Your shovel pruning addiction is way worse than I thought. You are now actually intentionally buying plants to shovel prune them then acquire a new one. And you thought I needed a couch!!!!

Folks this is, from a clinical standpoint, one of the worst cases of PAD in history!

SCG

OH NO!, SCG, you completely diagnosed me and pretty much exposed my PAD to the world now!!!!!!!!! OUCH!!!!

ROTFLOL you are a funny guy!!!

P.S. Seriously, I was so mad that I was really going to shovel this thing up and plant something else here.... oops! Now, I was not going to just get rid of it though. I was going to move it to another area or give it to a friend.... :-)

Sigh.... you know denial is a sure sign of addiction.

SCG

That looks suspiciously like Gaillardia to me, but I can't be sure.

It looks pretty and healthy to me. Are you sure you don't like it?

Oops. I just looked up pictures of Helenium and they all look like Gaillardia to me :)

nutsaboutflowers, I do not like it.... it looks better in the picture than it really is in real life! In reality, the flowers are tiny, they look dark, and they do not stand out.

Also, some foliage already has powdery mildew. YIKES!

I called Costco and they say that I have to dig up the plant and then return it.... sigh.

I am going to plant some cone flowers or something like that in that area.

Oh no, SCG is having a field day with my "issues" here... LOL

Yeah, I knew you would have to return it. I have a professional right of disclosure to inform nurseries, garden centres and yes even big box stores of people with bad cases of PAD. For 'Normal' folk they probably would have let them keep it. I explained how it would fuel your addiction and they agreed to put their foot down. Whew... I was worried.

Also be aware that on your next Costco card PAD will be listed after your name. This will help them help YOU!

Dr. SCG, B.SCPD, PAD

O.M.G.

It is now GONE. Shoveled. DONE!!!

I am going back to Costco now. Why is it that they sold me the wrong plant and they sounded like, "yeah, just return it, and yeah, you have to bring it back", as if it's MY fault!?

They wasted my time and effort on this!!! I could have given this precious growing time and effort to some other plant.... LOL

Now, Dr. SCG, am I really bad now? Surely not the worst case you have seen.... LOL

Here it was:

Here it's NOT:

You see that it was in between the Bloomerang Lilac and the Pinky Winky hydrangea (which is still not blooming yet but full of small buds! Sigh). In fact, I like it so much more without it there!!!

Should I leave it just empty there, to allow some more space for the hydrangea and the lilac? Or should I plant something else there? If so, what would you suggest?

So far, a couple of things have come to mind - lilies or coneflowers. What do you think?

Something tall, maybe Joe pye weed or a really tall delphinium.....lol

Yeahp you case is very, very bad.

SCG

It does look like a Helenium... maybe Red & Gold or something like that. Heleniums' "petals" (I think they're actually bracts) start small but get bigger and look a little nicer.

I also had a Helenium shocker this spring - I grew some from seed for bedding plant sales. They were Dakota Gold. I didn't really look at the listed size, but when they grew, they were a plant in miniature! I was expecting sort of knee-thigh height but they were barely 5" tall and blooming tiny flowers. They were cute but not what I was looking for!

I think you need something long and lean between those two muffin shapes - I vote for delphiniums or foxgloves - you can never have too many of either!!!!!

I concur shillanorth. I love my foxgloves but the biennial part gets old.

But talking biennial how about hollyhock?

I do agree about tall in that spot. FWIW while absolutely gorgeous gardens you have there is a lot of wasted space. By that I mean you have lots of potential to crowd what you already have. :) LOL

SCG

The hollyhocks I grow aren't biennial. I'm not sure why people say they are, or if there are different varieties that last longer than others, or what. Mine were actually slow to get established, and have been growing in the same spot for about 4 or 5 years. HHs would be nice there.

I love lilies so I'll always vote for them, however a nice tall delphinium would be beautiful.

If you were looking for something blooming yellow, then perhaps Ligularia "the rocket"?

I like delphiniums, add monkshood as well. I have hollyhocks but it's probably too wild to put in ostrich's garden since she has such orderly plantings...hollyhocks seed all over the place and need to be staked.

If you want more ideas, give us the colour, height, sun exposure preferences.

Yep, lilies. I'm with catt - lilies are always the answer! :)

That's a very nice and healthy group of plants you have there.

I'd go with another daylily, one that holds it's large mid-season bloom well above its foliage and that is described as having plenty of buds and branching ... that would provide colour right through to fall. A very robust and long blooming yellow I could recommend is Siloam Space Age, and an amazing orange I have is Hot Embers (it has yellow streaks in it). Either yellow or orange would look really great behind that sedum.

And Floral and Hardy's daylily sale is about to start ...

While I was at it, I'd add another daylily on the right side (why only one when you can have two?) - in front of the shub and behind the dianthus - one about the same size and bloom time as the one on the left. In my eye that would provide a triangle of similar foliage that would kind of incorporate it as a grouping.

Thanks, everyone! I very much appreciate your input! I welcome your suggestions because I am still not quite sure about what would do well in this Calgary climate! :-)

Specifically, for this area, this is a bed that faces west, so it has some strong afternoon sun. The specific area in question is not all that big - probably just 2 feet wide and 1-2 feet deep (not including all the other plants around this space). Let me show you a picture (pardon the light condition as I took it just now and it's about to rain!):

Just to show you this area in more detail:

Now you see that it is next to a trellis which is for my John Davis rose to climb up, and there is a grouping of 3 daylilies nearby (Daveo Holman - lots of buds but not blooming yet!). Right in front of that space, I have a purple sedum which has been surrounded by some Maiden Pinks. Then this space is flanked by the Pinky Winky hydrangea (not blooming yet either!) and the Bloomerang lilac.

In case you want to see more details on the other side, here's the other shot:

You see that I have another grouping of 3 daylilies (Strawberry Candy) which are just starting to bloom now. So I have already a couple of groupings of daylilies and I am not sure that I would like more in this bed. BTW, see how tiny my Coppertina Ninebark is? It is hiding behind the daylilies - it was as big as the Dart's Gold Ninebark last year!!! Sigh....

Anyway, now that you have seen the bigger picture, I wonder what you think? I would very much appreciate your feedback! Thank you so much!!!

I still think hollyhocks.

Okay I changed my mind. I am now thinking rudebeckia but not sure how they would do there as a perennial. Thoughts are 'Sundance' or 'Maxima' or 'Prairie Sun'. 'Prairie Sun' I absolutely adore but unfortunately my helpers 'weeded' them out. I don't think it would survive there as a perennial but I like it so much I would replant it every year as a great annual

Northspruce I would be interested to know what kind of HH you have. Or is it possible that they are just reseeding themselves? Very curious, I am.

SCG

I think a feather reed grass would look good in that spot. If you don't want it to get as tall as "Karl Foerster", Overdam is shorter and it's variegated. You would have winter interest as well.

My hollyhocks date back to the mid seventies, when my grandpa had a nice dark burgundy strain and his neighbour had a lemon-lime coloured strain that matched the siding on his house (shudder). I guess they traded seeds and I ended up with the yellow when I bought grandpa's house although I liked the burgundy more. I found seeds a few years ago and I guess they're viable forever because a few sprouted and I've had them ever since. I don't think they're reseeding because I'm pretty observant about stuff like that.

My rudbeckia definitely reseeds itself because it moves around a fair amount.

I could send you seeds for either if you're interested.

Thanks, everyone. I am a bit intrigued by the idea of Hollyhocks there - will need to look into it!

Rudbeckia was curiously something that I could never grow in my zone 5 garden before - I loved them, but they never lasted for more than one season, probably because I had the beds all nicely mulched and everything, so they never get to seed freely! YIKES....

Not sure I want a grass there, Donna. I think I would like something more colourful.... thanks for the thought though!

How about a heliopsis, like Summer Nights? What do you think? I think it may go well with the purple sedum, as well as the lilac foliage and the Pinky Winky hydrangea next to it!

Otherwise, how about some Stargazer lily? I used to grow that too and miss it!

Thanks again for your great suggestions! Keep them coming...

Ostrich why not try the rudebeckia again? I think a couple of the suggested are supposedly hardy for zone 2. You can always SP them later *grin*.

Northspruce I would love to try the seeds for both.

SCG

Ah, the big picture makes a big difference ... I assumed this was a grouping on its own. Heliopsis would be a great choice. I love all of mine for their reliability and long season bloom. I've had them so long I don't remember the name but possibly Summer Sun, most of the flowers are doubles. If you choose not to deadhead, the flowers just dry perfectly on the stem and provide fall and winter interest, and something for the birds to snack on.

Thanks, SCG and pudge!

I keep thinking about how Rudbeckia or heliopsis would do well here - their flowers are bright and cheerful, and they are big enough to get the attention that it needs beside the other plants there.

How about Trollius (Golden Queen)? I love that but would it be too delicate in this area, both in terms of fighting the other more coarse looking plants there (hydrangea, sedum) and the hot dry western afternoon sun there?

I have a Trollius 'Golden Queen' that is thriving and it gets about 1 hr (half the plant) direct early morning sun and then is in brightish shade the rest of the day. I love this plant but really wish it bloomed longer. They say is can take sun or part shade....mine probably grows really tall because it is searching for more sun and thus I have to stake it.

SCG

Trollius normally blooms in late Spring, early summer although I do have one that blooms a little later.

Rudbeckia self sows with abandon in my garden, and I don't even like yellows and oranges very much - you have to have some discipline to not let it get out of hand.

I have delphinium and heliopsis (Lorraine Sunshine) growing on a sunny slope:

Love the delphinium...I have planted 'Royal Asperations' three times this year. Unfortunately my rambunctious dogs keep running into it and it snaps off.... going to give up on it till I can fence it in.

SCG

Donna, that is beautiful!

How tall does that Lorraine Sunshine get to? It is sharp together with that purple/blue delphinium.

Hmm.... perhaps I can do both too!? :-)

Well if you decide to go that route with both I would highly suggest swapping the hydrangea and lilac. They are going to be quite asymmetrical when John Davis gets big. Then again who are we kidding these plants are going to be lucky to not be shovel pruned in a year or two anyways :-)

SCG

Oh my, SCG, what did you just say!? ROTFLOL! Swapping the two shrubs!? NO WAY! Not even I am that crazy, despite all of those letters next to my name (PAD, SPD etc etc) LOL!

My dear Pinky Winky hydrangea is staying exactly where it is, and so is my Bloomerang, which is about to bloom (again).... :-)

Trust me and do it!

SCG

I have the variegated Lorraine Sunshine like Donna's and I love it! It would look great in that spot!

Hey SCG, since I'm here this is my Rudbeckia. You have to let it re-seed, and each year it has varying amounts of red, from none at all to this nice ring it put out this year. I'll save seeds for you in the fall.

I don't even know if this is its ancestor, or something else I had growing that has since disappeared - but this was taken in 2009 in the same bed and I haven't planted anything new... or watered, weeded, or looked at it much really.

Northspruce, that would be wonderful...it is a beaut of a plant!

I will have to find something to trade....

SCG

OUCH! I have called or visited pretty much ALL of the major nurseries in Calgary and NONE of them has this heliopsis Loraine Sunshine!!!

Where can I get that thing from??? Or should I just stick with Rudbeckia now?

Want me to send you some? I can get them here...I will vacuum pack them and press to save on shipping.

but yeah rudbeckia For The Win.....

SCG

I can send seeds for one with variesated leaves, if you like.

I was going to suggest seeds might be a better idea - it self sows in my garden. Some plants will be more green than white (makes me think they crossed with the solid green heliopsis)...just pull those out.

Thanks, marcia, SCG and Donna!

Seeds will be an idea.... marcia, I will pm you - thanks!

SCG, vacuum packing a plant!? REALLY? Or are you pulling my leg....??? :-)