There has been poison ivy growing within the bowels of my Russian Sage for three years now and I’ve yet to do a thing about it. Scratch that, I think there is poison ivy growing there but I haven’t confirmed it. But I can’t take my chances reaching in there and making contact with the evil being to then require steroids to survive the oozing rash the next day.
So other than bringing in a backhoe to rip it all out, I am paralyzed by indecision. I’m hoping one day I’ll just get frustrated enough and throw caution to the wind and jump into this mess with a hazmat suit on and pull it all out, itchiness be damned.
Next we approach the back deck and all it takes is one perennial on its death bed to set me off again: 
This horrifying looking Bee Balm greets you as you walk up the steps of the deck. Welcome to my home and my collection of dead looking things. What is so frustrating is that the other two Bee Balms nearby look great so this one is a mystery. I did scratch the soil near the base of the plant and could see new growth so it isn’t beyond hope and it will most likely be OK, but in the short term, homie is pissed off.
Speaking of “pissed off”, I had such high hopes for my Serviceberry ‘Autumn Brilliance’ when it was planted a few years ago. White flowers in early spring, berries for the birds in summer, orange/gold foliage in fall (hence the name) and even an interesting multi-trunk for winter interest. What I missed in the sales pitch was the bare legs it would have almost all year round: 
Yes the flowers are great:
And the autumn color is solid:
But those bare legs leave a lot to be desired. I have done some reading and further research to determine if this is the nature of this tree/shrub and it appears it is to some degree, but typically not this bad. I am willing to wait it out a bit, but it sticks out like a sore thumb as I enter my driveway each and every day.
Son of a …
And finally, let’s talk dull and green:
This bed is right at the entrance to my front walkway and nothing says “this dude is boring” like this painfully uninteresting spot.
In spring, there was a lot more color and interest:
But as of now, it fails miserably. How I let this happen is a mystery but I am so determined to change it and to change it soon. Maybe I just need to focus on colorful annuals each year or maybe we’re talking overhaul here. Only time will tell.
And there you have it.
Quite the spoonful of negativity, eh? It makes me feel better to have it out in the open and hopefully forces me to take action in the interest of this blog.
My apologies in advance if I brought you down with me.
John
I am in the same boat. I need some colorful perennials that bloom in late July. Let me know when you find some!!
I am 76 and I am tired of planting annuals every year. I planted yellow Rudbeckas they start to bloom in June. They have a very long bloom time. The short Lantanas they are a great plant I have 3 In my garden They are no tall than 24 inches. I have blooms 12 months a year. Bronze Begonias are great never without a bloom just water when dry they are great, but annuals. We still plant these every year.I agree with you about the just green,it is dull. If it does not bloom it does not get planted in my garden. Look at different Blog every month and see what they have.
Well, that green spot sure was beautiful in the spring…
That poison ivy (yes, it does look like that) could be gone with just a touch of Roundup to a leaf or two.
Perhaps a couple hydrangeas in that clump of boring green? The lacecaps are lovely this time of year.
I have a serviceberry in my front lawn and I love its twisting bare trunks. Yours are a little less compelling… perhaps a few deutzias planted at the base, to soften the lines?
thanks for your blogging!
Wow… poison ivy in the bed. Yeah, that’s definitely what it is in your photo. Maybe you know someone who knows they are not allergic. I’m not affected by it, but I’m in Nova Scotia; sorry. Good luck!
I don’t know about ugly … I still think it is pretty! #gardenchat
I get that way too at times looking at my garden when things are not performing like they should. And wondering why I can’t do a better job of it.
Thanks for this blog.
OMG ! .. I so have the same problems too ! dull green this time of year except for some cone flowers, hydrangea, day lily, .. the bee balm “Petite Delight” was supposed to be powdery mildew resistant but no .. it delighted in showing off how much it loved powdery mildew .. I had to cut down all of the plants so I would stop weeping every time I saw it.
Autumn Brilliance is what I have too .. I under plant one trunk stem I trained to make it a tree .. cone flowers and a chunk of Blue False Indigo baptisia is growing there now so combine with the cone flowers and ornamental variegated grass, it isn’t so bad … this year has been a strange one though.
I start planning to correct as many mistakes as I can .. right now as I see them ! haha
Joy : )
Isn’t it just the gardener’s way to walk around and see one disaster after another. That’s why it’s aways good to have someone visit your garden. You start by apologizing for everything looking so crap and the next thing you know, they’re waxing lyrical “oh your garden is so lovely! You must be so proud of it!”. Suddenly the bare spots and boring bits and under-performing plants seem to disappear into the background. Which is where they always were, of course, just you didn’t see it that way.
Yep – that’s poison ivy/oak…or looks like it to me from the photo….best get it out before it grows its runners underground and it starts popping up all over. Birds probably dropped seeds from the berries in your flower bed. It is vicious to get out. Fortunately, my husband is not sensitive to it and he collects, bags, and disposes of it when I see some around the yard. Then, of course, I open all doors in the house all the way to the shower so he doesn’t touch anything on his way in. I also found some spray for poison ivy at Lowe’s this year – haven’t tried it yet because I am not big on using poisons but gonna try it anyway. The question I have is whether the spray kills down to the roots or just the surface vegetation…hoping the former. Good luck on getting it out.
A suggestion for the dull and green spot- How ’bout adding a
nice colored planter pot or two with some annuals. I can see one placed behind your blue salvia. ..or you could use one from
the deck, for now!
Loving the last photo- the color/ the combo/ everything about it. Love. That does look like poison ivy to me…for sure. I think it all looks pretty but I get it on the legs… but the flowers and the foliage is really pretty. Maybe put something around the bottom of it with color for the times it is bare? It is pretty though.
That does look like poison ivy. My computer screen is small, but the shiny leaves were the tip-off. Here’s how to deal with it: Wait until after a good rain, when the ground will be soft. Then stick your hand into a garbage bag, making a giant “glove” that comes all the way up to your shoulder. Reach down and pull that nasty stuff out by the roots, and then carefully fold the garbage bag off of your arm and around the poison ivy. And remember: it’s not only the poison ivy that you have to avoid touching. Don’t touch any part of the bag that has touched the plant.