"How many plants do you have in your garden?"

Asked Mr I.

 I paused, wondering if it was a trick question, then replied, "It looks like a lot of plants and I suppose there are, but, really, what you are seeing is a lot of the same dozen or so plants."

"Seriously?" he said with just a hint of disbelief.

"Well, maybe!" I said coyly.

Asclepias tuberosa, Echinace pallida 'Hula Dancer' and Oenothera fruticosa

How many plants do I have in my garden? I haven't a clue! Somewhere in my office are several baskets of plant tags of the many plants I've planted in the 28 years I've been gardening here~some have thrived and others have lasted just a season or two~ and I am happy to say that there are more successes than failures.

Rudbeckia hirta, R fulgida and Abelia 'Kalaidascope'

What I can tell you is that my garden is jam packed. It's grown exponentially since we built the front porch in 2003 and moved a small wildflower and day lily garden to the sunny strip along the drive.

Echinacea, Eupatorium, Bottlebrush grass and  Hemerocallis 'Hyperion'

Although, the Susan's Bed (as that sunny strip is called) is a modest size, it's much larger in my imagination and of course I buy way more wildflowers than space to plant them. I end up having to pry them into any bit of available soil.  You could say that the garden has grown larger plant by plant. 

'Little Devil' Ninebark, Asclepias tuberosa, Rudbeckia foliage, 'Ascot Rainbow' Eupatorium and 'Fireworks' Gomphrena

Right now, it's nearly impossible to do any pinching back of the late season ex-asters or to dead head any of the spent day lilies and other plants without stomping on a treasured flower or three. Many a Susan has given its life to keep the garden looking a little tamer and less like clown pants.

Gaura, Lavender and Echinacea

Maybe, it is time to survey the garden to see how many plant families are represented and get a flower head count of the various species and cultivars...I am pretty sure there are more than a "few dozen of the same plants".

Silphium perfoliatum, Hemerocallis, Liatris, Thermopsis villosa, Hibiscus 'Kopper King', Shasta Daisy, Eupatorium dubium, Ratibida pinnata, Rudbeckia maxima and Elymus hystrix

One thing is for sure,  I won't be sharing my findings with Mr I! The other day when I was heading out to a nursery with a friend, he actually said, "Why are you going to the nursery, you have plenty of plants!"

As if that were even possible.

xoxogail

Gail Eichelberger is a gardener and therapist in Middle Tennessee. She loves wildflowers and native plants and thoroughly enjoys writing about the ones she grows at Clay and Limestone. She reminds all that the words and images are the property of the author and cannot be used without written permission.