I can't challenge Sedum AJ, especially the way you've used it along that brick path. It's stunning! I'm working on trying to develop that kind of design sense, but it doesn't come naturally to some of us. The restraint needed to limit your "plant material" and not have 3 or 5 each of all different, unrelated things is *really* hard for me. (At least, she said, patting herself on the back, we've graduated from nothing but one of a kind plants all over the garden.) Your examples are a big help in my design education, Katy!

I guess nepeta comes somewhat close to AJ in long season appeal. Although the bloom period is early, the attractive, touchable, fragrant foliage and sporadic repeat flowers earn this plant its keep later in the season.

Wow, what a picture! Your dog, the wonderful brick path and the best use of Sedum AJ I've ever seen. Bravo! You have got to post another picture, please, when the sedum has colored up later in the season.

No pictures to share but in my garden, hosta wins the prize. I am not a collector but use them for specific design attributes. A pair of very large H. sieboldiana elegans are planted symmetrically at one end of my elongaged, sort of oval, perennial border. A white Chippendale bench stands between them and they serve as architectural elements.

At the opposite end of the oval, about 150' away, is my "white garden" where all the plants have either variegated green and white foliage, or white flowers. This is in shade in tree roots so there are many hosta cultivars, one of the few plants that will stand these conditions. H. 'Frosted Jade' is the star here--quite large.

Elsewhere, I am using the species H. ventricosa as a groundcover in deep shade. Their shiny leaves reflect light in this dark corner, and this species is one of the best hostas for flowers actually worth looking at.

The entrance to my under-construction wildflower/fern garden is flanked by two full-grown large H. 'Krossa Regal' specimens. Another of this dramatic cultivar is elsewhere in a small garden area whose main feature is two large granite boulders.

I have mixed a few hostas in the perennial border but always considering design first. 'Blue Wedgwood' is one example of a hosta that blends so well with the blue, pink, lavender color scheme.

So, not original, but what a useful and beautiful plant.

Great pictures. Gives me a new appreciation for AJ.

Interesting that the 3 plants mentioned so far are everyday common plants.

I would throw in that ornamental grasses can have similar affects. Unfortunately, I have no picutres to depict that cause I am design-challenged. I too have graduated from 1 to 3/5 also, but I have a long way to go to reach the swathes and masses stage.

I second Ginny's endorsement of HOSTAS as a most valuable garden plant. Sun, part-sun, part-shade, shade, formal or informal, fillers, dividers, architectural points, groundcovers, green, yellow, blue, variegated, etc, etc, you name it, they could be used in many different ways for the different applications.
I don't have many mature plants to show the versatility of this plant, but I'm working on it...:-)
IMO, nothing is more impressive than mature hostas.
Not in a mine garden, unfortunately

I couldn't agree with you more. Let's add a few more features. Dries beautifully for arrangements, no deadheading, up early in the season, not too fussy about soil, water, will even take a fair amount of shade. I'd have to agree Hostas also rank high on my list too...undemanding, drought tolerant, sun/shade...hard to beat. Lovely shot of the dog and beds!

Oh, I should mention that if you take a fresh AJ bloom and use Silica Gel to microwave it, you will have the most unbelievable shade of purple for arrangements. I did that several years ago and just couldn't get over the color that resulted.

Along with their other admirable traits, both sedum and hosta are easy to propagate, making these kinds of displays possible even on a budget, if you have the patience to wait.

I'm inspired by the sedum edging to do something similar along my driveway. I have a fair number of mature specimens of Autumn Joy, Matrona, Vera Jamison, and a bit of Purple Emperor, as well as the creeping types.

One thing that especially nice about both of these plants is that they look good even when they're not blooming. I leave my sedums up all winter, and love the way they look with or without snow.

Did anyone mention Sedum are indestructible? I have left 2 Sedum AJ in plastic pots outside my front door all winter for the past 6 years without touching them and they look perfect every year. One container was actually positioned under the corner of an awning and kept catching rain and ice melting. One year the pot was a solid block of ice, but when it thawed out, I was shocked the plant came up as usual.

I also have Matrona, Vera Jamison, Purple Emperor and Frosty Morn and I enjoy all of them, although the Purple Emperor is a beauty and I really enjoy the varigation of the Frosty Morn.

Wow, PM, that's pretty impressive - the block of ice thing and all. I've been thinking of trying potted evergreens for either side of my front door. Maybe I'll try sedum instead.

I'm bad at these types of questions because I can never make a decision, lol, so I could never pick just one plant. But I'd have to rank sedum up near the top. Not only does it have all the fine attributes listed above, but it comes in tall varieties, groundcover varieties - you could conceivably have a sedum garden and have quite a bit of variety, as well as multi-season interest.

Dee
P.S. I also agree with the hostas, and might have to add geraniums to that list.