2025 perennial native flower bed

Spring of 2025 has become the season of disassociation gardening. No idea that I would discover a penchant for the vicious yanking out the invasive crap the builders planted years ago and watching my new little babies sprout, but here we are. And with a big life push to help conservation efforts and create more biodiversity in my area, here are my plans for perennial native flower beds (with some climbing roses).

Climbing roses capture my soul. They're whimsy, elegant and supposedly hardy. I ordered these Claire Austin Climbing Roses from renowned David Austin Roses as bare roots to plant against the brick wall by my front door.

Yes, I know, these climbing roses are not native plants. However, these do support pollinators while also covering the very bare, very tall brick wall by the front door.

It will take about two years for the bush to mature, but I have already noticed some growth on the bare roots I planted a week and a half ago. The key to roses in general is great soil and vigorous watering for the first two weeks. If you're giving these a try, make sure to add some good organic compost to your soil and water them EVERDAY for two weeks. If you want some more planting tips, there is a very helpful video on the David Austin page.

This beauty is "Pink Manners" Obedient Plant or Physostegia virginiana, a stunning upright that is native to the eastern two thirds of North America. I ordered this one from a sweet women owned, Virginia nursery: Rare Roots. I plan on perching her in front of the climbing roses with about 18" of space. With its beautiful late summer- early fall blooms, I think it will be a really nice companion with the roses and keep color in the flower bed as long as possible.

Keep in mind, these do have a tendency to spread if they are not contained. So, I'll need to make sure they don't end up interfering with the roses. Honestly, I don't mind the additional management since they are such a favorite of hummingbirds and butterflies.

Creeping Phlox is beautiful ground cover that suppresses weeds and is a great source of nectar for pollinators. I plan to use this as a typical ground cover around the other perennials, but this plant is also gorgeous around pathways and retaining walls. Very magical, very whimsy.

See, beautiful! It takes a while to reach this full bloom state, but that is the beauty of gardening. It takes patience, a lot of love and I am happy to wait.

There is so much more to do to the in the front of the house, but this start has been so rewarding. Painful (I'll post about my battle with uprooting Nandina later) but rewarding. All of these plants were relatively affordable, the roses being my spring splurge. Perennials, in my opinion, are just a wonderful way to up your curb appeal and support your local ecosystem. All in all, a worthy investment.