Questiosn from the GWA meeting

I did not go to the Garden Writers of America meeting this year (maybe if I wrote something...) but Billy Goodnick went and asked attendees two important questions: 1) What's your favorite new plant in your garden and 2) what did you kill this year (the video is available at Fine Gardening). I enjoyed watching experienced gardeners confess to plant murder (makes me feel better about my failures).

I have a LOT of new plants in my garden (I moved into my new house in February and listened to all the advice about waiting a year so I could get to know the site and the climate and stuck my tongue out at it). So I decided that I needed to pick a plant that was new to me, not just my garden. It was a tough decision but I picked Cornus hesseyii 'Garden Glow.'


This dogwood has amazing foliage! It's a nice golden green that looks almost metallic when the light hits it just right. The shrub dogwood has nice red stems for winter interest and only gets to about five feet! Perfect for under the windows at the back of my house. I hear that it blooms white small white flowers and produces blue fruit but I missed that this year (I planted two of them in May so I'm not surprised). While it isn't the flashiest plant, it's not the most attractive to wildlife (we'll see if they like the berries), it does provide a very nice bright spot for a mostly shady space.


The second question - what did I kill? Lots and lots of grass. I don't think that's what the question is really asking for, though.

Since I just started a new garden I'm sure I've lost stuff I've already forgotten. I was able to find a label for Sedum 'Black Jack.' I planted this one near another tall Sedum ('Autumn Fire') that is doing great so I'm not sure what killed it. I tried to grow it in NC when I lived there but it failed there, too. I don't think I'll try again.


The other plant I was able to find a label for was a lavender. Yes, I killed a lavender. It as in an irrigated bed and the other lavender near-by survived just fine so again, I'm not sure how I killed it. I wish I knew so I wouldn't make that mistake again. I guess I'll file it under wrong plant, wrong place.

So, what about you? What did you kill this year?