around the yard

Even when we're working in the yard, there's always time for pics. The ladies mantel is still holding up. The big blue is no longer so big or blue. It's gold leaves are still striking.

I need help with this plant. I picked it up at a garden club plant sale and lost the tag immediately. The major domo of the garden club told me that it was a ground cover. I guess that is strictly true. It's just that it reached over three feet tall this summer. That's one of the reasons we gave up on garden clubs. Is it a type of petasitis? We have it planted in an area where the clay has been amended with sweet peet. The soil is moist year round. The plant is in the shade about half the day.