gorgeous!

LOL, that's a great analogy. I think of a little black dress as mainly a handy background for flamboyant accessories, which is pretty apt re my gardening style; I could use more in the dress category and less of the mishmash of accessories.

But .. my Actea never look that good, they convey more of an old pair of jeans in my garden. Maybe if I feed, mulch, and water them, they'll turn into a black dress?

In the meanwhile, grasses are probably the closest thing I've got, especially bunny grass and the native little bluestem.

Now that photo is a clear illustration of why foliage matters! Lovely contrast of texture, color and size.

I use Siberian iris similarly to fill in spots that need a little something. The foliage is my answer to not wanting to grow grasses since I'm very allergic to all kinds of grass. The narrow blades of the Siberians always look nice and provide a contrast to the rounder leaf shapes of many of my other plants. The flowers really dress up the late spring garden with a mass of color that never-the-less has a lightness and elegance that never fails to delight me.

Clematis are another plant that seems to have no wrong place. I grow them through shrubs like lilacs to add an extra season of bloom and over obelisks, and where I haven't yet found the right support they ramble across the ground and weave amongst the other plants. I'm particularly partial to the type three pruners with the more delicate flowers that are blooming at this time of year.

Those are truly spectacular specimens, Runktrun. I am jealous! I have wanted one (or more) of these for a long time but they are always quite expensive...and I worry whether I am getting the true cultivar. They are one of those plants that a lot of nurseries call Hillside Black Beauty but they are an inferior cultivar.

Your photo has convinced me. The next time I see these, I'm getting them. How much sun/shade do yours get?

Ginny,
Score them half price in late spring when Brent and Becky have their sale. If it is not HBB then it is Brunette they carry. I think they come as roots, but every one of mine took and put on great growth and have proven reliable.

Blanchette's is having 20 per cent off during JUly and I would stake my life on his being the real deal.
Marie

Robyn,
Thanks

Dtd
LOL I believe irrigation is the key to success with Actea.

Babs,
Clematis are another plant that seems to have no wrong place. I grow them through shrubs like lilacs to add an extra season of bloom
How do you do this? A few years ago I planted more clematis vines in shrub borders than I care to admit and they are all just languishing.

Ginny,
I have these sprinkled around in different gardens with varying light conditions ranging from shade to full sun without any noticeable difference, but I don't believe full sun is recommended for this plant. The two in the photo above are growing in what I would consider light shade.

Oh I forgot to mention one of the best attributes of this plant is its wonderfully fragrant flowers.

I rushed out of my A/C haven to take a pic of my HBB's and they are not quite old enough to wear a Little Black Dress. Still in toddler clothes.

I have a grown up Actea 'James Comptom', but she chooses frumpy brown dresses that are not too flattering. She doesn't put her jewelry on until October if at all. However, with this season being so advanced, maybe I will finally get some blooms during the season this year.

Here's my springtime black dress. My definition would be the plant that always stands out in the crowd. Sometimes colorful, but not always:

{{gwi:1085196}}

Most Japanese maples qualify as black dresses IMO.

BTW, I picked up my HBB's (3) at Lake St Garden Center in Salem NH. 1 gallons in June 2007. They are slow-growing. Mine are in front of a birch tree with filtered afternoon sun.

Wendy,
Lol, Is that Acer 'Full Moon'? I lost one last year and normally I wouldn't repurchase such an expensive tree but it just lights everything up.
When I was in New Zealand I visited the garden of an older woman who had paired down her gardening as she got older to Japanese Maples, Heath & Heather, and Roses and her property was stunning.

close... it is Acer shirasawanum 'Autumn Moon'

I also have A. s. 'Aureum' and I lost it once and I replaced it too. They are really nice plants.