See the full gallery on posterousHouttuynia cordata invades the border. It has taken over the largest border in the garden, even slipping under the concrete path to cross over to another border. I bought it for its many-hued leaves but most of the plants that come up every year have deep green leaves, which is fine with me. In early June, the plants are 2 feet tall and cover every available space in the border. They bring out tiny, stark white flowers that ordinarily may not be conspicuous at all but when there's a wide area of them the effect is stunning! After they bloom I hew them down to allow the other plants a chance to make it through the rest of summer.
Gardening is an ongoing revelation. I like the borders wild, packed with plants. It's survival of the fittest. I have one rose bush left. The others succumbed, choked out by the more invasive plants like houttuynia. Then again my modus operandi is laissez faire. I don't deadhead in autumn so plants seed themselves freely. I never quite know how the garden is going to look each year as the plants relocate themselves. I guess I am far from being a garden designer. I set some conditions for the plants and let them make their own space.
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