Three Garden Mysteries

The weather is keeping me inside, with plenty of time on my hands to wonder about these three garden puzzlers.

1

Why does the rain leave debris in measured little piles?  Shouldn't it just all be washed to the lowest part of a garden bed?

It's as if Garden Gnomes have been raking it into gnome-sized piles. 

2

Does borage ever die?  Oh, the parent plants died back, but the new volunteer ones don't seen to notice, or if they notice, don't care, that it's almost winter, and the nights have been well below freezing!  It's blooming for Pete's sake!

3

Why do I have three Knautia Macedonica plants that are growing three different shaped leaves?  

And, why didn't they grow out of their rosette stage yet? 

(That isn't question #4, it's still Knautia questioning.)

I know... they need to be transplanted further apart.

 

 There's "Ruffles..."

 ..."Notched-edge..."

 

...and "Smooth-sides"

I find no information online describing Knautia Macedonica as blooming its second year.  Better Homes and Gardens (www.bhg.com/gardening/plant-dictionary/perennial/knautia) refers to it as a 

"short-lived perennial," which may indicate it's more of a biennial than a perennial.  Although, they also mention dividing it every 2-3 years, which sounds pretty perennial to me!

I have a question in to the Extension Experts at https://ask.extension.org

Maybe they'll have an answer.  Otherwise, I'll just have to wait and see what happens to them.