Thanks for the veggie hints. I also have another part of my garden that needs a something...as will be explained below.
Our backyard backs up to protected wetlands (created as detention for the subdivision), which are surrounded by "wildflowers" (which include lots of grasses and not so decorative, invasive things such as thistles). One corner of the back property line also has the electrical transformer, the cable box and telephone box.
I have some stepping stone right at the property line, and then a perennial border, which tries to carry on the prairie theme in a relatively low-maintenance way. I've got assorted daylilies, yellow yarrow, monarda, rudbeckia Goldsturm, purple coneflower, liatris, and a few other things, all in a purple/yellow color scheme. There's also an alder and a hazelnut included in the border, since they were there already.
Right in front of the transformer, I planted a couple of Joe Pye weed, hoping that it would get big and hide the transformer. However, not only has it not really taken off in 3 years, it also doesn't really get going until relatively late in the season, so I have to do a ton of weeding around it. I'm thinking of tearing it out and putting in something that would require less weeding (especially since that's the hardest corner for me to access, so it usually gets put off until I can't stand it any longer)
I'm trying to think of a good shrub that would carry on the prairie sort of feeling, but haven't come up with any good ideas. I'm in Zone
5, and it's a relatively sunny site with clayey soil.Thoughts?