Perennials

Perennials

Our enthusiastic and extremely knowledgeable perennials team is here to answer your questions and help you choose the best perennials for your situation. There’s always something in bloom for sun, shade, butterflies, birds or deer resistance  as well as a variety of bulbs for your space.

Stroll through our time-tested favorites and introduce yourself to the newest varieties. We garden with perennials too; we love them and it shows!

Carex elata Aurea

Plant Height: 18 inches

Flower Height: 24 inches

Spread: 18 inches

Sunlight: full sun, partial shade

Hardiness Zone: 4b

Other Names: Tufted Sedge, Bowles' Golden Grass

Description:
This sedge has spectacular bright gold-yellow foliage with thin green margins and is taller than most others; an excellent choice as a highlight plant for a shade or water garden; moisture loving and needs to be constantly wet or moist to thrive

Ornamental Features:
Bowles' Golden Sedge is primarily valued in the garden for its cascading habit of growth. Its attractive grassy leaves emerge lime green in spring, turning yellow in color with prominent green stripes. The foliage often turns brown in fall. The tan seed heads are carried on plumes in late summer.

Landscape Attributes:
Bowles' Golden Sedge is an herbaceous perennial grass with a shapely form and gracefully arching stems. It brings an extremely fine and delicate texture to the garden composition and should be used to full effect.

This is a relatively low maintenance plant, and is best cleaned up in early spring before it resumes active growth for the season. It has no significant negative characteristics.

Bowles' Golden Sedge is recommended for the following landscape applications:

- Mass Planting
- Border Edging
- General Garden Use
- Groundcover
- Container Planting
- Bog Gardens

Planting & Growing:
Bowles' Golden Sedge will grow to be about 18 inches tall at maturity extending to 24 inches tall with the flowers, with a spread of 18 inches. Its foliage tends to remain dense right to the ground, not requiring facer plants in front. It grows at a slow rate, and under ideal conditions can be expected to live for approximately 10 years. As an herbaceous perennial, this plant will usually die back to the crown each winter, and will regrow from the base each spring. Be careful not to disturb the crown in late winter when it may not be readily seen!

This plant does best in full sun to partial shade. It prefers to grow in moist to wet soil, and will even tolerate some standing water. It is not particular as to soil type or pH. It is somewhat tolerant of urban pollution. Consider applying a thick mulch around the root zone in both summer and winter to conserve soil moisture and protect it in exposed locations or colder microclimates. This is a selected variety of a species not originally from North America. It can be propagated by division; however, as a cultivated variety, be aware that it may be subject to certain restrictions or prohibitions on propagation.

Bowles' Golden Sedge is a fine choice for the garden, but it is also a good selection for planting in outdoor pots and containers. It can be used either as 'filler' or as a 'thriller' in the 'spiller-thriller-filler' container combination, depending on the height and form of the other plants used in the container planting. Note that when growing plants in outdoor containers and baskets, they may require more frequent waterings than they would in the yard or garden.

Monarda didyma 'Jacob Cline'

Height: 4 feet

Spacing: 30 inches

Sunlight: full sun partial shade

Hardiness Zone: 3a

Other Names: Bergamot, Oswego Tea

Ornamental Features:
Jacob Cline Beebalm has masses of beautiful clusters of fragrant red flowers at the ends of the stems from mid to late summer, which are most effective when planted in groupings. The flowers are excellent for cutting. Its fragrant pointy leaves remain forest green in color throughout the season.

Landscape Attributes:

Jacob Cline Beebalm is an herbaceous perennial with an upright spreading habit of growth. Its relatively coarse texture can be used to stand it apart from other garden plants with finer foliage.

This plant will require occasional maintenance and upkeep, and should be cut back in late fall in preparation for winter. It is a good choice for attracting bees, butterflies and hummingbirds to your yard, but is not particularly attractive to deer who tend to leave it alone in favor of tastier treats. Gardeners should be aware of the following characteristic(s) that may warrant special consideration: Spreading, Self-Seeding

Jacob Cline Beebalm is recommended for the following landscape applications:

- Mass Planting
- General Garden Use
- Naturalizing And Woodland Gardens

Planting & Growing:

Jacob Cline Beebalm will grow to be about 3 feet tall at maturity, with a spread of 3 feet. When grown in masses or used as a bedding plant, individual plants should be spaced approximately 30 inches apart. It grows at a fast rate, and under ideal conditions can be expected to live for approximately 5 years. As an herbaceous perennial, this plant will usually die back to the crown each winter, and will regrow from the base each spring. Be careful not to disturb the crown in late winter when it may not be readily seen!
This plant does best in full sun to partial shade. It is very adaptable to both dry and moist locations, and should do just fine under typical garden conditions. It is not particular as to soil type or pH. It is highly tolerant of urban pollution and will even thrive in inner city environments. This particular variety is an interspecific hybrid. It can be propagated by division; however, as a cultivated variety, be aware that it may be subject to certain restrictions or prohibitions on propagation.

Monarda didyma 'Fistulosa'

Showy clusters of lavender, pink or white pom pom flowers. Aromatic leaves. Native. Clay tolerant. USDA 3-9

Monarda x 'Raspberry Wine'

Magenta blooms. Fragrant foliage. Mildew resistant. USDA 4-9

Vernonia lettermannii 'Iron Butterfly'

Purple blooms. Fine foliage. Well branched. Compact habit. USDA 4-9

Convallaria majalis

Plants form a spreading clump of large green leaves, bearing short spikes of fragrant white bells in late spring. Takes a year or two to establish, then spreads quickly. USDA 3-8

Helleborus x Royal Heritage

Blooms in purple, red, pink, green, & white. Evergreen. USDA 4-9

Dianthus 'Neon Star'

Fragrant fluorescent pink frilly blooms. Compact. USDA 5-9