Paint my Garden Purple

by Vicky Barney Unintentionally, my garden is a sea of purple flowers.   The flowers are blooming on a few natives and a non-native, all in shades of purple and all in bloom at the same time.   Before now, I would have thought that a garden of only purple flowers would be rather boring, but it is quite striking. The wildflowers in bloom are Showy Daisy ( Erigeron speciosus ) and Rocky Mountain Penstemon ( Penstemon strictus ).   A few Harebells ( Campanula rotundifolia ) are scattered about as well.   The non-native plant is the Clustered Bellflower ( Campanula glomerata ).   The last was a surprise; its roots were intermingled with clumps of daylilies from a friend’s garden.   All are perennials, all have been spreading for the past few years, and each complements the others in appearance. Showy Daisy, also called Showy Fleabane or Aspen Daisy, grows from 1 to 3 feet tall and produces 1-10 small flowers that perch on top of each stem.   With yellow ce...