I like most plants (not always in my own yard, tho), including nearly all that are on some of your "Ugh" lists. But I do feel total apathy towards the hellebores ... have just never been bitten by that bug.

I also love the smell of plants that many people find offensive: chrysanthemums, marigolds & others. I would grow tomatoes even if I never harvested 1 ripe one - just so I could rub the foliage and sniff!

Patrick

I hate primroses -I think they remind me of stuffy old parlors and powdered old ladies.

I hate cat pee bush for the obvious reason

I can't stand most varieties of cotoneasters but will probably plant some in my new backyard anyway.

I don't like junipers.

I love roses, but have torn most of them out at my new house. My favorite flower is the sweet pea but I have never grown any.

I'm obviously nuts!

Firepower Nandina.

It just looks like someone melted the leaves with a torch.

Weeping pussy willow

Look cute for just a few weeks, but needs more thinning than desired and frequently leans over.

Patrick, I'm also awed by tomato foliage and the smell it exudes when brushed. Up close the plant and leaves look like they are covered with golden translucent hairs.

I do like Helleborus orientalis though, in early spring the large ones look like a big rounded bouquet of flowers. I have both pink and burgundy. I don't like the Christmas one or H. foetida, though.

I love the scent of tomato foliage too. It's nice and resin-y and just says "summer" to me. I often buy the "tomato foliage" candles from Votivo and others, plus several companies make nice "tomato" soaps which are very heavily scented (like the foliage, not the fruit). It's fun to hear others who like that scent too.

Enjoy this nice weather everyone,
Take care,
Grant

Isn't it interesting how tomato foliage scent is a favorite of so many of us? Also, sweet allysium and petunias make me think summer is coming...I left England when I was young and for 20 years lived in a harsh climate. When I came to Vancouver Island and smelled wallflowers again, the scent evoked a lot of very happy memories. The other childhood memory was those danged blackberries! Hate the plants, love the flavour.

For me it's New Zealand flax, and purple smoke bush. They were completely overused in California, & seem to be extremely popular here now as well. There was a "look" that was popular, a kind of urban decay look, with lots of
busted up hunks of recycled concrete, and always the new zealand flax, & grasses, & bamboos (which I like), and lots of burgundy & dark foliage plants. It got sort of trite to me & that was twenty years ago.

I don't like black mondo grass or the trend toward black plants in general. I saw a guy at the nursery this fall buying every sort of dark, scary, gothic looking plant he could find & he was positively smug in his hipness. Ugh. Give me a bright spring green any day. And don't even get me started on the new variegated hybrids of absolutely everything.

Um, Grant, you said we could be opinionated right?

Hi , Grant I am going to have to say that I don't like Rhodies. I had 175 in my old garden (as a border Jean Maries). I dead headed every one of them. Finally had to move to get away from them. I have 9 floating gardens at my new house and not 1 Rhodie. I do have a rose garden and every year I say I am going to get rid of it. It takes up most of my time. As for dahlias, I grow about 200-250 in my dahlia garden and I do love them. I think the sight of the brown grass on the daylillies is terrible. I threw mine over the bank, where all my unwanted palnts go. My co-workers wan't to come crawl over my bank. Sometimes the compost pile over the bank looks just as good as one of my gardens. That's my input. PS, I do love peonies. Kay

I loathe all the little bedding annuals that have been bred to stay in a tight little clumps--begonias, impatiens (especially the hideous colors they've been offering over the years, lobelia (what is the point of lobelia that doesn't trail, anyway). . .absolutely hate beds planted with hundreds of these things, row after stiff little row.
I'm not big on most ornamental grasses either. Just not sophisticated enough to appreciate them, I guess.

heucheras

Yes Trolley Molly....Stiff little annuals in separate little clumps are part of my whole "I dislike stiff plants" view.....jwww

I had to chuckle about the guy buying the black plants. When my daughter was 14 she wanted the garden outside her bedroom to be all blacks and reds. She soon learned that not all reds and blacks are created equal, with some reds tending toward orange, and others tending toward blues. Same with the blacks--some were purplish, some dark red, some chocolate colored. The net effect was pretty awful, but then, that's how you learn, right?

I just remembered another plant that I don't like--photinia. The red leaves in spring are just all wrong. (my opinion) It's especially gruesome when carved into a lopsided boxy hedge.

Great replies. Keep them coming. Yes, we are definitely encouraging opinionated responses, so don't be shy. :) I'd rather have someone come to my garden and say "Oooh, I hate those, though you're growing them well" than say nothing, heh heh.

I like powdered old ladies and wish I knew more. :) Primroses I can take or leave as they never really seem very happy, other than cute little purple 'Wanda'.

I'm not big on green versions of otherwise colorful flowers (yes, 'Envy' green zinnia is lovely, but no more so than a screaming red zinnia before it blooms); or black. I tried black hollyhocks many years ago right after putting up a white picket fence. The hollyhocks swayed in the breeze and made dark purple black curving smears on the fence where the rubbed their blooms on the fence.

Pampas grass is another one I struggle with. Well-grown ones are so terrific, especially when they have plumes during a foggy day, but you know how they build up old dead growth and I just don't think setting them on fire like people used to do is very safe!

Take care,
Grant

"Powdered old ladies" sounds like some kind of baked confection.

Pulmonaria 'Powdered Old Ladies' could be???? Come on Terra Nova!

Grocery store primroses.....GAG. I don't care if they are one of the first to bring forth color!

Well, I happen to be a powdered old lady, & I've always dreamed of actually having a primrose path to walk down.

But I have a question. I hear people on this forum speaking about growing pampas grass. When I lived in California it was considered one of our very worst invasive, pest plants. It colonised itself all the way down the coast. Is it not a problem here?

And another note on black plants: I worked for many years as a florist. I used to think that if I had one more peirced & tatooed clueless teenager (& sometimes grownups) ask for black roses, that I would scream in a blood curdling Lily Munster sort of way. At one point I even spray painted red roses black & charged the little idiots seven bucks a stem for them. Hah!

Um, sorry. Opinionated, that's me.

Garrison Keiller was making light of Gothic teens and said about one with a lot of face piercings- she looked as though she fell head-first into a tackle box.:-)

I happen to like the black tall-bearded irises- Old Black Magic, Anvil of Darkness, Before the Storm, Black Suited, Fade to Black, Ghost Train, red-black Midnight Oil, to name a few, and bicolors with black falls- Dangerous Mood with moody blue standards, Habit- stunning with lavender streaky standards, Local Color with violet standards and orange beards, Matt McNames with purple standards, Tropical Evening with lavendar standards and red beards. Stunning. Oh, and Dark Vader, a Standard Dwarf Bearded with blue beards.

These are from the Aitkens Salmon Creek catalog. I couldn't seem to access their general catalog and photos just now except for these-

Here is a link that might be useful: introductions, Tropical Evening

Hemnancy,
Those Iris names sound like a list of jazz tunes don't they?

I have not warmed up to Euphorbias.

I detest Boxwood, Photinia, H. foetida, Tam Junipers, Italian Cypress, most uses of Arborvitea. Not a fan of marigolds and I hate the smell of tomato foliage too. Not a fan of annual red salvia, not a fan of Forsythia or any of the yellow brooms.

I love Rhodies, Roses and dwarf conifers but many butcher the first two in hideous fashion or grow them where they shouldn't and not enough people grow dwarf conifers, they plant big ones and butcher them instead.....

I love Primroses though I am not a powdered old lady.

I think the desert surrounding Tucson Arizona is the most beautiful in world. Saguaro National Park is a must visit if you are in the area and so is the Sonoran Desert Museum which is really a zoo and botanical garden of Sonoran native plants and animals.

I hate Nandina (Heavenly Bamboo) looks as ugly as a rats nest, looks sparse and dead. Not a fan of Marigolds, they just look weird to me. Mahonia is very ugly, yes. Chameleon Plant, awful. Sweet Woodruff, yuck! Certain dracaena's, Ajuga (when not in bloom) Leyland Cypress, butterfly bush, Photinia (especially in bloom).

You know, I've noticed a handful of pampas grass seedlings here and there in Western Washington, though I don't think it's become the true weed that it has in parts of California.

Glad to hear someone else defend rhodies, too. I think they're wonderful, especially the large leaf types.

Garrya elliptica is one plant I just can't seem to appreciate. I mean, it's fine, but not something I would seek out and plant. I love that people love it though.

Best wishes,
Grant

Here is a link that might be useful: {{gwi:1067946}}

I do like a couple of my large Rhodies better after taking out a lot of branches and growth to show off the twisty trunk and large branch structure. It looks positively Japanese.

As for Nandina, when mine turns red in fall and the sun hits it backlit it looks like it is on fire.:-)

buyorsell888- nice to see someone else appreciates roses. Nothing can touch them for long bloom and impact- at least my Zepherine Drouhin.

I planted Salvia because I heard they were popular. They didn't do it for me. Ended up throwing them in the compost pile.

I tried Dahlais. The slugs enjoyed them. Not for me. I don't want any primadonnas.

I do love daylilies and Iris and Flax Maori Sunrise and Nandina Gulfstream.

There's more than a handful of spontaneous pampas grass seedlings in Seattle these days. Many planted clumps flattened by recent not-particularly-cold weather, as were some New Zealand flax. Tenderness may be why pampas has not become a pest here. Many of the weedy ones in California are a different species, but the kind used here is also a pest in parts south of here.

Dahlia's - way to much work to deadhead. Marigolds and Gladiolas - ick! Iris - to short a bloom time for the real estate. Ivy and Morning Glory - I will be fighting that for the rest of my life. Why do people plant it?! Tulips don't do much for me either. Hot gardens (reds and yellows)- way to shocking and not a bit relaxing to me.

Things I don't like:

Iris except for Siberian. Too fleshy and the smell is something along the line of old flesh. I cannot give on this one. DOn't even think about picking the white ones that I have and bringing them into the house.

I agree to all the negative comments about annuals in rows unless I'm at Disneyland and then I have to admit they do them right there. But they should keep them there.

roses that aren't shrub or antigue in character. Generally don't like tea roses

yellow and purple primrose from the grocery. Sorry. I love all the others

Gladiolas if cut and in an arrangement (looks like a funeral). Ok if in the right garden

heathers - sorry they look petrified to me

weeds in the garden. Weeds are just fine mixed among the grass.

Bulbs planted individually. They are pack animals and need to be in drifts.

Reds colors that are too true....I like them better a little yellow or blue. Even together I like them that way

If I visit your garden and you have any of the above, I'll think its fine. I enjoy ANYONE elses garden and love to go for a stroll and see, feel, talk about gardens.

misslemonverbena- Yes, the names of Irises do sound like Jazz songs- the hype never ceases in the nursery business. I guess I think Irises are kind of romantic and frilly. They do have a short bloom season but fit into my line-up of perennial flower sucession-
Early spring- bulbs (daffodils, Muscari, species Tulips), Anemone nemarosa, Pulmonaria, and Hellebores,
Mid spring- Irises, Ajuga,
Late spring- daylilies, roses, clematis,
Summer to fall- roses, Japanese Anemones, Hydrangeas, fuchsias and dahlias. The pink dahlia in the background of my Zepherine photo above bloomed its head off early to late, but many other dahlias had only a bloom or two. The one or two good ones makes up for the others.

The other thing about irises that makes me plant them is that they are distasteful to voles and I started out with a daylily monoculture that attracted voles- bed after bed of nothing but daylilies- Hemerocallis- Hemnancy. The daylilies started flopping over and I would find the roots eaten off by voles. I starting adding lava rock to the bottom and sides of planting holes and also interplanting with irises and daffodils for protection, and an assortment of other perennials and roses, and have much less damage now. And they are spectacular for a few weeks in spring. I also happen to like their foliage, a neat blue-green fan.

Weeds, Weeds, Weeds, I never seem to get rid of them. I can't seem to think of a plant that I really hate. On the subject of English roses and climbers and ramblers...I love them all. On the other hand my husband thinks they are only good for keeping lions out of African Villages.

A......

All the heathers and junipers planted in the new developments that are there because they are low maintenance. Especially since the homeowners hire crews to maintain these low maintenance landscapes.

I hate that orange became a hip color for awhile because my husband and I have always loved orange and were thought of as geeky before this trend. Hey Grant - I've got tacky orange daylilies!

I also love the smell of tomato foliage! Gosh, thought I was strange but now it seems I'm maybe normal - Perish the thought!

This has been a fun posting to read. It almost feels like a true confession to unload but here goes. Apologies to my Mom and aunts but I have never warmed up to Dahlias. I have tried. I've accepted untold numbers of those shriveled things every fall only to plant and end up with a crop of slug candy and earwig condos.

O.K., I have another...Viburnum tinus 'Spring Bouquet'. A single plant is bad enough, but a drift! You can smell that distinct odor from 20 feet away. The wafting scent of rotten gym socks, yuck!

I love the smell of tomatoes folliage, always was thinking that it's from childhood, my parents grew tomatoes.

Roses, pretty flowers but the rest, right to keep lions out off Africal villages. LOL

Zepherine Drouhin is thornless.:-)

Love the latest posts. I like the scent of 'Spring Bouquet' viburnums (and just planted a few variegated ones in my front garden), though I've heard some people mention them with a reference to cat urine. Hmph!

More power to you and your orange daylilies. The huuuuge clump that I divided this winter is now easily eight quite large clumps throughout the front garden--I will be very disappointed if they're anything but gaudy orange, lol. I hate that orange was really trendy for awhile--people were being too methodical/modern with it anyway, and I'm glad they've moved on. I like to pour tons of bright orange with bright clear pinks (not red-pinks, but peachy pinks) with just a dash of purple and blue to provide contrast to highlight the orange and pink. I envy you your daylilies. :) I'll post some pics of mine when they bloom. They obviously hadn't in several years when I bought the place as they had no bloom stalks (or any grooming so they hadn't been removed) and were choking under black shade from twenty year old unpruned English laurels. Anyway, I'm looking forward to seeing what they can do!

I really like foxgloves....any haters around?

Thanks for all of the great posts.
Take care,
Grant, excited to get up before work tomorrow and plant his first (for the year) Raintree shipment.

Laurustinus stinks when it is mildewing from being pruned back late in the year. Otherwise it's fine.

Foxgloves in the right place can look good while they are blooming, but if I get any they volunteer in crowded conditions near more desirable perennials. Sometimes I don't notice them the first year when small then suddenly there they are all crowded and I have to take pity on them and let them bloom before yanking them out. Then there are the volunteer Mulleins, some of which get enormously tall bloom stalks. Let's not mention the volunteer burdock. I tolerate them thinking I could harvest the roots and the next thing I know they are 6' tall and covered with obnoxious prickly flowers.

I don't care for Pelargonium geraniums. For one thing, I don't the smell of the leaves, and they are just too common. Impatiens don't do much for me, either. A lot of people think Coleus is so great, but to me, the colors make them look fake. I guess they're interesting, but I prefer natural-looking plants.
I agree about peonies, especially the double ones. They're just too much, and the double ones flop over. In my opinion, they're not worth the trouble of staking. I actually avoid just about anything that may require staking.
I used to like roses a lot, but now I only really like the wild pink ones. They smell so good when there are a bunch together.
Now, the plants I like best are mostly ones that attract songbirds, hummingbirds, and butterflies.

Scented pels smell great. Must say I am not too wild about Leyland cypress, there is an en vogue mass produced item that epitomizes uninformed modern planting if ever there was one. A Tamarix juniper 100 ft. high.

Grant,
I'm not crazy about daylilies, but I'm with you on the orange with peachy pinks. One of the greatest color combinations of all time.

I love foxgloves, but I hear they are becoming a problem; escaping from gardens into native habitat, so I've restrained myself from planting them.

Miss L

Scented geraniums don't smell good to me. The peppermint ones are the ickiest. The geranium scent mixed in is what makes them smell yucky. And tomatoes -- pee-yoo! I don't like the smell of marigolds, either, but I don't mind Chrysanthemums.

I can't see why so many of you hate Mahonias. I think the problem is that you're all just thinking of the Tall Oregon-grape; I admit I'm not really fond of its growth habit. However, Low Oregon grape has a FAR more attractive growth habit!
As for Nandinas, I don't care for the regular 'Compacta', but 'Gulfstream' has vibrant fall color that remains for the entire winter when almost everything else is bare!
I, too, am not fond of the artificial-looking blue Delphiniums. The dark purple ones are okay, but I think the flowers are way too large. And they flop over.

I also detest geraniums of the Pelargonium genus, especially red zonals. I like Martha Washingtons though.

Not a huge Dahlia fan unless they are in a cutting garden. Otherwise they just stick out like sore thumbs to me.

grant-love your color combination! I like foxgloves also. Hey, if I could only get the orange daylilies to bloom at the same time!!!

I'm very fond of Foxgloves

There are perhaps millions of foxgloves on clearcuts east of Puget Sound. Definitely naturalized here, big time.

Just came in from doing some winter cleanup, came across the tag for my Silk vine, Periploca graeca. It's a herbaceous twining vine with brownish-purple flowers. I can't say I'm very fond of it. Maybe if I planted in more sun, which it's supposed to like, I'd warm up to it.

A......

Well, the plant would certainly get warmed up anyway.

This really has been a fun thread to read! Thanks for everyone's opinions. I'm tickled that some of my favorites are other people's hates. That's what makes gardening fun! (Grant sows more non-dwarf but truly bright orange marigolds).

Midnight, I had to look your Silk Vine plant up. It looks really interesting! Let us know how it does for you if you move it to more sunshine. What attracted you to it initially? It looks sort of neat, so I'm intrigued.

Happy gardening indoors and out,
Grant

Here is a link that might be useful: {{gwi:1067949}}

Hi Grant,

I was at the U.B.C. Botanical Garden plant sale and saw it on one of the tables, the name intriqued me. It was in a 3" pot, and being the plantaholic that I am, I had to buy it. The only information I had was on it's tag, it's colour and that it is herbaceous. It seems to be a very dainty, twiner where I have it. The tag also said it could grow to 40ft. I must move it to more sun and give it a fair chance.
The U.B.C. Plant sales are where I get most of my treasures. By the way I love foxgloves too. I let them seed around my garden and just pull them out where I don't want them. Just came in from my greenhouse where I'm wintering about 200 Fuchsias, my yellow Clivia is about to bloom again. I know you guys have had them down your way for quite awhile, but up here they're still pretty scarce. I grew mine from seed eight years ago.

Take care,
A......

Grant - Tall bright orange marigolds? I thought only I and disneyland planted those. I even pick them for bouquets - I happen to like the smell.

Congrats, Midnight. Growing a clivia to blooming size from seed is a great accomplishment. I hope you'll start a separate thread with pics once the blooms are open. Great plants!

Socks, Disneyland and I have a lot in common, heh heh, and no, not because I'm "goofy"! I like a lot of the plants they use, and how they create such cheerful/jarring combinations. I just planted a bare root 'Disneyland' rose, which, while not jarring, is certainly perky like the many they have planted there.

I've been gardening since I was five years old and have reached the point where I just plant what I enjoy and what makes me smile, so "tastemakers" be damned, lol. The brighter, taller, and stinkier, the more I like my orange marigolds. I actually struggle to find non-dumpy dwarf types. Usually I get them from Select Seeds or Seeds of Change...what about you?

Take care,
Grant