The two year old revision of the lower rear garden that replaced a damp, weedy lawn is coming along nicely. At the start, several fillers were planted so I would not cringe for several years waiting for all to grow up.

Vigorous amsonia and baptisia have quickly filled in to the point that they are almost too much. A striped Bengal Tiger canna (‘Pretoria’, below) was planted as a filler and left in the ground, expecting it to perish last winter.

Occasionally, cannas will survive winter freezes and begin growing by late spring, but midway through when there were no signs of growth, this year’s filler was a dark leafed castor bean (Ricinus, above). But, soon after the castor bean was planted, the first sign of growth of the canna poked above ground, and a month later, ‘Bengal Tiger’ had returned in full. So now, there are two large fillers, perhaps too close, but I’m overjoyed by too much instead of too little. The castor bean won’t make it through the winter, but I might plant another in the spring to join the canna that’s here to stay, I expect.

With a cold hardy Basjoo banana (Musa basjoo, above) nearby, I’m now inspired to find a place to transplant a clump of the Japanese Rice Paper plant (Tetrapanax papyifera, below) to join this tropical combination. So far, no luck figuring a spot, and probably this won’t work out since much of the area is damp (and occupied by other plants).

The tetrapanax has nearly filled the open space by the koi pond once occupied by a dark leafed ‘Diablo’ ninebark (Physocarpus opulifolius ‘Monlo’) that was chopped out when it became too shaded. In the first year, the rice paper plant grew only to waist height, but the following year, it doubled in size and added a few stems. A few years later, it’s grown to eight or nine feet with multiple stems. Next year, it’s likely I’ll cut back any new emerging growth to limit its spread. It’s easily controlled, and with monstrous leaves, it’s a favorite.

The Basjoo banana has been a slight disappointment. In its second year, it has grown only to four feet tall, almost certainly because it’s too shaded. I hoped the sheltered area would protect its leaves from damage, and this has worked, but it also stunts its growth. Maybe it will grow taller next year. The banana works where it is, but it will complete the jungle effect if it grows to eight feet.