southern Exposure (mid-LATE AFTERNOON sun)

When we purchased our home in 1995, the existing southern exposure (back of the house) garden bed was quite modest. Fortunately, I have met with little to no resistance from my husband as the bed has grown exponentially over the years, reducing the size of our lawn.

This bed can become somewhat chaotic by end of season. But that’s OK with me. It’s all about attracting pollinators and hummingbirds.. Dozens of tall flowering perennials bloom in riotous succession from late May to late October. Tall phlox, filipendula, agastache, crocosmia, monarda, lobelia cardinalis, eutrochium and others provide non-stop hummingbird nectar. I've actually witnessed our resident male ruby-throat breaking into a sudden U-shaped mating dance upon spotting a female dining on bee balm nectar in this bed.

Towering stems and dried seed pods of baptisia, veronicastrum, joe pye weed and ironweed are left undisturbed through fall and winter for scavenging goldfinch and juncos.

After years of organic soil amendments, plants expand their footprints pretty significantly every year, requiring thinning. The worst culprits are the shasta daisies and the loosestrife. Divisions go to neighbors and friends just starting out with gardening.

Aerial photos depict the state of this garden bed in April, with newly installed drip irrigation tubing and later in August during its peak of color!

Side views illustrate the succession of blooms from the tall plants that dominate this mixed perennial garden bed May through August. click photos for dates and plant names