Gaura and Sidalcea

[brightly]

Hi,
Does anyone find these plants easy??? What conditions?? Our soil
is clay but I thought I had amended it well yet keep having trouble
with my two most favorite plants....well, two out of three favorites!
Also, what hardy geranium blooms late in the summer and has
slightly mottled, fuzzy leaves? The blooms are kind of rosey.

[The Helpful Gardener]

Both of those plants kind of like it dry and being prairie plants, clay shouldn't be much of a problem, could be you have done too good a job of amending and they are sulking. I risk my role with the garden centers I deal with to say this, but for the most part soil amending should only be done for a few specific plants. You have taken plants that would be pretty happy in your soil and made them unhappy. Look around for plants that will thrive in your conditions (natives are always a good place to start) and save the time and money for more plants!

Scott