Tag Archives: perennials

Yellow Carolina Lupine Is an Easy Native Perennial

March 23, 2015 | Meghan Shinn | 0

Virtues: We love Carolina lupine (Thermopsis villosa) for its lemony yellow flowers that appear in late spring to early summer. This Mid-South native plant puts up with heat and drought, supports beneficial insects and songbirds and provides materials for cut-flower …

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Biokovo Cranesbill is Top Perennial in 2015

March 17, 2015 | Meghan Shinn | 0

Virtues: Each year the Perennial Plant Association names just one garden perennial as its Perennial Plant of the Year. Past winners include superstars like ‘David’ phlox, ‘Becky Shasta daisy, ‘Moonbeam’ coreopsis, ‘Rozanne’ geranium and ‘Jack Frost’ Siberian bugloss. 2015’s honoree, …

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Desert Beardtongue Attracts Hummingbirds and Hawkmoths

March 10, 2015 | Meghan Shinn | 0

Virtues: We love desert beardtongue (Penstemon pseudospectabilis) for its vivid purple-pink flowers and its drought tolerance. This penstemon’s flowers serve as a food source for bees, hummingbirds and hawkmoths as well as other insects. Desert beardtongue is being honored as …

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Grow Silky Rock Jasmine in Rock Gardens or Troughs

March 3, 2015 | Meghan Shinn | 0

Virtues: We love ‘Chumbyi’ silky rock jasmine (Androsace sarmentosa ‘Chumbyi’) for its fuzzy foliage and fragrant pink flowers. This semi-evergreen miniature perennial is perfect for a rock garden, stone-wall planting or year-round containers dedicated to other alpine plants, such as …

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Durable Desert Moss Takes Foot Traffic and Drought

February 2, 2015 | Meghan Shinn | 0

Virtues: We love ‘Wallowa Mountain’ desert moss (Arenaria ‘Wallowa Mountain’) because it is an evergreen, exceptionally short and compact groundcover native to Oregon that resembles moss yet is very drought tolerant. Superb for xeric and fairy gardens, permanent containers, between …

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Easy-to-Grow Sunchokes Taste Like Water Chestnuts

January 26, 2015 | Gardening Jones | 0

We first discovered these wonderful perennial tubers several years ago in my never-ending quest to plant new vegetables. They are related to sunflowers, and look a lot like them. But it gets better. They actually smell like chocolate, and taste …

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White Trillium Is a Spring Flower for Shade Gardens

November 4, 2014 | Meghan Shinn | 0

Virtues: We love great white trillium, or wood lily (Trillium grandiflorum), for its large white flowers that announce spring in the woodland garden. This native plant of eastern North America is a must for the shade.

The Best Flower Bulbs to Pair With Perennials

October 21, 2014 | Meghan Shinn | 0

Mixing spring-flowering bulbs among perennial plants is a good garden design strategy because the bulbs (especially early-flowering types) will provide color and interest before and while the perennials emerge and develop. Then, the perennials will distract from the bulbs’ foliage …

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Tiny Monster Cranesbill Remains Attractive Through Fall

October 7, 2014 | Meghan Shinn | 0

Virtues: This variety of cranesbill, or hardy geranium, stands out for its reliabilty as a spreading groundcover that blooms in spring and summer and offers colorful fall foliage. ‘Tiny Monster’ is a sterile cultivar, meaning that it cannot set seed …

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When Dividing Plants in Late Summer or Fall, Think Big

September 2, 2014 | Meghan Shinn | 0

An easy way to increase the number of plants in your garden is to divide its mature perennials. Plant division entails digging up a sizable plant and splitting it into two or more smaller individuals, each complete with roots, stems …

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Coneflowers You Can Count On

August 12, 2014 | Meghan Shinn | 0

Echinacea coneflowers continue to command popularity, with fanciful new varieties appearing every year. One complaint, though, is that they don’t always seem to do well in subsequent seasons.