Country Garden Plants

When I first started gardening in the City, I planted everything that anyone gave me, never asking why they were giving it away. I came to discover it was usually because they had too much... way too much! Some were great self-seeders, like the daisy above. Some spread rapidly through creeping roots like Summer Phlox. Still others, like Lamium, were good at both methods, spreading both their root and their seeds everywhere! Although I came to not appreciate those plants in the City, I have found them to be perfect plants for my country garden where there are lots of open, large spaces to fill. Included on this list of plants would be Bouncing Bet, Wild Violet, Yarrow, Forget-Me-Not, Johnny-Jump-Up Viola, Goutweed and Chinese Lantern, which I added this year. If you are limited with space, be wary of planting any of these in spots where they cannot be managed. All of them will get easily out of control, many of them are able to jump sidewalks, patios or lawns in less than a single season. A few will not even bother to jump your lawn but will instead come right up in the middle of it.