The wierdest thing - flopping is a good thing!

9 years ago

I know this is going to be kind of strange, but I wanted to share it with you all. I have tried and tried to take pics of this area, but the pics that aren't close-up just don't communicate the beauty, it just makes everything look weedy. Please keep that in mind as you peruse these pics, they are defin. not doing the flowers justice.

So, I so enjoyed my Mercury Rising and Cosmic Eye coreopsis that I decided to put in several Red Shift coreopsis this year. Well, as always seems to be the case with coreopsis here, they outgrew their tag sizes. They got so tall that, of course, they started dropping away or flopping from the middle (very gracefully, though). I decided at that time that next year, I would cut them back before they bloomed to keep them shorter so that they wouldn't flop. This year, though, nothing to do but let them. Didn't want to bother with stakes, etc.

Lo and behold, they began filling in and rising and now it looks like I have 4 plants where there was just 1. At this point, their height is pretty good and we still have a good bit of season remaining. I'm not hating this look, as I thought I would. Here are some pics, the best I could take, of the area.

See how they are rising up and filling in?
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Cascaded right into the Helenium.
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Here's a cruddy long-shot of the area, but you get the idea
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So, has something like this ever happened to you? You ever let a plant flop and ended up liking the result? Am I just crazy? (hey, I never rule that out!)

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Comments (6)

echinaceamaniac
9 years ago
Yes. Love it. I'm using some flopping plants to provide shade to some shade plants. Lol.
mnwsgal
9 years ago
I also do not stake some plants as like how they flop into other plants. The last photo does a good job of showing how they compliment the helenium. I'm sure it is beautiful in person.

Taking photos of some of my sections is also difficult so understand your frustration of not being able to show them as you see them.

Please, what variety of helenium is in the photo?
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funnthsun z7A - Southern VA
Original Author
9 years ago
No problem, it's Helenium Red Jewel. Their doing well, I love the color. I planted them directly over the french drain, funny enough and they actually love it there. Hid their ugly legs behind the bushes, of which you can't see at all in the photo, as the coreopsis have completely covered the arborvitaes. I guess I'll see them again come winter :)
southerngardening24
9 years ago
Your pictures are beautiful! The plants compliment each other well. I bought 2 small redshift coreopsis last year and they grew into an enormous size this year. I have also told myself that I will cut them back next spring so they don't need to be staked but maybe I will just wait and see how they do. They maybe outgrow their spot.
ken_adrian Adrian MI cold Z5
9 years ago
back in suburbia.. on limited lot size... i too fixated on size ... etc ..

moved to 5 acres... i dont have to worry about all that nonsense ... given i have no space constraints ...

you know what..??? .. the garden can take care of itself and i dont have to force my predisposition on it all ... and 99% of the time... i like the result ... its what i would call the 'cottage garden' look ... as compared to 'formal garden' look ...

the other 1% die.. for not cooperating with my outlook .. lol ...

my point.. if i have one... you spent a lot of time and effort.. trying to force your will on the plants ... and you were constantly frustrated ... thats not quite what the garden should do for you.. raise your blood pressure ... let the peeps with the garden staff.. do the whole 'formal' thing ....

so you let them do their own thing.. and now they are happy.. and you are happy ... one might call that .. a more zen approach to the garden ...

ken
katob Z6ish, NE Pa
9 years ago
Wow they look great, and that's a real nice late summer combo! I planted the same coreopsis this summer and have my fingers crossed they'll put on as nice a show some day, and yes, I let things flop all the time!