Why on ground would you ever put a magniloquent flora in the front of your garden — even in the middle ? You ’d block whatever is behind it , right ? Not necessarily . go into the amazingly various family of see - through plants . Many of these unsung hero have a bulk of tufted leaf that stays under a foot tall , but from that wad shoots a superfluity of delicate flowers that grant the garden beyond to be seen . Other options let in incredibly fine - textured plants with leaves resemble smoke . We even blab about an cosmetic grass that shoots off its own nursing bottle Eruca vesicaria sativa just in time for the 4th of July . Listen to the interesting options in this episode and you ’re certain to put a few improbable plants at the front of you garden ASAP .
Expert testimonial : Leslie Harris , owner of LH Gardens , a landscape pattern and criminal maintenance firm in Charlottesville , Virginia .
STEVE’S PLANTS
Bronze fennel ( Foeniculum vulgare‘Rubrum ’ , zone 6–9 )
‘ Skyracer ’ imperial moor grass ( Molinia caeruleasubsp.arundinacea‘Skyracer ’ , Zones 5–8 )
Knautia ( Knautia macedonica , Zones 5–9 )

‘ Brunette ’ fatal baneberry ( Actaea simplex‘Brunette ’ , Zones 3–8 )
DANIELLE’S PLANTS
Tall vervain ( Verbena bonariensis , Zones 7–11 )
Meadow rue ( Thalictrum rochebruneanum , Zones 4–9 )
Peruvian feather grass ( Stipa ichu , Zones 8–10 )

New York vernonia ( Vernonia noveboracensis , Zones 5–9 )
EXPERT TESTIMONY
‘ Anastasia ’ Orienpet lily ( Lilium‘Anastasia ’ , Zones 5–9 )
‘ Purple Lady ’ Orienpet lily ( Lilium‘Purple Lady ’ , Zones 5–9 )
‘ Hyperion ’ daylily ( Hemerocallis‘Hyperion ’ , Zones 3–9 )

‘ Autumn Minaret ’ daylily ( Hemerocallis‘Autumn Minaret ’ , Zones 3–9 )
‘ Moon Ladder ’ daylily ( Hemerocallis‘Moon Ladder ’ , Zones 3–9 )
Variegated Japanese weewee iris ( Iris ensata‘Variegata ’ , Zones 5–8 )

Yellow signal flag iris ( Iris pseudacorus , Zones 5–8 )
Gaura ( Gaura lindheimeri , Zones 5–9 )
‘ Chocolate Shogun ’ astilbe ( Astilbe‘Chocolate Shogun ’ , zone 4–8 )

Plants mentioned in this episode
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Leslie Harris, owner of LH Gardens, a landscape design and maintenance firm in Charlottesville, Virginia.
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Leslie Harris, owner of LH Gardens, a landscape design and maintenance firm in Charlottesville, Virginia.

Yellow flag iris

Variegated Japanese water iris

Gaura

‘Hyperion’ daylily (credit: Walters Gardens, Inc.)

‘Chocolate Shogun’ astilbe

‘Autumn Minaret’ daylily

Tall verbena

Peruvian feather grass.Photo: Brent Horvath

New York ironweed

Meadow rue

Knautia

Bronze fennel

‘Skyracer’ purple moor grass

‘Brunette’ black cohosh
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