Why I Oughta...

A quiet workhorse in the shady understory part of our garden are the three Queen of Hearts Brunnera that are planted along the front border.  They went in during the Summer of 2021 and I haven't thought much about them since .   Below is a photo showing these shade-loving perennials in full bloom with their delicate blue flowers on the tips of 'sprays' above the silver-lined foliage.   Looking at this cluster (now), I think I planted these too far apart and should have pulled them closer.  Perhaps one way to rectify this gap in the middle is to think about dividing a couple of these this Fall to add one-or-two more plants.  Marking this as a [candidate for dividing] for later this Fall.  

The *other* variety of Brunnera - Queen of Hearts - is pacing right about the same as the Jack of Diamonds.  I have three of them that have emerged early this Spring with green and white foliage that is peeking through the mulch.  See below for a few 'Early Spring' pics from the beds showing this shade-tolerant plant.   All three are back for their third growing season.  They were planted in 2021 .   In the photo below....it really hits home that I need to get my yard cleaned up this week.

Last Summer, I added six Brunnera plants to the garden.  Three on one side, three on the other.  First...I started with a variety called Queen of Hearts.  Those were planted on the northside in a little cluster amongst some various hostas. Here's the post showing their initial planting .   They seemed to do just fine last year and appear to have established themselves.  Below, you can see how they look today - with about a year of growing and putting down roots: All are doing well and if you look closely, you'll see some spent flower stalks emerging from the crown.  Each of these had some nice blue-ish flowers that bloomed on their tips.   If I'm looking at adding more shade-tolerant perennials to the backyard and I come across even more Brunnera on sale, it is a no-brainer to pick them up.  They are simply performing for me.  They also can use a focal plant that sits right in the middle of these three, right?