It’s all about the plants for me. This is Clematis integrifolia ‘Alba’, White Solitary Clematis, which is currently blooming in my garden. Unlike most clematis which are vines, this is a small shrub-like perennial. I prune it back in early spring, like you would the vine varieties, and it grows to about 1 – 2 feet. I have to provide a support for it, much like you would provide support for peonies.

The variegated leaves to the left of the clematis belong to zebra grass, another plant that a friend generously gave me a start of 9 years ago when I started this garden. I have enough of it now that I can afford to be quite generous with anyone who wants some of it for their own garden. When I see zebra grass for sale at the garden center, I almost feel it is my civic gardening duty to tell anyone I see who looks like they are going to buy it to just stop by my house, and I’ll give them a nice start of it.

The real point of this posting is to explain that I am a plant person. I am not a landscape design person. I don’t do very well with design. Yes, I know the basics and can copy design from others. And I know my garden has several design flaws (which over time I’ll correct). A written landscape design wouldn’t last long for me, because when I see a new plant that I like, I buy it and then decide where I will put it. I don’t want to not have a plant that I like just because it isn’t part of a landscape design.

Oh, there have been times when I passed up a plant that I really wanted because deep down I knew I wouldn’t have a good place for it. But, I might think about that plant for a long time afterwards and wonder if I should have bought it anyway. I saw a wisteria vine for sale earlier this spring, and I REALLY wanted it. It had blooms on it that were so pretty. But I passed it up, because I just couldn’t figure out where to put it, and I thought it might lead me to purchase a pergola or other support structure and distract me from my spring planting overall. But, I’m still thinking about that wisteria that I passed up.

Yes, it’s about the plants.

(See My Garden Pictures for pictures of the mock orange which is also currently in bloom.)