By Ed Hume
|
 |
It’s a question as old as the trees…and the flowers for that matter. How do you choose new perennials to add each year? It’s important to pick wisely because perennials are not only more expensive than annuals, they come back to grace your garden year after year. Exciting and varied choices in perennial plants offer the beauty of long-lasting flowers throughout the growing season. And what gardener doesn’t want that?
My Top Five Perennial Favorites
LUPINE
This lovely plant is considered one of the most beautiful perennials you can plant. The pea or butterfly-shaped flowers grow on spikes that are 3-4 feet tall, so the lupine is a good choice for the back of the garden. The plant is also known for its very attractive cut-leaf foliage.
PENSTEMON
Given the proper conditions, penstemon will flourish with little care. They come in many beautiful colors too, including pinks, reds and whites. They stand upright with their flowers on a spike and make excellent cut flowers.
DELPHINIUMS
Also a spike flower, the delphinium comes in various heights. Some can grow as high as six or seven feet, while others are chest or even knee-high only. Single or two-tone, take your pick. With either dark or light centers, the colors range from whites to blues and purples and even a pink and salmon variety. Be sure to plant in the neighborhood of 18 inches to two feet apart.
CARNATIONS
When folks think of carnations, they think of the long-stemmed florist variety, not garden carnations. The ones I’m talking about are 14-15 inches high, very fragrant and excellent candidates for the garden. You can get single or double flowering varieties (double flowering just means more petals per flower). Garden carnations -- a garden secret to share!
SHASTA DAISY
The Shasta daisy produces prolific flowering. It provides a wash of white that has a gorgeous effect on a garden. Here’s a little tip: for cut flowers, put the stems in water with food coloring. The stem will pick up the color and transmit it into the flower. You get pure white and multi-colored flowers all from one plant.
Five Perennial Pointers
• Pay attention to color, texture, shape of blooms, height and their potential as cut flowers.
• Plant in stages; taller plants go in the back and work your way forward in decreasing height. That way all of your beautiful choices are in full view.
• Vary your choices to correspond with the flowering schedules of various plants. Some plants bloom in the spring like primrose, bleeding hearts and hyacinths. They give way to summer bloomers like astilbe, black-eyed Susans and Russian sage. Early fall favorites include plants like asters, goldenrod and chrysanthemums. If you schedule your plants properly, you can have blooms from early spring until late fall.
• Perennials can be started from seed if you wish, but those from seed will not bloom until the next year. If you’re looking for immediate gratification/beautification, buy 4 inch plants and plant them to assure blooming in the first year. You can also purchase more mature plants in gallon-sized containers. Perennials in general do very well as container plants.
• Combined with annuals, perennials make your garden full and lush. At the end of the season, be sure to cut them back to 2-4 inches from the ground. A hardy plant should not need winter protection. Before you know it, growing season will come around again - and so will the beauty of your garden’s perennials.
|
|
|
