I started to populate the new garden this afternoon.

I planted an Endless Summer Hydrangea Macrophylla ‘Bailmer’. This will grow to 3 to 6 feet height and width. It blooms pink in alkaline soil and blue in acidic soil. Maybe that means purple in neutral soil, I’m not sure. This is a hardy shrub that is happy in partial shade. I may plant a second Hydrangea beside the first, with different colour flowers.

I planted a single Common Bleeding Heart. By about the third year, these will start to spread and pop up all over the place. If anything, they’re a bit too aggressive, but I can think of worse things than pulling out Bleeding Hearts.

I planted two Clematis-flowered Columbines. These feature fluffy double flowers that resemble small Clematis blooms, upfacing on stems and well above the green foliage. Blooms are rose pink with a yellow centre.

I planted two Chinese Astilbes. These are mid-sized shade loving astilbes, with white and pale pink plumes that appear in mid-summer.

Finally, I planted a St. John’s Wort Millepertuis tricolor. This is a smallish colourful shrub with reddish arching stems bearing dark green leaves edged in shades of pink, red and cream. It features buttercup-like yellow flowers from mid-summer into fall.