What I'm actually growing right now
The plants in my Long Island zone 7a yard, when I planted each, and the honest report on how they're doing.
Most plant care content on the open web is written by people who have never owned the plants they're writing about. The author flips between species like a tour guide who hasn't lived in any of the cities. The result is content that reads correct but feels nothing like real gardening.
This page exists to be the opposite of that. Below is every plant currently growing in my yard in Melville, Long Island — USDA zone 7a, sandy loam, mostly part-sun, moderate-to-high deer pressure. I started this list because if I'm going to write care guides as someone who has grown the plant, you should be able to check my work.
My yard, in summary
A 0.4-acre suburban lot. South-facing front, partly shaded back. Two mature oaks I inherited (one white, one red), a Norway maple I'd remove if it weren't the neighbor's, and beds I've been rebuilding gradually since 2019. The front beds get full sun. Two back-corner beds get morning sun and afternoon shade. Deer come through the neighborhood every winter; I rotate Liquid Fence and Plantskydd as repellent.
Currently growing
Front foundation bed (full sun)
| Plant | Cultivar | Year planted | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hydrangea paniculata | 'Limelight' | 2019 | First-year flop, perfect since. 5 ft x 5 ft now. Cut to 18″ in late winter. |
| Hydrangea paniculata | 'Vanilla Strawberry' | 2020 | Pink-aging-to-red panicles. More compact than Limelight. |
| Russian sage | Perovskia atriplicifolia | 2019 | Cut to 6″ every spring. Deer have never touched it. |
| Catmint | 'Walker's Low' | 2019 | Cheap perennial that earns its place. Two flushes per summer if I shear after first bloom. |
| Lavender | L. angustifolia 'Munstead' | 2021 | Two of four survived a wet winter. Sandy mound underneath helps. |
| Sedum | 'Autumn Joy' | 2017 (with the house) | Original planting. Divided once in 2022. Pollinator magnet in September. |
Front border (full sun)
| Plant | Cultivar | Year planted | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Peony | 'Sarah Bernhardt' | 2020 | First real bloom 2022. 15+ flowers in 2025. Eyes at 1″ depth. |
| Peony | 'Festiva Maxima' | 2021 | Slightly later than Sarah Bernhardt. White with red flecks. |
| Black-eyed Susan | Rudbeckia fulgida 'Goldsturm' | 2018 | Self-seeds aggressively. I edit out volunteers every spring. |
| Coneflower | Echinacea purpurea | 2019 | Original three died of crown rot in heavy soil; replants in amended soil thriving. |
| Coreopsis | 'Moonbeam' | 2022 | Short-lived but reliably reseeds. |
| Salvia | 'May Night' | 2020 | Cut hard after first bloom for a second flush. |
| Daffodil | Various mixed | 2017+ | Hundreds at this point. The only spring bulb deer have never touched. |
| Allium | 'Globemaster' + 'Purple Sensation' | 2020 | Architectural late-spring color before peonies bloom. |
East side bed (morning sun, afternoon shade)
| Plant | Cultivar | Year planted | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hydrangea macrophylla | 'Endless Summer' | 2020 | Reblooming variety. Blooms even after harsh winters because new wood flowers. |
| Hosta | 'Halcyon' (large blue) | 2019 | Slug-resistant thick leaves. Deer found it twice in 4 years. |
| Hosta | 'Sum and Substance' (giant chartreuse) | 2020 | 4 ft wide now. Slug-resistant. The chartreuse needs the morning sun. |
| Astilbe | 'Bridal Veil' | 2021 | White plumes mid-June. Self-divides every 3-4 years. |
| Heuchera | 'Caramel' | 2022 | Caramel-orange foliage. Crown rot once in 2023; replant fine. |
| Hellebore | 'Ivory Prince' | 2021 | First blooms in February. Deer never touch. |
Back fence (full sun, hot afternoon exposure)
| Plant | Cultivar | Year planted | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Iris (Siberian) | 'Caesar's Brother' | 2020 | Survived a wet winter that killed bearded iris in the same bed. |
| Switchgrass | Panicum virgatum 'Northwind' | 2021 | Strong vertical form. Deer-resistant. |
| Little bluestem | Schizachyrium scoparium 'Standing Ovation' | 2022 | Bronze fall color. Slow to establish. |
| Yarrow | 'Moonshine' | 2019 | Soft yellow. Cut back twice a season. |
| Butterfly bush | 'Lo & Behold Blue Chip' (sterile cultivar) | 2022 | Sterile cultivar chosen because the species is invasive in some states. Butterflies confirm it works. |
Vegetable beds (raised, full sun)
| Plant | Cultivar | Year | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tomato | 'Sungold' + 'Better Boy' + 'San Marzano' | Annual | Mel's Mix raised bed (33% topsoil, 33% compost, 33% perlite). Drip irrigation. |
| Pepper | 'Carmen' + 'King of the North' | Annual | Side-dress with compost mid-season. |
| Basil | 'Genovese' | Annual | Pinch tops every week to delay flowering. |
| Garlic | 'Music' hardneck | Planted October | Mulch heavy after first frost. Harvested July. |
Plants I tried that didn't work
Worth listing honestly:
- Mophead hydrangea (H. macrophylla non-rebloomer): three winters, three bloom failures. Switched to Endless Summer.
- Bearded iris: rotted in a wet 2022 winter. Switched to Siberian iris in the same spot, which is doing fine.
- Hosta in full sun: 'June' moved to full sun bleached and crisped. Moved back to morning sun, recovered.
- Tulips: deer ate the buds three years running. Replaced with daffodils. Done.
- Boxwood: lost two to box blight in 2021. Replaced with Inkberry holly. Better choice for this climate anyway.
- Lupine: failed twice. Apparently doesn't love my soil pH and humidity.
What this list is, and isn't
This is a snapshot of June 2026. I add plants and lose plants every year. When a guide on this site is first-person ("the first peony I planted in 2020…"), this list is the proof. When a guide is source-driven ("I don't grow dahlias, so this guide is sourced from…"), this list is also the proof — you won't find dahlias on it.
If I add or lose a plant, this page gets updated.