Tag Archives: perennial

From fast-growing clumps of strap-shaped foliage sprouted in early March, an abundance of bud clusters appear in April, which quickly pop open in an endless succession of very fragrant, absolutely neon-bright orange blooms well into mid-summer. Siberian Wallflower harmonizes beautifully with its fellow biennial Forget-Me-Not (Myosotis), the warm orange and cool sky blue. Despite the common name, Siberian Wallflower originated …

Pentas are tropical blooming plants. When you know how to grow Pentas, you have a foolproof way of attracting hummingbirds and butterflies, too.

Calandrinia is a plant genus that contains many species of purslane, including the redmaids. The genus was named for Jean Louis Calandrini, an 18th-century Swiss botanist. It includes around 150 species of annual herbs which bear colorful flowers in shades of red to purple and white. Plants of this genus are native to Australia, Chile, and western North America. This …

The “Blue Mist” spirea (Caryopteris x clandonensis “Blue Mist”) provides garden color from midsummer through fall. Also called blue beard and blue spirea, the plant earns its names from the fragrant, purple-blue flower spikes that adorn it for most of the summer season and that attract bees and butterflies. The low-maintenance deciduous shrub grows to only 2 or 3 feet …

Asiatic lilies (Lilium asiatic) produce showy blooms that range in color from pastel to brilliant shades of pink, red or orange and include every color except for blue. These flowers appear atop a tall stalk that resembles the top of a pineapple and form a cluster of blooms that open in late spring to early summer. With proper care, these …

Siberian squill, grown from a small bulb, is probably the most familiar of the scillas. The plants themselves don’t get much taller than about 6 inches, but they make up for their diminutive size by spreading out and blooming profusely. The tiny bulbs grow and multiple easily and the plants will also self-seed, making scilla a perfect choice for naturalizing.

Hymenocallis is a wonderful genus of bulbous amaryllids…native mostly to the US, Mexico, and Central America. Hymenocallis (spider lilies) are an easy-to-grow moisture-lover that are a reliable perennial wildflower in the garden. Spider lilies are a tough, low maintenance plant which makes it perfect for rain gardens. In the wild many Hymenocallis (spider lilies) often grow in or near water …

The Iceland Poppy is a boreal flowering plant. It is native to subpolar regions of Europe, Asia and North America, and the mountains of Central Asia, but not in Iceland!!!   Iceland poppies are hardy but short-lived perennials, often grown as biennials, that yield large, papery, bowl-shaped, lightly fragrant flowers supported by hairy, one foot, curved stems among feathery blue-green …

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. About This Plant Penstemon forms dense spikes of tubular flowers in early to mid summer. Flower colors include pink, blue, red, purple, and white. …

Salvia × sylvestris ‘Blauhügel’ BLUE HILL. This salvia cultivar is a compact plant which typically grows only to 20″ tall. Features densely-flowered, spike-like racemes of pure blue flowers which bloom in June and continue throughout the summer. Flowers are attractive to bees and butterflies. A mint family member which has narrow, dark green, basal leaves (to 5″) and smaller stem …