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I'm a novice gardener. I plant mostly perennials that catch my eye, and I look specifically for stuff that does well with low maintenance.
A couple years ago, I planted dianthus and phlox in two separate patches. Now, they are starting to meet. I guess by next year, they will start to merge. My question is will one overtake the other, or will they grow together? And, if one will overtake, which one?
I can be more specific about plant types if I need to.
For anyone who's interested, here's a picture from this spring:
The dianthus is in bloom in the bottom center, by the front walk. The phox is directly to the left.
Your yard lools just fine, actually nicer than many I've see. I would not worry about the plants merging. They may grow next to each other, and that is OK as plants like to cuddled at times, and actually the fill in looks nice. If by chance they start to look too crowded, just trim them back to an attractive stage. If you look at some expensive professional growing yards, you'll see plants growing together all the time. It's what makes the gardens look natural. Watch PBS garden shows, you'll see what I'm talking about.
Nice yard. Almost as nice as mine lol jk. I really like your pholx in particular. I tried to grow phlox one time but somehow I killed them, which suprised me since that almost never happens. I should try again next year.
I have no idea on your question, but I like your yard. I have a small front yard too and want to do something similar. I just wish now I'd planted my dianthus in the yard... I have it in pots.
Don't worry about the plants merging or overtaking each other. Because if they do, you can divide one or the other of them and make new plants elsewhere to fill in your holes.
Perennials are great, aren't they? Just a couple years ago, the phox and dianthus were only about 4" squares.
So, I'm sure a new patch would spread quickly if I had to divide.
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