When the small purple stars of Daphne Mezereum twinkled out one chilly May day, I caught their scent with a shock of wonder - so powerful from such a little bloom in this cool air. And it happened over and over again, each new flowering a surprise. Gradually we gain confidence that most perennials are going to thrive if put in a suitable spot and given a modicum of care. Some will even over-achieve mightily, we learn. At this stage we're less worried about practical things like soil and more preoccupied with overall effects.
Pictorial possibilities tickle our imaginations.
You might say this marks a shift from growing plants to making a garden. The artistic phase has begun. Now we seldom introduce a plant into the garden without first picturing how it will look as part of a larger composition. Not that we ignore soil and siting because squeezing plants into inhospitable places defeats the purpose. And then the imagination is free to play.