Hi Barbara. Your garden and its layout is a treat and all credit to you and husband for your skill and efforts. Ref the Monarda (Bee Balm) in the photo the ground where it is growing appeared (to me) dry and had that been the case I was so surprised to see this plant looking as happy as it does - I know it prefers dampish soil to do well. I just would love to see that large area you have of it growing and in flower. If I could get just a small area I would be well happy. May I please ask what is the large leaved plant growing immediately behind it - is it a Ligularia - would love to know its name because its just the sort of foliage I love for contrast with smaller,sword and finer leaved plants. Best wishes. Syd.
Yes Syd, It is Ligularia. Now I know nothing about these plants as I only did what we call exotics or tropicals before starting this venture. But I can tell you I listen to the plants. this plant would fall over dead when the sun came in full strength. That happened many times so I moved it to a very shady area and it is wonderful and happy now. So you see without knowing much about them I have learned that Bee Balm and Ligularia like opposite conditions.
Our garden season started late, was very wet, and ended early. Despite all that, my gardens did fairly well, and I managed to harvest a lot of veggies. The bugs were bad this year, especially the cucumber beetles, squash bugs and aphids. It was a good year for the bunnies too!
Hi Barbara - netty - all. Barbara. Thanks for that - Ligularias are favourites of mine and I do have the green foliaged variety you grow and also its purplish leaved version - love the orange daisy flowers. Completely agree with you they do indeed "fall over dead" in hot sunshine and a moist shady spot in the garden is very much to their liking. There is another one which originally was named Ligularia przwalskii and this was the worst of the lot - not only did it "fall over dead" but no amount of watering would make it change its mind - however once the sun was off of it it quickly recovered. It had very attractive finely cut foliage and yellow flowers. Not certain about this but I believe its modern version is now called "The Rocket" - check that though. May I also say please that I envy you that moist plot, I think it is far easier to increase drainage than to increase moisture retention content in the soil but stand to be corrected according to others opinions. netty. Can only repeat here what I have already said and that is that you US folk have far more adversities and "nasties" to put up with in your gardening than we here in UK. You all do extremely well to produce the results you do - my congrats to you all. Syd.
