Below you'll find a list of all posts that have been categorized as “Perennial”
Hardy perennial hibiscus are showstoppers in your late-summer garden. Huge plate-size flowers in shades of pink, red or white burst forth from stout plants in late July/early August. Although the individual flowers only last a day, the succession of flowers can last for up to eight weeks. These amazing blooms have prompted many strangers to knock on my door to inquire about the bush with flowers the size of dinner plates. These Hibiscus flowers are amazing conversation pieces and many …
Growing Asparagus in Michigan If you love asparagus and want to grow some yourself, waste no time in getting started. Even with the best of care, an asparagus bed won’t hit its stride for several years. But once that happens, the bed will produce an abundant crop of spears spring after spring for at least the next 15 to 20 years. Fresh from the garden, asparagus is the very essence of spring. The sweet, slender spears can be steamed, sautéed, …
Echinacea – also known as coneflower – is a terrific perennial for Michigan flower beds. Beautiful, butterfly attracting, deer resistant flowers bloom most of the summer in sunny locations. New colors and new varieties make this plant one of the best choices. Echinacea sounds more like a disease than a plant you would want in your garden. And if you read the Wikipedia description, it still seems like something to stay away from. Maybe that’s why people commonly refer to it …
Nepeta (Catmint) are some of our best garden perennials, as they are long lived, very easy-to-grow, animal resistant and they feature a profusion of color in various shades of blue. When Nepeta’s stems are broken, they release an aroma into the air that tends to attract cats, thus its common name, Catmint. Nepeta loves sun and tolerates dry conditions. Cut back to the ground at the end of winter. One of the best plants to edge or plant under a …
Penstemon is a western United States native that has colorful tubular flowers on tall spikes. This prairie plant thrives in hot, sunny conditions and is a stunning addition to wildflower plantings. Another common name is Beardtongue. The beauty and regal presence of Penstemon in bloom is unmatched by few other perennials. Growing Penstemon is straightforward, as they are extremely resilient and are excellent naturalizing plants when encouraged to re-seed themselves. Best of all, Penstemon’s nectar-rich flowers are indispensable to pollinators like …
Enjoy the fragrance of lilacs for months instead of weeks. While traditional lilac varieties bloom for a few short weeks in spring, Bloomerang’s fragrant flowers continue until frost. This vigorous grower will add beauty and fragrance to gardens from spring to fall. When planted in mass they make a great choice for hedges as well. Just like all lilacs, the Bloomerang® will attract butterflies and hummingbirds to your garden, but the Deer won’t care for the taste! And while it …
These popular perennials have been cultivated for centuries, and their blossoms add a nostalgic flair to any mixed flower bouquet. They are often called Pinks because their serrated petals seem to have been trimmed with pinking shears. Enjoy the blooms’ sweet clove perfume at the front of the border where they perch above mounds of lovely gray-green foliage. If cut back after flowering, many varieties deliver a second wave of bloom. Dianthus perform best in full sun and well-drained soil. …
Peonies are an old fashioned favorite perennial! They are loved for their heavily-scented beautiful, extra large blooms and survive quite well in our Michigan gardens. Peonies come in four flower forms – Single, Semi-double, Double and Japanese (Anemone). The flowers will become fuller as the plant matures. Peonies make an excellent cut flower. After flowering, the plant can provide size and texture to the perennial garden and are a deer resistant. Peonies perform best when planted in well draining, loamy soil with …
With beautiful bell-shaped flowers, Columbine is an excellent garden perennial with many colorful hybrid varieties to choose from. Its distinctive, bell-shaped, spurred flowers, bloom from mid-spring to early summer. Columbine self-seeds prolifically giving you many volunteer seedlings. With a wide choice of hybrid varieties, colors range from light pastels to bright yellow, red, orange and purple selections. The plant’s foliage has an attractive lacy appearance. Intricate little flowers, they are most commonly a combination of red, peach, and yellow but …
Fabulous perennial ferns add texture and contrast to any shade garden. Their names are complicated and there are many different varieties – but don’t let that scare you! I”m pretty comfortable with annuals and many perennials but when it comes to ferns, I still have a lot to learn. The good news is that most of the ferns we offer are pretty easy to grow. The hardest part seems to be deciding what type of ferns will work best for …
