Archives for Best Perennials category
Posted on May 21, 2009 under Best Perennials |
Perennials are those flowers which reliably bloom year after year. They die back to the ground each winter after flourishing for a full growing season only to reemerge again in the spring. They’re also noted for their texture and vibrant colors. Generally, perennials are a bit maintenance though there are those require almost no maintenance. These perennials are some the easiest to care for. They also provide colorful flowers and long lasting foliage.
Daylilies are a very common perennial which do remarkably well with very little maintenance. Their flowers, which are available in a wide range of colors, bloom on stocks which grow up from clumps of long pointed foliage. A profuse bloomer, daylilies flower for weeks. They prefer a bit of shade in the afternoon when the sun is strongest.
Iris is one the first perennials to emerge in the spring. Its purple or white flowers are an essential in the spring garden. Iris grows in spreading clumps which increase in size each year. When their finished blooming, iris will provide the perennial garden with striking foliage through the summer.
Hosta is an extraordinarily hardy and durable perennial. They can grow for an entire season with very little care. Hosta provides the garden with mounds of lush foliage and striking purple or white flower. Hosta is also very adaptable and versatile and can be used in a variety of garden situations. They’re effective as an edging plant and when grown among other flowers in a perennial bed. Hosta is great for shade and part shade gardens.
Astilbe is one of best perennials for the shade or part shade garden. They prefer organic soils and protection from the afternoon sun as dry soils and direct sun tend to cause withering in the plant. Astilbe has finely cut, fern like foliage and pink, white, or peach colored flowers. Astilble may require dividing every few years to encourage healthy blooms as they will often out grow their spot in the garden.
Geranium, a great perennial for the border garden, is a vigorous grower and flowers abundantly. With its spreading habit and profuse flowering abilities, geranium provides the garden with pink, white or purple flowers through mid-summer. Geranium is a wonderful edging plant in a full sun perennial border. Geranium is able to thrive for years with very little maintenance.
Asters bloom in fall and are effective in both the formal perennial garden and the wildflower meadow. Asters bloom in a variety of colors including, white, pink and purple. They are great addition to any perennial border.
Black eyed Susan can tolerate poor soils and survive extreme conditions such as heat and drought. The challenge with black eyed Susan isn’t growing them its keeping them from taking over your garden. As a vigorous grower, they require dividing every few years. Their tall stems produce bright yellow flowers bloom in summer which last though early fall.
Sedum autumn joy is a wonderful fall flowering perennial. It grows clumps which grow larger year after year. Its blooms are tones of pink and not deadheaded, they turn a rusty brown which can add winter interest to the garden. Sedum autumn joy also provides the garden with beautiful lush foliage in the summer.
While these perennials are easy to grow, there are a few very basic maintenance guidelines to follow which will help your garden flourish. In the summer, deadheading the perennials the process of clipping off the spent blooms, in necessary to encourage new blooms. As your perennials grow larger and begin to crowd each other, they may require dividing. Dividing perennials is easily the best way to increase your plant stock. Simply dig the perennial you intend to divide out of the ground making sure to dig out as much of the root system as possible. Take a shovel and chop or divide the plant in half and then replant each half.
Before planting your flowers, observe the conditions of your garden so you can determine what will work best for you. Have a plan or list in hand before you head out to the greenhouse. Once planted, these perennials will provide years of gardening enjoyment.
anonymous
http://www.articlesbase.com/gardening-articles/gardening-with-easy-care-perennials-87624.html
Posted on Apr 16, 2010 under Best Perennials |
>A Compact, Disease Resistant Holly - 22 Years in the Making!
Dr. Elwin Orton of Rutgers University in New Brunswick, New Jersey has spent over 40 years developing improved hollies and dogwood trees that are hardy in the winter and disease resistant. Back in 1982 - after being disappointed with three hollies that were planted on his property, Dr. Orton set out to develop a new compact growing holly that could withstand east coast conditions, be low-maintenance, have a nice pyramid shape and have dense, dark green foliage with bright red berries. This does not sound like an easy task - and it wasn’t! It took Dr. Orton 22 years of hybridizing and thorough testing to develop a holly that was everything he wanted. This week we are please to feature the holly that Dr. Orton developed - ‘Red Beauty.’
‘Red Beauty’ has quickly become a standout among other hollies and we are sure that it will remain so for years to come. Unlike other reliable and hardy blue hollies that require much pruning to maintain a good shape; ‘Red Beauty’ maintains a natural dense, pyramid shape with little maintenance. Dr. Orton said of the ‘Red Beauty’ - “It clearly stood out in the trial fields. After 10 years of evaluation, the original plant was only 7 feet tall by 4 feet wide at the base. It had never been pruned. It was very dense and self-compacting with a tight pyramidal habit. It’s a winner!” ‘Red Beauty’ has beautiful, glossy green evergreen foliage that will be covered in bright red berries in the autumn. The foliage has a finer texture than many other hollies available today. Simply put, ‘Red Beauty’ is the best holly we have seen in years - if you are in need of a privacy screen, a narrow hedge to define your yard or a background for your perennials - this is the perfect plant for you!
Planting and Care
‘Red Beauty’ is slower growing and will mature at eight feet tall to four and a half feet wide. To ensure the best display of fruit possible, plant near a male holly such as ‘Blue Prince.’
Plant spring or fall.
For fall planting in Zone 6 (especially in a windy site), place a double layered burlap screen around, but not over the holly for the first winter.
Plant in full sun to light shade.
Must have a well-drained site.
Does best with compost-enriched soil.
Water regularly until established.
Fertilize with Cottonseed Meal and Kelp Meal in early spring and late fall.
Hardy in Zones 6 - 9.
Alan Summers
http://www.articlesbase.com/hobbies-articles/holly-red-beauty-ppaf-14750-78797.html
Posted on Apr 10, 2010 under Best Perennials |
In your opinion what is the most unique perennial or most pretty
The Iris is beautiful, & I haven’t been able to find a lot of tattoos with it’s design. The Iris was used as the symbol of royalty & was used on French coat of arms. I like the Orchid flower, too. This picture is labeled an orchid but looks like an Iris:
http://www.fulltattoos.net/image.asp?id=207&xname=Orchid+Tattoo
An Iris tattoo:
http://www.tattooartists.org/Gal36793_iris.asp
http://tattoo.about.com/cs/tatart/l/blkevinerin.htm?terms=flowers+by+kevin
The Rose, Lily & Lotus flowers are beautiful, but not unique for tattoos. The Rose is one of the most frequently used flower for tattoos.
Here are tatoo designs of the Lily & the Lotus flower:
http://www.vanishingtattoo.com/tattoos_designs_symbols_l.htm
The Rose in the West represents what the Lotus does in the East. A symbol of love, but especially of a love that is pure. Rose tattoo images :
http://www.vanishingtattoo.com/tattoos_designs_symbols_rose.htm
Images of a tattoo of a rose with prominent thorns - the thorns being the means by which the rose protects itself - reminds us that beauty does not come without sacrifice and that caution must be exercised, lest the prick of the thorn draw blood. Love is not without risk. Ecstasy does not come without it’s share of agony.
http://www.vanishingtattoo.com/tattoos_designs_symbols_rose_thorns.htm
More flower tattoos & their meanings:
"Iris became a messenger of the gods and stood for ‘good news’ or a ‘message’. Its three petals came to symbolize faith, valor, and wisdom."
http://www.vanishingtattoo.com/tattoos_designs_symbols_flowers.htm
More on the meaning of flower tattoos:
http://www.tao-of-tattoos.com/flower-tattoo-designs.html
Gallery of flower tattoo images: Enjoy!
http://tattoojoy.com/tattoo_gallery/nature,flowers,5.htm
http://www.1001-tattoos.com/flower-photo.html
http://www.tattoodles.com/gallery?gallery=4&page=37
http://www.tattoo-designs-free.com/flower.html
Iris images in every color & combination imaginable:
http://images.search.yahoo.com/search/images?_adv_prop=image&va=iris+flowers&sz=all&ei=UTF-8&ni=20&fr=ush-ans&b=61
http://www.flickr.com/photos/versicolor/502730406/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/klikz/335678764/
Good Luck! Hope this helps.
Posted on Apr 09, 2010 under Best Perennials |
Herbs have been in use since centuries for various medicinal, culinary and aromatic purposes. Herbs are used even in many of the modern medicines, cosmetics etc. Having your own herb garden can be very useful. Planning it is definitely great fun!
Herbs can be grown in a number of ways. With a proper planning a herb garden can be an essential part of your home. You can choose to have it either indoors or outdoors. In case of limited outdoor space, you can opt for planting herbs on a windowsill or in a window box.
Planning
The first step to cultivating a herb garden is selecting the herbs you want to plant. There are different kinds of herbs for different purposes. Hence you need to first decide the main purpose of having a herb garden. Some herbs like thyme grow low and spreading while others like parsley grow in clumps. Some herbs are perennials and some are annuals.
First plan on paper. Decide the exact size you wish your garden to be. This helps in selecting the right type of herbs. Also, you can determine the amount of space per herb as per your requirements.
Requirements
Firstly, do note that herbs require well-drained soil. Before staring to plant your herbs, test if the soil is alkaline. Herbs need alkaline soil to grow. You can add lime to your soil to keep it alkaline.
Sunlight is a very important factor for herbs to grow well. Herbs need at least six hours of sunlight. In case you can not find a suitable sunny spot, you can plant the herbs in a garden container so that it can be moved around in sunlight. Keep enough space for the herbs to grow. The herbs need adequate air circulation to prevent molds.
Familiarize yourself with the herbs you will be planting. Read about the requirements and conditions of growing them. This will help you take proper care of them.
Planting the herbs
You can begin planting either with seeds or small plants from the garden center. It is better to have small plants rather than seeds as you will have a higher success rate.
When using seeds to plants, it is better to plan them ahead since the seeds require several months to grow. Keep your herb garden close to your home. This will help you to take care and check for the problems.
You can plant your herbs either in straight lines or in geometrical shapes. You can even have square beds divided into four paths. Plants even in the shape of flowing, curved beds and walkways look amazing. Some flowers and shrubs can add to the beauty of your herb garden.
You can refer to various magazines and books to know what type of garden best suits your needs. You can even seek professional help if required. They are easy to maintain and simple to grow. With enough drainage, sunlight, water and nutrient rich and organic soil, your herb garden can thrive for years.
Peter Finch
http://www.articlesbase.com/gardening-articles/herb-gardens-are-a-delightful-addition-to-any-garden-101680.html
Posted on Apr 07, 2010 under Best Perennials |
I live in zone 5 in the midwest and have a small sweetgum magnolia that needs plantings around the base. I would like to use an azalea and some iris for spring bloom, but I’m at a loss for what other plants would compliment the shape and size of the magnolia leaves for summer color.
Verbena is probably the best one. it can give you a smooth carpet type look. You can mix different colours of it.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Verbena
Posted on Apr 04, 2010 under Best Perennials |
I’ve got all sizes of pots and different species of plants - I’ve read they can be brought into the unheated garage near a window (do I still water them); into a heated part of the house (like a basement) or just leave them in the pots outside? I’ve got lily of the valley, hostas, small redbud trees (10-12"), daylillies, forsythia, ferns and some others that I don’t even know exactly what they are. Obviously I can’t bring them ALL inside, but I could spread them out; some outside, some in the garage and some in the basement - but how do I know what to do?
In my experience, the pots will not fare well if left outside. Red terra cotta pots all broke the year I tried that.
I don’t have potted perennials now, but what I’d probably do is leave as many in the garage as I could fit, and not worry about the lighting, either, since the leaves don’t do photosynthesis in winter. Water lightly maybe once a month–about what they’d get if snow thawed a little on a sunny day.
Posted on Apr 02, 2010 under Best Perennials |
An established wildflower garden requires much less maintenance than a conventional one. Making one, however, can initially be quite demanding as there is some basic preparation of the soil required and the garden takes time to become established. Creating a large meadow will need much more effort, so it is advisable for the time pressed gardener to concentrate on a small wildlife swathe.
Planting a Border
The simplest way to grow wildflowers is in an existing border, either on their own or with some other herbaceous plants and shrubs. This can work especially well if you combine wildflowers with the many garden plants that are forms of wildflowers, such as carpeting ajuga reptans and self seeding poppies and forget-me-knots.
Wildflowers can be sown or planted in the same way as other plants, but they will not thrive in ground that is fertilized.
On cultivated ground the ranker weeds tend to take over and smother the plants you want to encourage, so it is worth clearing the area of weeds first. Then you can sow the wildflower mixture or plant out perennials in the spring.
Colonizing a Lawn
You can scatter the wildflower seed directly over the area, but the competition for the grass will be intense. For better results, sow the seed in trays, prick out and grow the plants in pots first. Plant them out in spring, when the perennials are strong enough to compete with the existing grass.
Once the perennials are established, they will self-sow, which is always more successful than simply scattering seed yourself.
Converting a Field
If you are lucky enough to have a field and want to turn it into a wildflower meadow, your task is much harder.
Before you can start sowing or planting wildflowers you will need to spend a whole year mowing the grass at regular intervals to keep it short. This will kill off most of the invasive grasses, and leave only the finer ones. When the grass is under control, you can proceed as for a lawn.
Clearing New Ground
For those with a smaller area to convert, another effective method for establishing a wildflower area is to clear it completely, removing all traces of perennial weeds. Then sow a wildflower and grass mixture formulated for your area, as for a border. There are several suppliers for this type of seed.
Maintaining Wildflowers in Grass
Wildflowers in grass should be cut once or twice a year. The best time is in summer once the main flush of plants have seeded. Remove the cuttings to prevent feeding the soil.
Andrew Lawrence
http://www.articlesbase.com/gardening-articles/how-to-create-a-low-maintenance-wildflower-garden-84204.html
Posted on Apr 01, 2010 under Best Perennials |
I’ve seen that it is best to divide perennials in early spring or fall but I was wondering if it was too late (May 1st) now that we’re nearing summer temperatures.
Theoretically, Cat’s right — but daylillies are pretty darn hard to kill, and I have divided them spring/summer/fall and had no losses at all.
Posted on Mar 29, 2010 under Best Perennials |
I plan to mix seeds and perennials, but mostly perennials. What perennials will establish flowers the fastest? We live in zone 5. Also, I heard that I shouldn’t expect my new planted perennials to grow at their full beauty during the first year. Is this true?
Visit a local garden center but not a place like Home Depot, Lowe’s or Walmart. Their associates don’t usually know squat. See what plants they have. Most garden centers bring in plants that are going to grow well in the area you are in. They don’t want to see their customers buying plants and end up being disappointed and wasting their money.
And yes, it’s true you won’t get the full impact out of your plants the first year. They are busy establishing root systems and the "top" won’t grow as big as it will in later years. There are a few exceptions to that but most 1st season plants are that way. They will be much prettier the 2nd year.
Cone flowers grow quickly and usually provide you with flowers the first year. Butterflies and bees love them. And if you leave the flower heads on the plants and allow them to dry, the gold finches love the dried seeds. And your cone flowers will spread also. Butterfly bushes take a season or two to get going well but they provide some height and the hummingbirds, butterflies and bees love them also. Sedums do well in hot dry locations. Asters are another plant that does well in most locations, provides you with late summer and early fall color. They come in a variety of colors and sizes. The dwarf ones are the easiest to handle.
"Ground covers" are another plant that we don’t pay nearly enough attention to. Bugle weed and dead nettle are two that not only help cover the ground to act as living mulch but also offer a bloom show in the spring and pretty leaves the rest of the year.
Start slowly, buy good plants, take proper care of them and make sure to water during the first couple months. It takes time to develop good root systems and until the plants do, you need to supply some extra water to them. After that, most are pretty self sufficient.
Posted on Mar 26, 2010 under Best Perennials |
Foolproof Perennials
Whether a new or experienced gardener, you may wish to grow a few foolproof perennial flowers in your yard. Foolproof or easy care perennials are not as fussy about soil or moisture conditions. Once established, these thrive with minimal attention, so even if you have a “brown thumb” you can successfully grow these flowers.
Familiar foolproof perennials are daylilies, peonies, and hosta. But there are many others that grow well in northern Illinois and southern Wisconsin gardens. The ones mentioned will not become invasive in most gardens.
Columbine (Aquilegia) decorates the late spring and early summer garden with uniquely shaped flowers on two to three feet tall stems above the one foot by one foot mound of leaves. The divided leaves give plants a ferny appearance. Flowers choices are solid or bicolor in shades of blue, yellow, red, and white. Native plant enthusiasts should grow Wild Columbine (Aquilegia canadensis), which is a combination of red and yellow. Columbine like partial shade to full sun (but not hot baking sun.) They grow in ordinary soil, as long as it is not too wet. Deadheading (cutting off dead flowers) will extend the bloom period. Columbine spread by dropping seed around established plants. An inoffensive habit, as far as I’m concerned, because interesting hybrids can result.
Cushion Spurge (Euphorbia epithymoides ‘Polychroma’) may be a little hard to find, but worth the hunt if you have a hot dry location. Long-lasting bright yellow to chartreuse bracts surround the tiny spring flowers. In fall the leaves turn red. The compact 18 by 18 inch plants are disease and insect free. A caution: euphorbias produce a white milky sap that may irritate the skin, so it is a good idea to wear gloves when working with this plant.
Leopard’s Bane (Doronicum orientale) produces bright yellow daisy-like flowers in spring, when we don’t expect to see daisies. The compact 2 by 2 foot plants have attractive toothed, heart-shaped leaves. These are partial shade plants that perform best in moist soil. Like many spring bloomers, leopard’s bane dies back to the ground by the middle of summer.
Cranesbill (Geranium) is the true geranium. It is cold hardy in northern Illinois and southern Wisconsin. Do not confuse this with the cold-tender red “geraniums” (really Pelargonium) that many of us buy at the greenhouse every year. In early summer numerous one-inch diameter flowers crown a low mound of finely dissected leaves. Deadheading spent flowers encourages rebloom. A huge number of cultivars are in shades of pink, purple, and white. Geraniums are easy to grow in sun or part shade.
Blanketflower (Gaillardia x grandiflora) is perfect for a sunny dry spot. It is heat, drought, and salt tolerant. Wet soil will kill blanketflowers. The two feet by two feet plant has daisy-type flowers with dark centers surrounded by red and yellow banded petals. If the multicolor combination is too much for you, pure yellow and pure orange varieties are available. Butterflies like this summer bloomer too.
Coralbells (Heuchera) are a garden favorite for their beautiful leaves and flowers. Breeders have developed a variety of burgundy, purple, green, and silver combinations in the maple-shaped leaves. The “evergreen” leaves form compact 12 to 18 inch mounds. Coralbells are ideal for the front of the flowerbed. The tiny bell shaped flowers (coral/pink or white) rise on stalks above the foliage mound, but do not block the view of other flowers in the bed.
Bigleaf Ligularia (Ligularia dentata) fills the need for a late summer flower in the shade garden. This big (three feet by four feet) robust plant likes moist to wet shade. Loose clusters of yellow daisy-like flowers top the large leathery leaves.
Goldenrods (Solidago) deserve a place in the sun garden. Their reputation as the cause of hayfever is misplaced. Bright yellow native goldenrods bloom at the same time as the non-showy ragweed and, therefore, are erroneously blamed for ragweed’s deeds. The flower clusters form cones or starbursts. Goldenrods not only attracts butterflies, but bloom from July through October. These drought tolerant plants range in size from 12 inches to 48 inches depending on cultivar.
Russian sage (Perovskia atriplicifolia) is another wonderful late summer bloomer, but its silvery leaves are attractive throughout the growing season. Its light blue blossoms are especially pleasing with the yellows and oranges of many late summer flowers. Russian sage gets large (three feet tall) and must be cut back in early spring to control shape and size.