What a great post! I think about this question a lot as I am cutting back my large and ever consuming garden. Living in the PNW we are fortunate to be able to grow a huge palette of plants. This has not always been a blessing though as I have wasted hundreds of dollars and hours coaxing plants to thrive when my microclimate just doesn’t meet their needs even though my zone should allow it. It is coincidental that I just read the postings on Baptisia as that is a stalwart here in my garden now and I have planted at least 10 of them. They never fail me. They take up space but not too much, have a pleasing shape, look good all season, pest less, can take drought or endless rain, and seed themselves but not in a pesky way. Here are a few more “keepers” blooming now.

Astrantia maxima is another keeper. I have it in full sun where it struggles and in shade with Thalictrum where it shines. Kniphofia “Shining Sceptor” pops wherever it is and is totally carefree. Geranium magnificum, one of the first geraniums I purchased 40 years ago is still in my garden after easy divisions. It smells like grapes, pest free and is quick to grow new foliage after a chop down after bloom.

Dictamus in all its’ forms. All it takes is some protection from slugs in infancy but its’ eventual size, wonderful citrus smell and continuing tidy appearance after blooming make slug patrol worth it.

Persicaria amplexicaulis “Taurus” is a great groundcovering plant in my garden. I love the limey green foiliage contrasting with the

red/pink flowers. This patch has been in its’ home for 12 years, so has spread quite a bit but easy to keep in bounds.

If someone can tell me how to select multiple photos on this site using an ipad, I will post some. Can’t seem to select more than one from my Photos...

Astrantia maxima is another keeper. I have it in full sun

I used to love Astrantia lots but as our area seems to get less and less rain each year all my A suffer. Full sun is too much sun for my guys.

Kniphofia “Shining Sceptor” pops wherever it is and is totally carefree

I understand from a recently transplanted friend that unlike in my locale, Kniphofia easily flourish...lucky you.

I am glad you mentioned Persicaria as I love many of them. My favourite and also a "reliable stalwart" is "Golden Arrows". A great part sun, more shade plant IMO.

Here is ours right now with bright chartreuse foliage (too early for flowers).

And here it is last August:

Rouge, that Golden Arrow looks very much like my Taurus, perhaps the Arrow is a little more on the yellow side. Too bad about Astrantia... i admit to the need for water. By mid summer I usually have to give them a drink once a week.

i am looking out on my perennial bed now and see we are in the inbetween time with May flowers leaving and June flowers waiting patiently to bloom due to our very cold and wet weather.

I'm intrigued by this persicaria! I can think of two places in the garden where I might be able to use it. One, in a shade border where I'm actually more interested in the foliage than the blooms, for a pop of color, and two, in a bog garden, since I see from a quick search that it can tolerate that wet soil.

So may I ask, which is the less aggressive, Taurus or Golden Arrows? Golden Arrows seems smaller so it may be better for the shade border. Taurus is bigger, which is better for the (bigger) bog garden. But I worry about putting either of them in the bog garden. I already have some things in there that like it TOO much and have taken over! (I'm looking at you, Henry Garnet!!)

:)
Dee

Dee, I can only say good things about GArrows. (If you do a search on it in this forum you will see too many of my threads ;)). GA is a a 'clumper' ie no unexpected spreading. I must admit I do not have personal experience with Taurus (I bet it is a wonderful plant) but from what I have seen the appeal to me of GA is the striking foliage...it glows in shade. Good luck.

I've been looking for Persicaria 'Golden Arrows' since 2016 when I read your first sonnet devoted to it, rouge. It is NOWHERE to be found in my area, and I don't like the shipping prices online. >:-[ I placed my first order with BlueStone last year in desperation for another plant I've been scouring the earth for, and even they don't have it.

My first stalwart is hands down Ladies Mantle.

1. Grows well in full sun and deep shade here (although slower in deep shade)
2. The foliage is a fantastic contrast in shape for almost every other plant, and is a beautiful green, imo.
3. Love it in the rain
4. Flower color is another fantastic contrast for so many other things.
5. Never dies
6. Seeds around enough that I have plenty without being a problem
7. slug resistant
8. It emerges EARLY, as in February even, with little leaves that just hold their ground under snow, etc., until they are ready to grow so I get a winter burst of excitement for summer
9. I do nothing but let it grow.

My second is Nepeta. No-care, beautiful colored leaves and flowers, and the hum of bumblebees brings me joy every summer. Grows so quickly I can divide it and am now trying it in different soils just to see how it does. (Actually, I'm really just trying it in clay now. We'll see.)

Here is a photo taken yesterday of Persicaria a. “Taurus”. I would say a doable alternative if you still cannot find ”Golden Arrows”.

On my goodness, cercis, that is NICE!!

cercis47 I am interested in your Astrantia maxima. I am curious if you have any other astrantia to compare it with?

I have a a pink flowered one...not sure which one. Here it is as of today:

Does maxima look and behave similarly?

cercis47 your 'taurus' looks wonderful. Where do you live so that it is in bloom right now? (Our GArrows wont look like that until early August).

Rouge21 - Seattle area, specifically Whidbey Island. Under the convergence zone which means we are a little wetter and a little colder than Seattle but spring is definitely earlier than your zone.

i really do like this plant. It is more of a lime green in shade. There used to be a Robinia in that spot which gave it some shade but we cut it down as we lost branches every year due to its’ brittleness. I am paying for planting that tree as I still have Robinias popping up from the mother tree. Even though the Persicaria gets full sun most of the day, now that the tree is gone I have to water less - a good lesson on how much a tree can suck ups the water from nearby perennials.

-

Astrantia maxima 3 days ago. Similar conditions as Astrantia major. I have it in sun which requires watering, also in shade which eases that requirement significantly. I just planted more in a very shaded area with white Astrantias and our native sword ferns. I posted this photo yesterday but see it did not show up.

Rouge your daisies look wonderful. I was so very happy this year when I noticed that the usual oriental beetle attack hasn't happened (I don't know why and I don't care - I'm just enjoying it!) and when I got my first few daisy blooms I was thrilled. I told my husband this was the first time in 20 years I had a clean daisy bloom. But now I see that they still aren't looking that great. There is not the usual level of devastation, but many of the blooms just look... I don't know, dirty? Ratty? Perhaps it's the high humidity and daily rain we've been having for the last two weeks, but my daisy disappointment continues. Thanks for sharing yours - I can admire from a distance lol.

:)
Dee

I have had many plants ravaged by the beetle(s) but never as I recall these Shasta daisies.

Rouge, that Golden Arrow looks very much like my Taurus, perhaps the Arrow is a little more on the yellow side.

With rain and cooler temperatures GA is showing better flowers (although the foliage still looks ravaged by Japanese Beetles):

Here with my harsher climate (heat/dry wise), my herbaceous favorites are heliopsis helianthoides (for bloom from June through October), rudbeckia triloba (for seeding around and popping up...well everywhere, but quite striking in full bloom), Clematis 'Rooguchi' which blooms nearly as long as the false sunflower (by the way, for whatever reason mine self-propagated this year on a moss mat, never had it self-layer before).
For vining surprises, I love clematis viorna or centrosema virginiana (spurred butterfly pea) twining on something and unexpected blossoms appearing on a plant that shouldn't bear them (*lol*).

Though I think a general thing is that bulbs, especially those with basal foliage...give me lots of enjoyment when they send up a bloom (be it a crocus, an oxblood lily, or even a grape hyacinth) rather unexpectedly from the ground.

I must admit I stole this image of oxblood lilies, but wanted to share. I only have one mid-sized clump..but I should like to acquire more.

dbarron, although I have had rooguchi for several years now it is my "plant of the year" in 2020. An amazing bloomer IMO.

(love r. triloba also).

Yes, I think I got over enthusiastic and ventured from topic with enjoying surprises in the garden. Sorry but hope all enjoyed the car wandering off into the cow pasture.

Me reliable has become’Visions Light Pink’ geranium. It had its first flash of blooms in late Spring. It has continued with continued bloom, although not as abundantly, since then. It is October and it is still blooming. It has survived the drought with pretty much no extra watering. This one is from a nursery and is in its second year. I grew some this year from seed. I wonder if they will be as dependable next year.