I always like to check out the clearance plants at the end of the season because it's a cheap way to try out new plants. Sometimes you get something you really didn't expect because its tag got misplaced or traded with some other plants. Last summer, I bought three plants labelled as Lamb's Ears (Stachys) but one of them turned out to be Rose Campion (Lychnis Coronaria) What a pleasant surprise! I really like the strong branching shape of the Rose Campion, and the vibrant pink flowers. It is a short-lived perennial , often grown as a biennial and it can handle a dry location. Like most fuzzy- leaved plants, it doesn't like to be soggy in the fall. I have it planted on a slight slope so the drainage is good. Apparently it self-seeds quite well, so I hope to have more in the future. Also read that if I cut it back after the first blooms are finished, it may bloom again.
Another bargain from last year is this Canterbury Bells plant. It is a tall plant and it flopped over so I picked the spray of flowers for inside. They stayed looking fresh in the vase for over a week - a great cut flower. I was so impressed that I bought another plant this year and planted it next to the arbour with the clematis so that I can tie it to the arbour to keep it from falling over. Now a couple of weeks later, I've noticed that the remaining stem where I broke off the flower stalk is making more buds so I guess I'll have some new flowers in August. It's handling the heat and dry weather in a half-shade location. Also comes in blue or white.
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