spring plantings, nearly flowerless flower beds

Even more than planting, I love transplanting. I usually spend the summer taking notes on who blooms best and which flowers flop. During winter I make a long list of what I want to change. I stare at the same empty spots or misplanted flower wreckage for months. I google to find if I have the right soil, or enough sun, and then when warm-ish weather finally hits, I make my move.

     This past month I got my hands dirty gutting my flower bed.   I started from scratch last spring with a weedy, seedy, dirt pile.  It was begging to be redone. Last year nothing bloomed according to plan. My seedlings withered. I tried to coerce sun loving plants to be happy with shade and yep, their roots mildewed. A few weeks of 105 degree D.C.weather zapped most of my Michigan transplants. So this spring I've I put up lots of weed barrier and mulched away. I've decided to forget about showy flowers and focus on hostas, and fall bloomers. It's nothing sexy but it seems to be working, so far. 

While it's hard for me to get excited about a plant without blooms,this monster hosta gets bigger by the day packs a lot of personality.

A quick list of the other plants in my garden-
lillies (stell o'dora and hybridized)
spiderwort
soneflower
shasta daisies
hydrangea
sedum- autumn joy and creeping
hollyhock
peonies
rose of Sharron