Finding the Workhorse

So many plants, so many fizzled out wimps in the beds. It's wonderful to find those workhorse plants that are beautiful, tough and for a gardener with many beds to groom, undemanding. 'Knockout Roses' are becoming ubiquitous. The flower form isn't particularly distinguished. What it does have is an amazing generosity of growth, number of flowers and in the original form, a singing color and fragrance. One shrub can be the feature in a bed with a great color to spin off of. In three years, mine is now almost five feet tall. I've never had a problem with any disease and while the Japanese beetles do some munching, it justs pumps out more foliage to cover up the mess. The fragrance wafts around sweetly. The support player here is another garden hero, salvia 'Caradonna'. I keep adding more of these every year. It has a rich purple blossom with purple stems. It doesn't seem very picky as to soil, as long as it isn't too wet. When the stems have bloomed out, whacking it back to basal foliage brings forth a new crop of stems to bloom later in the summer. Would that all our additions were so successful. I officially killed my third Franklinea tree in this very bed last year. It had the very best treatment, soil and light for which it repaid my efforts by sitting and sulking the entire time. Off with it's head! In it's place is a strawberry guava, already throwing out new foliage and enjoying the warmth of the wall. Next year, I'll be enjoying the sweet flowers in a fruit salad. No crying over delicate maidens here. I'd rather celebrate my sturdy girls that like to work!