Looking out over my organized chaos in my backyard flower beds, I can write an article called "Toughest Perennials for Kentucky Gardens". When flowers are happy and blooming out there right now that means they have survived the potential of mildew, fungus, and drowning roots from the heavy rains in April and May. If they are still standing up tall, they have survived the storms in May and June. And, by now, they have survived and thrived in spite of high temps, high heat indices, extreme humidity, and periods of no rain. Let me also add that, to survive in my gardens, they have to be resistant to the bugs, too, because I don't use insecticides so I don't offend the bees, butterflies, & birds. Those little creatures, plus the moths at night, are one of the main reasons I raise flowers. So, here comes my list:
1. Snowball Hydrangea. This is technically a woody shrub, not an herbaceaous perennial, but it is an important part of my floral scheme. I have several scattered around because they are easy to divide. They have been blooming for a month already with their large white puffs that start out snow white and turn to green and then eventually turn brown when they dry, providing fall and winter interest. Hydrangeas are great cut flowers, lasting over a week. Insects don't bother them and they are just not fussy about anything!
2. Tall Garden Phlox. I have allowed these to grow everywhere because of the fact that I never deadhead them so the seeds fly all over. Phlox is also an excellent cut flower and they smell lovely. Some do suffer from powdery mildew and I pull them up and toss them, because I have plenty to spare. In fact, I have way too many, and plan to dig and give a lot away.
3. Coneflowers. I have been successful with "Kim's Knee High". Other cultivars don't survive so well. I do have some insect damage, but I just let that happen. I don't deadhead, so the seeds scatter, and I get new plants, and the finches come to see me to eat the seeds.
4. Perennial Hibiscus. Not to be confused with tropical hibiscus, which is readily available in the spring. Perennials die back in the fall, leaving dry brown stems that you can cut down after a hard frost or the next spring. Perennial hibiscus have huge dinner plate size blooms that start blooming around the 4th of July and continue until frost. The blooms only last a day, but are prolific. Hummingbirds can't miss them!! We will have several perennial hibiscus for sale next fall at the greenhouse!
5. Day Lilies. These are the easiest plants in the world to grow! I have many reblooming day lilies, such as the over used Stella D'Oro, red "Pardon Me", "Ruby Stella", and others I can't remember the names of. I've gone through phases, such as the red phase, when I only planted red day lilies, the purple phase, the pink phase. Most of my yellow ones were given to me. The blooms last a day, hence the name, but they produce lots of blooms and keep the color coming for a month or more. Dig and divide and pass them along!
6.Iris. Spring begins with Bearded Iris, then along come the blooms of Siberian Iris, and , in conclusion, we have the Japanese Iris. I love iris, so I get to enjoy them for a month to six weeks with this succession of blooms!
7. Bee Balm. This plant with the very interesting bloom is a hummingbird, butterfly, & moth magnet. Careful, they can be invasive, though. Mine are red, but there are also shades of pink and lavender out there. Also interesting is the square stem on these aromatic plants, which are also classified as herbs.
8. Anemones. These don't bloom until late summer, but they are lovely when they do, and the foliage of these plants is attractive all summer, prior to bloom.
9. 'Autumn Joy' Sedum. Many sedums are on the market today, but most don't measure up to the performance of 'Autumn Joy'. They love full sun, tolerate drought, and tolerate moisture better than other sedums. They bloom mid summer and the blooms eventually dry and remain attractive into winter.
10. Hosta. There is so much to say about Hosta!! I have collected many over the years. I have very large leaved 'Sum & Substance' and I have planted my namesake (LOL) 'Francee" and 'Guacamole' because they can tolerate more sun. I have hostas because they have green and white leaves, or because they have chartreuse green leaves, or because they are very small leaved. I have hostas with white flowers and some with lavender flowers and some are more fragrant than others. So, you see, there are a lot of reasons to love a hosta! Heads up for 2012: We have purchased 'Empress Wu' Hosta to sell-they are as big as a grown person!!
I hope this list is useful to you. You may see posts on Facebook from time to time where I'll offer up the surplus when I dig and divide perennials. One of the things I love about perennial gardening is that so many of my favorite plants are "pass a long" plants. I can walk through and remember that the hydrangeas and phlox came from Mae, the obedient plant came from Michelle, the iris and peonies came from Richard's
grandmother's garden via Hazel, and it just makes me feel at home in my flower garden! Happy gardening!!
No comments:
Post a Comment