Hello Reader,

This was my first full garden season in Kentucky.

I had a simple plan: amend the soil, create perfect growing conditions, and trial different color schemes.

What could possibly go wrong?

When I first learned to garden, I assumed that if a plant didn't perform, it must somehow be my fault. Maybe the soil wasn't right. Maybe I didn't water enough. Maybe I planted at the wrong time.

It was never the plant.

Then, this spring, a chance visit to a local farm changed the way I think about gardening.

Poppies in Native Kentucky Soil

I stopped at Middle Springs Farm in Paris, Kentucky and found myself looking at something rather extraordinary.

Thousands of poppies and larkspur growing happily in the fields.

No coddling.
No drip irrigation.
No carefully amended soil.

Just plants growing in the native Kentucky soil. And looking magnificent.

That poppy field made me think about something I've heard and repeated for years: Beth Chatto's famous mantra, "Right Plant, Right Place".

Oh, dear Beth,

I've said the words often enough. But if I'm being completely frank, I haven't always practiced what I've preached.

I was still trying to make the garden suit the plants. Perhaps it was time to do the opposite.

That was the beginning of the Rabbit Run Trial Garden.

And now, after a full season of watching, waiting, failing and occasionally getting things right, I have results to share.

There are a lot of plants to talk about, so I'm dividing the results into several installments.

Today, let's start with the five plants that looked great all season.

The Keepers.

1. Ilex Oakland 'Magland'

Every good garden needs structure.

The focus at Rabbit Run isn't on elaborate garden bones, but I do want something to look at when the flowers have disappeared and winter takes over.

Last season I bought several Oakland hollies from Home Depot for the surprisingly reasonable $34.40 each.

They've been growing like champs.

They provide a quiet backdrop to the border now, but I have bigger plans for them. These trees will eventually come with me to Sugar Hill, where I expect they'll help enclose a garden room.

I like plants that are willing to work for their keep in more than one garden.

2. Euphorbia x martinii 'Ascot Rainbow'

If I had to choose one plant to best demonstrate what I'm looking for in a low-maintenance garden, it would be Euphorbia x martinii 'Ascot Rainbow' (PP21401).

It has season-long interest, beginning in spring when it's covered with tiny flower bracts with brightly colored eyes.

Then there's the foliage: greenish-blue leaves edged in creamy yellow.

It's one of those plants that doesn't demand much attention but manages to look interesting always.

Which, frankly, is exactly the sort of gardening companion I'm after.

I'm going to add four more plants this autumn and use them to develop a buttery-yellow-and-white color scheme.

Now that I know this plant performs, it's a keeper.

3. Gomphrena globosa 'Salmon Pastel'

This little plant taught me something.

I sowed seed on February 24. By May 25, it was blooming in the garden.

There was, however, a brief period when I thought I'd made a mess of things.

The leaves on the seedlings started turning purple.

My first thought was, naturally, this plant must not like my clay soil.

But that wasn't it.

I'd been a bit too eager to get plants outside before the soil temperatures hit 50 degrees F. Cold soil can interfere with phosphorous intake, which explained the purple leaves.

Once the soil warmed, the plants greened up. And they just kept blooming. By September 1 they were still going strong.

I have a soft spot for a plant that forgives its gardener.

4. Ageratum Mexicanum Blue

Another all-season performer started life under my grow lights.

I sowed the seed on February 4. Germination was poor, but the plants that did grow surprised me by flowering while they were still under the lights.

My only regret? I didn't grow enough.

This is one of those mistakes that is easy to fix. There will be considerably more Ageratum at Rabbit Run next year.

5. Sedum spectabile 'Autumn Fire'

I bought two small sedums from Lowe's last autumn.

I've never had much luck with sedum. My garden in Michigan didn't get enough sun, and the plants inevitably flopped.

When I bought these, I thought they were variety 'Autumn Joy'.

They weren't.

When I looked at the tag, I realized I bought 'Autumn Fire'. A quick search said this variety is less prone to flopping.

For once, a gardening mistake worked in my favor.

I can report that the claim is well deserved. The stems are remarkably sturdy.

Those two little plants that I tucked into the border last year have turned into two enormous clumps.

This autumn I'll divide them and use the divisions to create repeating groups along the length of the border.

Sometimes the best plants arrive because you picked up the wrong label.

What I'm Learning

The interesting thing about a trial garden isn't discovering which plants are "good". It's discovering which plants are good here.

That's a subtle, but important distinction.

I'm becoming more convinced that a beautiful garden doesn't have to be a garden where everything is constantly fussed over.

Perhaps the goal isn't to create perfect conditions for every plant.

Perhaps the goal is to find the plants that are perfectly happy with the conditions you've got.

Dear Beth Chatto,
I'm sorry it took me so long to get with the program.

​
Sue

P.S.
Next time, I'll share the plants that performed well enough to stay, but need a different approach if they're going back into the garden next year. The Trouble Makers.