Garden Diary: Must add more Asters

More plants for wet clay. Clockwise from left: Miscanthus purpurescens, Magnolia grandiflora 'Little Gem', New England Aster (Aster novae-angliae), Joe Pye Weed (Eupatorium maculatum 'Gateway'), Mountain Mint (Pycnanthemum muticum), Siberian iris with their beautiful dried seed pods.

Okay, the Aster is no longer an Aster. I haven't got the new names down yet. This is the only one remaining from plugs I put out three years ago, and I need more for their color this time of year. I hope to get new ones in the spring and grow them on in pots until they're big enough to survive the rigors of my garden.

These plants all thrive in my wet clay, though this end of the garden is drier than the rest; a layer of broken rock below the surface (it's part of the septic system leaching field) improves the drainage .