I think the plants that are not into the ground are happy today on the outside tables. IT is 57 degrees with a light drizzle. I have 2 1/2 beds planted out of the 6 of them and just need time to finish the rest. But no need to work in drizzle. The drizzle is great today also for the bed I am redoing...not counted in the 6 dahlia beds. It was the first one built in the garden and its job was to house all the perennial plant starts I brought from my old home plus the new things I bought while we were getting other beds built and in place.
I big mistake was made when I ordered an ornamental called "Mountain Mint" that was supposed to be a pretty foliage plant for my bouquets. Although I knew that regular mint was invasive there was no warning on this and it did not say how close to the herbal mint this was. A silvery green foliage with a minty smell sounded great. Especially when shown with pretty white round blossoms rather like a clover flower on long stems. I should have known better. Now 4 years later I just paid $300 to have the old soil removed and new soil put into the 4 by 12 foot bed. I had them remove the soil right down to the rat wire on the base. I was glad to pay someone else to do this.Some of those first plants will now be moved to my woodland garden, like the 3 massive hellebore hybrids. The lilies will go into another border. (These were rare lilies from THE LILY GARDEN across the Columbia RIver from us. One variety grows about 10' tall!. Then there are the fragrant phlox and pale yellow daisies and other smaller hybrids that can now spread out a bit in the beds. (And a great multiplication of gladioli). My goodness, but the glads have multiplied! I wish the delphinium had done as well. Many of those beautiful plants will go back onto the new bed, but first they are all getting a good root wash to get any remaining mint roots out of them! It I can't do that they may not go back in.
Do not, I repeat, do not, add a foliage plant called "Mountain Mint" to your raised beds. It is not the innocent fragrant foliage you are looking for to use in bouquets! The MINT part of the name is a warning sign! I believe it is now prohibited in Oregon and Washington but it was not 4 years ago.
