how some things are doing

out there- these are some of the newer plants, from the last swap I went to, months ago. Coreopsis on the narrower side yard did okay- at least, it bloomed- but flopped over into a tangled cluster. Pretty sure it ought to look a bit more tidy?

The Liatris spicata has made interesting spikes topped with purplish-pink flowers- but they're so straight and tall, the few in the front bed feel out of place. And this one's leaning.

I'll move them to join these on the side later

The obedient plants are unimpressive- just greenery. So is the boneset, but it's grown so tall and healthy looking, actually done better than anything else I planted in that spot back near the fence yet. I would like to get another boneset, maybe an earlier-flowering one . . . 

I've got a volunteer baby evergreen back here, too- that escaped my attention when it was smaller (I usually pull them when just a few inches high)

Here's that dusty miller I always thought would die- it survived and grew a little more. I think because I've started pulling out and cutting back all the yellow salvia around the panicle hydrangeas. They're spreading and it's too much.

Still love my false indigo plant, and it has these odd, fat fuzzy gray-blue seedpods now

Black-eyed susans have spread to the other side of the walking path. So bright in that corner. My kid likes picking them.

My milkweeds are tall, tall! But no monarch caterpillars still. I'm disappointed at that. They've got heavy hairy seedpods on them now (not pictured) and quite a few are flopping over- I think probably because growing near the remnants of old maple stump under the ground, which might thwart the roots of new plants still?

Last of all to note, here's one of my redbuds that survived the deer so far (because I fenced it in). Funny, this is supposed to be an understory tree, but all the others which grow in shade are much smaller than this one, which is getting full sun more than half the day.