Kniphofia ‘ Lola ’ rises up on tall , sturdy stems , needing no staking . Blooming here in July , with Ivan McLean ’ s “ Sprinkler Man ” sculpture .
Adapting to Climate Change My love for purple-leaved Heuchera has turned to dismay as they now bleach and burn in the Pacific Northwest ’ s increasingly hot summers . I ’ m replacing many of them with upright , burgundy sedums like ‘ Dark Magic ’, which fared well even in this past June ’ s heat dome , and ‘ Matrona ’, with mauve-gray-green foliage . I ’ m reluctantly reducing the number of mophead hydrangeas ( Hydrangea macrophylla ), which wilt on hot days , unless they ’ re in deepest shade , mulched and watered often . Oakleaf hydrangeas ( Hydrangea quercifolia ) fared better during this summer ’ s intense heat , and they may become replacements . Summersweet ( Clethra alnifolia ) is another candidate , especially the upright form called ‘ Sixteen Candles ’, with white flower spikes .
Make Sure You have Enough Crayons ( Spare Plants ) Years ago , I visited an experienced older gardener who grew her new acquisitions in rows .
“ This used to be my vegetable garden ,” she told me . “ Now I use it to grow on starter perennials and even shrubs until they ’ re ready to be placed in the borders . If I planted them right after I bought them , they ’ d get lost in this big garden , and they ’ d also be too vulnerable to pests .”
I adopted this strategy . As an avid plant collector , I ’ ve always bought first and thought later about where to put my treasures . Now I do this with a clear conscience . But instead of growing my “ babies ” in nursery rows , I ’ ve set aside a space where I shelter them in containers . My holding area was already screened at its back end by a good neighbor fence ; I added two similar side fences to enclose the space , leaving the front open for the entry . As plants grow , I up-pot them into larger containers and keep them happy , watering them faithfully , until they ’ re needed in the garden . Then it ’ s a pleasure to find a substantial shrub , perennial or even a tree , ready to plant .
Having a backup stock of new , interesting plants is like having enough food in the pantry — or crayons in your pencil case . Then , when disaster strikes or a change is needed , there ’ s an opportunity to plant something new . Gardening is a dynamic art form , which can be challenging at times . But its very nature — growing and changing — keeps it fresh , as long as we accept that renewing it is a big part of the fun . m
My garden is never finished : The spade bookmarks a spot for a future plant , yet to be determined !
Barbara Blossom Ashmun has written seven gardening books , most recently “ Love Letters to My Garden ,” a collection of essays about the joys and wonders , disappointments and transformations that color a gardener ’ s life . She wrote a column for the “ Portland Tribune ” from 2004 through 2011 and was a contributing editor for “ Fine Gardening ” for many years . Her essays have appeared in “ GreenPrints ,” “ Pacific Horticulture ,” the “ Chicken Soup ” series , and “ Women Reinvented .”
8 v Washington Park Arboretum Bulletin