Gillette's Habitat Garden31 ft long, 11 ft wide at the south end tapering to 5 ft at the north · about 248 sq ft (measured September 19, 2026) · part shade south, full sun and hot west exposure north · FAC to FACW, wettest at the north end from shed and greenhouse roof runoff · 10 ft height cap under the power line
Started September 19, 2026 with a two-shrub backbone; perennials go in spring 2027. Both shrubs bloom on new wood, so one late-winter pruning costs no flowers. The shrub bloom runs white to white to pink: gray dogwood at Bed 9's edge (May-June), then buttonbush (June-August), then summersweet (July-August).
In the ground: buttonbush 'Sugar Shack' (Cephalanthus occidentalis 'Sugar Shack', 8 ft from the north end, wet zone), summersweet 'Ruby Spice' (Clethra alnifolia 'Ruby Spice', US native from the Atlantic and Gulf coastal plain, 23-24 ft from the north end, in the shady south bulb).
2026: Digging the summersweet hole turned up an isolated sand pocket in otherwise sandy clay. The buttonbush hole 4 ft off the same fence was normal clay. It may be an old post hole or backfill, and the sand will dry faster in year one.
Spring 2027 plan: 35 target species, about 90 plants, in three zones measured from the north end.
| Zone | Conditions | Targets |
|---|---|---|
| 1: North tip and buttonbush (0-12 ft) | Wettest, full sun, roof runoff | tall ironweed (Vernonia gigantea, October seed sow or transplant), spotted Joe-Pye weed (Eutrochium maculatum), cardinal flower (Lobelia cardinalis), swamp milkweed (Asclepias incarnata), Ohio goldenrod (Solidago ohioensis), blue vervain (Verbena hastata), southern blue flag (Iris virginica var. shrevei), fox sedge (Carex vulpinoidea) or Gray's sedge (Carex grayi) |
| 2: Sunny middle (12-20 ft) | Driest, full sun | big bluestem (Andropogon gerardii, 3-clump stand on the fence), foxglove beardtongue (Penstemon digitalis), blue wild indigo (Baptisia australis), narrowleaf mountain mint (Pycnanthemum tenuifolium), purple coneflower (Echinacea purpurea), wild bergamot (Monarda fistulosa), dense blazing star (Liatris spicata), prairie blazing star (Liatris pycnostachya), showy goldenrod (Solidago speciosa), New England aster (Symphyotrichum novae-angliae), aromatic aster (Symphyotrichum oblongifolium) |
| 3: Clethra bulb (20-31 ft) | Part shade, blends into Bed 9 | Virginia bluebells (Mertensia virginica), golden ragwort (Packera aurea), eastern bluestar (Amsonia tabernaemontana), red columbine (Aquilegia canadensis), foamflower (Tiarella cordifolia), wild geranium (Geranium maculatum), golden Alexanders (Zizia aurea), Solomon's seal (Polygonatum biflorum), smooth beardtongue (Penstemon calycosus), eastern bee balm (Monarda bradburiana), garden phlox 'Laura' (Phlox paniculata 'Laura'), great blue lobelia (Lobelia siphilitica), zigzag goldenrod (Solidago flexicaulis), bluestem goldenrod (Solidago caesia), white wood aster (Eurybia divaricata), eastern star sedge (Carex radiata) or rosy sedge (Carex rosea) |
Held as options: scarlet bee balm (Monarda didyma, hybridizes with wild bergamot), pale purple coneflower (Echinacea angustifolia) and meadow blazing star (Liatris ligulistylis) (not Ohio native), rough blazing star (Liatris aspera) and sweet goldenrod (Solidago odora) (dry sandy-soil species), little bluestem and prairie dropseed (flop in enriched soil). For later, if room opens: downy sunflower (Helianthus mollis), swamp rose mallow (Hibiscus moscheutos), fringed loosestrife (Lysimachia ciliata), American bellflower (Campanula americana), Indiangrass (Sorghastrum nutans), switchgrass (Panicum virgatum, fallback if the bluestem flops), common boneset (Eupatorium perfoliatum), sneezeweed (Helenium autumnale), royal catchfly (Silene regia), Ohio spiderwort (Tradescantia ohiensis), tall larkspur (Delphinium exaltatum), Virginia wild rye (Elymus virginicus), hyssop 'Black Adder' (Agastache). Not recommended: smooth hydrangea (Hydrangea arborescens), blue mistflower (Conoclinium coelestinum), obedient plant (Physostegia virginiana), wood poppy (Stylophorum diphyllum).