The rudbeckia that ate my garden and other scary quandaries

Well, I’ve done the research and I see, sadly, that the rudbeckia “Herbstomme” I have does get to 7 feet tall. It is not hirta, as claimed by the nursery; instead, it is (arguably) laciniata (though Alan Armitage says some think it should be nitida). Nonetheless, here it is, whatever it’s called, towering over everything right at the front of my lily/perennial bed. You can see it hulking over some rather tall trumpets. Of course, everything pretty much has to be tall in this bed, because it has a sizable wall all around it, one that cannot be dismantled, unless you’re one of those who enjoys sawing rebar.

I must say in passing that Alan Armitage’s new Herbaceous Perennial Plants seems excellent; I will have to review it soon. It has all the information I was looking for, and how often does that happen? Even if it’s information you don’t want to hear.


My second problem (I will only share 2 this post) is where to put the boehmeria I bought from Plant Delights. It’s a foliage plant, mostly, with large, showy, serrated leaves and seems like it will get big. Such a plant belongs in shade, I feel. I like foliage, but if there won’t be any decent-looking flowers, then I would like shade-tolerance, please. How did I not notice that the care says “sun/part sun?” Well, we’ll just see about that.

Stay tuned for more hideous and unsightly dilemmas as we enter the final days before Garden Walk.