Mystery Plant

Have you ever ordered so many seeds/bulbs/tubers/plants that you forgot what you ordered? I just did. The lilies that I had ordered arrived yesterday. I put them in the basement with all the other bulbs that have been arriving for weeks. There, I thought, now I have everything and just in time. I'm taking next week off from work to get everything planted/transplanted.

Then UPS dropped another box on my doorstep today. I didn't have a clue what it was. There were two plants inside. The New England aster I remember ordering and something called "Phlomis tuberosa". I wracked my brain. I checked my spreadsheet (incomplete, I admit). Nothing. I resorted to an old memory trick. Think about something completely different. Your brain continues working on the problem.

I went back to washing windows. I've been winterizing my house. Today's chore was cleaning and installing the storm windows on my doors and windows. And then it hit me. AKA Jerusalem Sage. I had seen it in a catalog and fallen in love with it.

That's the picture from the catalog. Isn't it gorgeous? Just perfect for my new entry garden which was a total bust this year. I'm hoping with the addition of this, some lilies, some iris, some poppies and a couple more lavender, it will look better next year.

Now, if I could only remember where I wanted to plant the Guinea Hen Flowers. . . .