I love before-and-after shots, don’t you?

Here’s a short time lapse of my new perennial bed.  Photo #1 was taken on Sept. 18th, just after the plants were set into their new homes.  It was Portland’s second hottest summer on record, though for the record the grass is usually that blond here every summer.  Photo #2 was taken today, Oct. 29th.  What a difference the rains make!

This bed gives me a warm and fuzzy feeling every time I look at it, because all the plants in it are gifts from friends.  After moving to Oregon, I had to start a new garden from scratch (though I get to grow a lot of plants I couldn’t in the Midwest!).  Here are some of the shareable plants I scored:

Sedum confusum.  Why did I not know you in the Ohio Valley?  Because you’re a Zone 7.  This plant is reason enough to move 2,000 miles.  Sweet little groundcover, well-behaved, flawless apple-green foliage and yellow flowers in summer.  And, since it’s a sedum, you just break off a piece and root it in potting mix.  Couldn’t be easier.  And, oh yeah…