananche carentea and Linum perene
(Blue flax).
Photo: the Euphorbia x Martinii that dazzles, until it up and dies.
I’m happy to join thousands of other bloggers in writing about the environment today – it’s never much of a stretch for gardenbloggers, anyway. That’s especially true if they routinely write about sustainability and that’s what I’m doing today. Because today is also Garden Blogger Bloom Day, let’s look at how sustainable – or not – those October bloomers in the previous post really are.
First up, the perennials. New England asters, sedums and phlox demand and get absolutely no coddling from me – no fertilizer, no watering, only the spring mulching with leafmold. Darn sustainable, huh? And the asters have the added appeal of being native to my area. Japanese anemone and hardy begonia are almost as carefree – I water them if it hasn’t rained in a month or so and otherwise they’re just as carefree as the others. All except the begonia get chopped down when they stop looking good, which for sedums isn’t until the new growth has appeared in early spring. The begonia just turns to mush after the first hard frost.
Now the hydrangea paniculata ‘Tardiva’ is, like the oakleaf, far more sustainable than most hydrangeas, which are on the thirsty side. But paniculatas can and do go a month in my garden without water and live to see another day. No feeding. No problems with disease or insects. No pruning required.
Lastly, the roses. Traditionally the least sustainable, least eco-friendly plant group there is, right? Spray, feed, water – and repeat every fricking week or two all season long. And serious rosarians may still be growing those god-awful hybrid teas that produce show-winning 
blossoms atop ugly plants, but among regular gardeners these fussy plants have gone out of style, and good riddance to them.
Enter the new breed of landscape or shrub roses, like ‘Knockout’, the most popular of the bunch. Here you see it blooming this week and if last year is any guide, these babies will still be blooming after Thanksgiving. But most importantly, its foliage looks healthy – no insect damage, no black spot. Now because these plants were planted in June of this year, I did keep them watered but I gave them no fertilizer at all (contrary to the instructions, but what the heck!). And say what you will about common plants – and these guys are becoming as ubiquitous as foundation yews in the ’50s – they’re perfect for most homeowners, including many of my clients, who seem thrilled by this achievement in horticultural research. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: Hort Researchers are Hot!
THE POSITIVE CONTRIBUTIONS
It’s all well and good that these plants can survive without the wasteful application of resources, especially resources that are themselves toxic or require fossil fuels in their production, but do they actually do any good? Like all plants, they contribute to air and water quality. And they feed the pollinators, especially sedums, which are covered with bees every time I look.
Further, if the plants are as beautiful as these, they give back to human beings by lowering our blood pressure and contributing to world peace. And to nit-pickers who might wonder if these claims have ever been documented I only say – not yet.
I sure do appreciate these late-bloomers. The deep purple of New England aster. The cheery whiteness of Japanese anemone. The dainty blossoms and cool foliage of hardy begonia, even the nothing-fancy look of common garden phlox. And there’s sedum ‘Autumn Joy’, at least the ones the deer didn’t get. 
In the shrub department, the Tardiva blooms are still out and naturally, the Knockout roses are going strong like EverReady bunnies.
So once again, Garden Blogger Bloom Day illustrates what common, common taste I have in plants. Guilty as charged. But when coachees come here for plant ideas, they go off to the nurseries and you know what happens? They find what they’re looking for, they don’t have to pay a lot, and the plants do what they’re supposed to do – survive.
There’s nothing like grand architecture as a backdrop for just about any plant. So even after living here 35 years, I have to stop and admire the view. It helps to not think about what’s going on inside.
plants were moved to the holding garden to await the preparation of their new sites.
many a time when shown empty or near-empty yards, whose owners proudly report having gotten rid of the few plants there were. Half the time it’s the very plants I was about to recommend.) 
