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Hernando Today

These Perennials Bring New Style To Your Garden

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By STEVE JONES

Special to Hernando Today

Published: January 11, 2009

Perennials are the best investment for your garden, coming back year after year, better and more impressive. Here are five slightly unusual perennials that would add a unique personality to your landscape.

Monarda didyma Fireball PP14,235

If you're looking for a neat little plant that has a wonderfully compact habit and is a heavy bloomer mid-summer with scarlet-red flowers, you need to take a look at Fireball, sometimes known as Bee Balm. I really like the look of the fire-red flowers that bloom from June to August. Fireball spreads quickly and puts on a great show of summer color that attracts butterflies and hummingbirds to your garden.

The aromatic glossy green foliage is highly resistant to mildew and is also deer-resistant. Fireball has a mature height of between one and two feet, prefers moist soil and does fine in full sun, partial sun and shade.

Sedum Autumn Fire PW

Cheryl and I have several varieties of sedum in our garden and we just love them in the fall. Well, this selection is very similar to Autumn Joy, but was selected for its tighter growth habit, thicker foliage, and more brightly colored rosy flowers which are produced from late summer into fall.

Sedum is one of the most popular perennials grown in American gardens because it is very easy to grow and hardy in most areas of the country. Because of its thick, succulent leaves which can store water, sedum is drought tolerant. It should be sited in average to poor soil that is well-drained. Most varieties should be grown in full sun to light shade. If you like to plan a garden that produces relays of color throughout the year, make a note of this one that blooms between August and October.

Salvia East Friesland

I'm a big fan of Salvia in the garden. It is a must-have addition for borders, mass plantings, or just that little nook that needs a splash of color to complete your pallet.

If you're looking for a summer blooming plant with a show of intense color then this could be a fine addition for your garden. Salvias are easy to grow and perform best in full sun. The almost iridescent color of this salvia is deep-purple.

East Friesland is a heavily flowering over textured leaves with vivid spikes of color, 1 ½ inches long, starting in mid-June.

Walkers Low Cat Mint

Now here is a plant that is not only beautiful and useful in the landscape but is suitable for a wide range of climatic conditions. It is low maintenance, disease and pest resistant.

It has deep lavender-blue flowers that bloom profusely in early summer and then sporadically throughout the growing season. If sheared back after the first flush of bloom, you can expect another significant bloom.

Walkers Low attracts butterflies, hummingbirds and bees. You'll want to plant in full sun, although it can tolerate afternoon shade. This is a very drought tolerant plant but does need a well drained area.

Aster English Country

Asters are counted among the great garden plants, because many of them hold off blooming until late summer and fall when most garden plants are spent. Plants grow and flower best in full sun and evenly moist soil; they do not like drought.

Bees, butterflies and birds find them attractive and they bloom with an almost iridescent blue from late summer to fall, grow to a height of 20 inches and are resistant to disease. They make an excellent container plant or in front of the garden feature and look great with ornamental grasses.

I suggest that you look for plants sold in one-gallon containers. They are larger, further along in their growth cycle and will have an expanded root system. Gallon container plants may be a little more expensive initially, but have a better survival rate and will perform more quickly. If you have specific questions about any of these perennials, simply drop me a line.

The Plant Man is here to help. Send your questions about trees, shrubs and landscaping to steve@landsteward.org and for resources and additional information, or to subscribe to Steve's free e-mailed newsletter, visit www.landsteward.org.

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