Less is more: space,light, air

There's a moment in mid-summer when everything in the garden seems at a peak of bloom and size, then suddenly one day, maybe after a rain storm, the plants looks crowded and messy, leaning into each other, some covered over entirely. Although I love grey-leaved plants such as Artemesia and Lamium, garden experts always warn against their spreading invasive habits and this year I have to agree with them. The answer is to pull them out when they start to take over, leaving just enough to spread next year. So, starting with a small area I weeded anything out that looked as though it was crowding other plants and I focused on creating more space and light in the border. Air circulation is important for healthy plants. Some perennials, such as Monarda, will be more likely to acquire mildew on the leaves if overcrowded.

Part of the border showing evidence of weeding and thinning, making sure air gets to the plants up against the fence.

I'm interested in plants that arrive by chance in the garden from birds or wind or squirrels, so when weeding I usually leave things that I'm not sure about. The big grey-green leaves of the wildflower Verbascum appeared in an interesting place along the stone steps of a path. I have left them there to see what they will do. I will have to wait to see until next year when they will sprout a tall, yellow-flowered stalk.

Reward at the end of a day of weeding