Cottage garden, full sun, zone 8

🌿 Plant list

• Dahlia Dahlia hybrids ↻ Can't find it? Ask for False Sunflower (Heliopsis helianthoides) or Bee Balm (Monarda didyma). ×3
• Frogfruit Phyla nodiflora ↻ Can't find it? Ask for Creeping Phlox (Phlox subulata) or Creeping Phlox 'Emerald Blue' (Phlox subulata 'Emerald Blue'). ×3
• Knock Out Rose Rosa 'Radrazz' ↻ Can't find it? Ask for Shrubby St. John's Wort (Hypericum prolificum) or Iceberg Rose (Rosa 'KORbin'). ×1
• Oriental Fountain Grass 'Karley Rose' Pennisetum orientale 'Karley Rose' ↻ Can't find it? Ask for Korean Feather Reed Grass (Calamagrostis brachytricha) or Tussock Sedge (Carex stricta). ×3
• Oriental Lily Lilium (Oriental hybrids) ↻ Can't find it? Ask for Garden Phlox (Phlox paniculata) or Rose Mallow (Hibiscus moscheutos). ×3
• Peony Paeonia lactiflora ↻ Can't find it? Ask for Golden Alexanders (Zizia aurea) or Goldenrod 'Fireworks' (Solidago rugosa 'Fireworks'). ×3
• Red Maple Acer rubrum ↻ Can't find it? Ask for Yellowwood (Cladrastis kentukea) or Yoshino Cherry (Prunus x yedoensis). ×1
• Swamp Sunflower Helianthus angustifolius ↻ Can't find it? Ask for New England Aster (Symphyotrichum novae-angliae) or Turk's Cap Lily (Lilium superbum). ×3

💧 Care list

Watering and feeding for each plant. With your own design you also get weekly care emails and a Companion to ask questions.

• Knock Out Rose

  For the first growing season, check soil every 2–3 days and water deeply when the top 1–2 inches feel dry; once established, supply about 1 inch of water weekly during active growth, counting rainfall and increasing during prolonged heat. Apply a balanced, slow-release rose fertilizer at the label rate in spring after new growth appears, and stop fertilizing 6–8 weeks before the expected first frost.

• Swamp Sunflower

  Water thoroughly every 2–3 days during the first 6–8 weeks when rainfall is insufficient, keeping the root zone consistently moist. Once established, water during dry spells to prevent the soil from drying out deeply, generally about weekly on sites that are not naturally moist. Swamp sunflower rarely needs fertilizer; avoid routine feeding, which can encourage tall, floppy growth.

• Red Maple

  For the first two growing seasons, check the root ball every 2–3 days and water slowly and deeply whenever its upper 2 inches begin to dry, keeping it moist but not continuously saturated. Once established, water deeply during prolonged dry spells, typically every 1–2 weeks without substantial rain, especially in hot weather. Do not routinely fertilize a newly planted or established red maple; use a soil test to identify a need before applying fertilizer.

…and 6 more.