Tag Archives: salvia

Power Perennials

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It’s peak season for summer-blooming perennials – the easiest way to enjoy reliable flowers all summer without having to replant annuals. If you’re considering adding perennials to your garden or expanding the collection you already have, now is the time.

My list of power perennials are plants with an abundance of flowers and a long bloom cycle. They are also water-wise, adaptable, and low-maintenance.

Here are some of my favorites:

Achellia (Yarrow). This tried and true perennial has several exotic cultivars that are just as versatile and tough as the old-fashioned, and still popular, bright yellow ‘Moonshine’. The flowers of Achellia millefolium ‘Sassy Summer Sangria’ are a multitude of individual deep coral-red florets with a white eye and ‘Sassy Summer Sunset’ has red-orange florets with a yellow eye. Woody stems hold the flower heads above a clump of soft, feathery green-gray foliage. Achellia does best in well-drained average soil with some supplemental water, but once established it will tolerate short periods of drought.

Salvia (Sage). A large genus that includes several species and numerous cultivars. Here, I am focus on Salvia nemorosa. ‘Marcus’, one of the most compact cultivars, has deep purple flower spikes above a low basal clump of silvery-green foliage. Its diminutive size and uniform appearance make it a good choice for a seasonal border or edging a perennial garden. ‘Rose Marvel’ has small leaves along upright stems with flower spikes lined composed of rose-colored florets. Its unique color and form add continuity when repeated in combination with other plants. Salvia will bloom throughout summer if the spent flower heads are removed. It thrives in full sun and may become leggy with too much moisture or not enough sun.

Nepeta (Catnip). Hybrid Nepeta x faassenii has low, spreading stems of soft gray-green foliage that extend outward horizontally giving the plant a graceful, symmetrical appearance. Each stem develops a flower spike at the end making the plant a solid mass color when in bloom. ‘Walker’s Low’ has light blue flowers and may reach more than 24″ across in a single season making it an excellent seasonal ground cover or colorful mass planting. ‘Cat’s Pajamas’ is a compact cultivar with indigo blue flowers and rosy-purple calyxes that remain after the flowers are spent. Catnip x faassenii hybrids have a long growth season – foliage emerges in early spring and plants continue to bloom until frost. If plants become leggy mid-season, cut them back to encourage a new flush of foliage and flowers.

This summer is a great time to add perennials to your garden while there is still a good selection in nurseries. If you are not ready to plant, make notes and take pictures of your favorites and I can help you identify them.

If you’re ready to start fresh, renovate or just need a change, now is the time to evaluate your garden and complete design plans to execute this fall.

Need more ideas? Contact me for a design consultation to learn about landscape design or how to maximize the impact of plantings for any spot in your garden.

A Haven For Hummingbirds

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Hummingbirds are one of the most popular and esteemed visitors to any garden. Why are we so fascinated by them? Is it the familiar humming sound they make as they hover with the precision of a drone? Or is it the way they dart from flower to flower with energy and determination?

Aster

If you want to attract hummingbirds to your garden, plant what they love. These intriguing little birds will appear like magic if you give them the goods. The same flowers you plant to attract hummingbirds will attract other friendly pollinators that want to join in the flower power.

Not all hummingbirds migrate south during the winter. Those that do, put on weight before their long migration, expending more than half their body weight in reaching their destinations. Those that don’t leave, seek late-blooming perennials such as salvia that bloom until frost. During wintertime they search for any nectar-rich flowers that might still be blooming and will also frequent well stocked humming bird feeders.

Here are some hardy summer and autumn blooming perennials that you can plant now. They will keep hummingbirds around and also refresh your garden when other perennials are declining at the end of summer.

Asters

Asters bloom profusely from late summer until frost. Their dense habit, bright green foliage, and delicate flowers give a tired perennial border a fresh look just when it needs it the most. This is a great choice for mass plantings.

Nepeta (catnip)

Nepeta blooms from late spring until frost making it one of the longest-blooming perennials in this region. Cutting it back mid-season will keep plants tidy and force a new flush of foliage and flowers. There are several varieties to choose from.

Salvia guaranitica ‘Black and Blue’ (Black And Bloom Salvia)

This variety of salvia is a favorite among hummingbirds and its grass-green foliage and deep blue flowers are a dramatic addition to a perennial border. Racemes holding delicate black buds emerge at the end of waist-high woody stems making them easy for hummingbirds to access and giving onlookers an excellent vantage point.

Agastache (Hummingbird Mint)

The name pretty much says it all. Most varieties bloom throughout summer and into fall. Their tidy upright habit makes them a good vertical feature in a perennial border. They are easy to grow and a multitude of tiny flowers on spire-like racemes have a luscious scent.

MORE IDEAS

Upgrading your garden this spring is a great way to prepare for summer!

If you’re looking for more ideas, please contact me for a design consultation to learn about landscape design or how to maximize the impact of plantings for any spot in your garden.

Hard Working Perennials For Lazy Gardeners

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Do you crave a profusion of flowers in the spring and summer? An investment in blooming perennials will bring those glorious blossoms to your garden. Depending on the variety, perennials bloom from spring through autumn and come back bigger and better each year, needing only occasional dividing. If you want to attract bees, butterflies and hummingbirds to your garden, planting perennials is one of the best ways to do it.

Here are three of my favorite perennials that thrive in a sunny location without a lot of water or special care. All you need to do to keep these plants tidy and encourage flower production is remove spent flowers during the growing season.

Penstemon (Beardtongue)

Penstemon x ‘Pretty Petticoat’

Penstemon come in a variety of shapes, colors, and bloom times—so you’re sure to find one that work for your garden. Penstemon does best in a sunny location, tolerates imperfect soil, and is drought tolerant once it’s established. Some varieties bloom with multiple spires of flowers held upright on woody stems, while others have sweeping sprays of flowers on low, bushy plants. Plant Beardtongue in masses of a single color or mixed colors or repeat them throughout a perennial border for continuity. You can also use them to add color among broadleaf evergreens or spring-blooming plants that have finished blooming for the season. For example, low and bushy Penstemon heterophyllus ‘Electric Blue’ is covered with a multitude of iridescent blue flowers all summer. By contrast, tidy-looking Penstemon digitalis ‘Pretty Petticoats’ has upright stems with sturdy stalks of flowers that keep coming until frost.

Salvia

Salvia is another large genus of flowering perennials and plants. Some varieties have masses of flowers on rounded, twiggy plants, while others are herbaceous with upright flower stalks originating from a basal clump. Salvia requires sun but it’s not too picky about soil and can thrive without a lot of water. Herbaceous varieties can be cut back mid-season if the flowering stems become leggy or fall over under the weight of rain. This is truly one of the easiest plants to grow. Salvia guaranitica ‘Black and Bloom,’ with its vibrant deep blue flowers and unique black anthers, is a favorite of hummingbirds (it’s often one of the last plants in the garden still blooming when their food supply is becoming scarce). In the Pacific Northwest, salvia emerges in late spring when it starts to warm up. A sunny site is optimal, but this perennial will bloom even in part sun.

Perovskia atriplicifolia (Russian Sage)

This drought-tolerant perennial thrives in soil that is less than perfect. Varieties like ‘Blue Jean Baby’ are about 36″ tall while the straight species can easily reach 48″ in height. Russian Sage looks great planted en masse or at the back of perennial border where it adds a tall, unifying element. Smaller forms like ‘Denim ‘n’ Lace’ mix well as a contrast to other drought-tolerant perennials. Plant these smaller varieties with Lavender, Salvia, and Lamb’s Ears (Stachys bizantina) or Daisy Bush (Brachyglottis greyi) to create a medley of soft shades of blue, purple, violet and silvery gray.

More ideas

With spring here, revitalizing your garden is a great way to welcome the season!

If you’re looking for more ideas, please contact me for a design consultation to learn about landscape design or how to maximize the impact of plantings for any spot in your garden.

What’s Down This Fall?

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Acer palmatum ‘Purple Ghost’

With the arrival of much needed rains, it seems that we may not have an Indian Summer in the Pacific Northwest this year. Another sure sign of fall, I saw the first mushroom of the season clinging to the root of a spent tomatoe plant when pulling it up to discard it. Some perennials in your garden may also be looking spent, but others, like Rudbeckia, many types of Salvia and Asters will continue to bloom until frost.

With shorter days and cooler temperatures ahead, it may seem like time to to turn the focus toward indoor activities. But any gardener knows, the real work of making gardens begins now. Fall is one of the the best times to evaluate your landscaping and make changes. Maybe you are ready for an overhaul or just want a new look. Some types of plants are best planted in the fall and will grow roots until the ground freezes so, come next summer, they need less water to thrive. Even if you don’t intend to take any action right away, fall and winter is a good time to plan changes to your garden to implement next spring. Taking pictures each season allows you look back and see what is working best, record your successes and watch your garden mature. Also note which areas need a boost in order to look better at this time next year. If you are working with a garden designer, sharing these images is a good way to start a conversation.

A garden that starts with structural plant elements (good bones) will look good all year long and may become the focus during late fall and winter when branches are bare, perennials are dormant and most blooming plants are not producing flowers. For beginners this is a good place to start and build from. Or, if your garden has never had a plan or lacks unity, looking at it through this lens may be eye opening and give you some ideas about where to focus on or where to get help.

With thousands of plants to choose from, it may seem like an overwhelming task to select plants that look good and support your overall landscape plan. Identifying the type plants you favor is a good place to start. With that information, a garden designer can figure out which ones will thrive in your garden and how those can fit into a cohesive plan.

I hope this blog post helps you get started thinking about enhancing your garden. If you are not a gardener or don’t have the time, you can work with a landscape designer to be able to enjoy the beauty and benefits of curated outdoors spaces.

Need more ideas? Contact me for a design consultation and learn about landscape design or the best plants for any spot in your garden.

What’s All the Buzz About?

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It’s spring!

This week I saw the first bumble bee of the season enjoying the flowers on a luxurious mass of Vinca minor cascading over a rockery in one of my clients garden. (Also called lesser periwinkle or dwarf periwinkle, the plant’s deep violet-blue flowers inspired the name for the color “periwinkle blue.”)

photo of a flowering garden that attracts bees, hummingbirds and butterflies

If you want to attract bees, hummingbirds and even butterflies to your garden, all it takes is the right plants and flowers. Here are some easy-to-grow, low-maintenance plants that will give your garden some flower power.

To draw honeybees (and support endangered bee populations), plant Monarda didyma (Bee Balm). The cultivar ‘Jacob Cline’ will reach over 5′ and provide raspberry-red flowers all summer long. Showy zinnias will attract honey bees to your vegetable or cutting garden, and lavender and rosemary are also favorites.

To attract hummingbirds, try adding salvia to your flower beds. Salvia is a highly variable plant with numerous named cultivars. My favorites are Salvia guarantitica ‘Black and Blue’ (Blue Anise Sage) and Salvia microphylla ‘Orange Door’ (Big Orange Mountain Sage). Both bloom profusely from summer until frost. In late fall, when food sources are getting scarce, salvia is often still blooming so hummingbirds will keep appearing in your garden.

Perennials such as asters, phlox, and stonecrop will attract butterflies (and support these declining pollinators). Eupatorium (Joe-Bye Weed) will grow tall and with its unusual large, smokey-rose colored flowers is great at the back of a perennial border. If you grow annuals, snapdragons and lantana are good choices. Mint is also a magnet for butterflies, but keeping in mind that it’s invasive, and so best planted in a container.

Gardening is a great way to spend some time outdoors. What better way to get some fresh air, exercise and peace of mind? If you are not a gardener or don’t have the time, you can still enjoy the beauty and benefits of curated outdoors spaces. If you need more ideas, contact me for a design consultation and learn about flowering plants, design or the best plants for any spot in your garden.