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!

Echinacea purpurea 'Mellow Yellows'

Flowers emerge creamy-white and turn soft-yellow as they age. USDA 4-8

Echinacea purpurea 'Ruby Star'

Plant Height: 24 inches

Flower Height: 3 feet

Spread: 24 inches

Sunlight: full sun

Hardiness Zone: 3a

Description:
A long flowering variety producing a profusion of ruby-pink flowers from mid-summer to early fall; a vigorous grower with sturdy stems, it really stands out in the late summer garden

Ornamental Features:
Ruby Star Coneflower has masses of beautiful lightly-scented crimson daisy flowers with brown eyes at the ends of the stems from mid summer to mid fall, which are most effective when planted in groupings. The flowers are excellent for cutting. Its pointy leaves remain green in color throughout the season.

Landscape Attributes:
Ruby Star Coneflower is an herbaceous perennial with an upright spreading habit of growth. Its medium texture blends into the garden, but can always be balanced by a couple of finer or coarser plants for an effective composition.

This is a relatively low maintenance plant, and is best cleaned up in early spring before it resumes active growth for the season. It is a good choice for attracting butterflies to your yard, but is not particularly attractive to deer who tend to leave it alone in favor of tastier treats. It has no significant negative characteristics.

Ruby Star Coneflower is recommended for the following landscape applications:

- Mass Planting
- General Garden Use
- Container Planting

Planting & Growing:
Ruby Star Coneflower will grow to be about 24 inches tall at maturity extending to 3 feet tall with the flowers, with a spread of 24 inches. It grows at a medium 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 should only be grown in full sunlight. It is very adaptable to both dry and moist locations, and should do just fine under typical garden conditions. It is considered to be drought-tolerant, and thus makes an ideal choice for a low-water garden or xeriscape application. 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 is a selection of a native North American species. 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.

Ruby Star Coneflower is a fine choice for the garden, but it is also a good selection for planting in outdoor pots and containers. With its upright habit of growth, it is best suited for use as a 'thriller' in the 'spiller-thriller-filler' container combination; plant it near the center of the pot, surrounded by smaller plants and those that spill over the edges. It is even sizeable enough that it can be grown alone in a suitable container. Note that when growing plants in outdoor containers and baskets, they may require more frequent waterings than they would in the yard or garden.

Hibiscus moscheutos "Luna Rose"

8" deep rose blooms with red eye. Compact. Tolerates wet sites. USDA 5-9

Sedum spurium 'Fuldaglut'

Red blooms. Deep red foliage. Semi-evergreen Groundcover. USDA 4-8

Sporobolus heterolepis

Plant Height: 24 inches

Flower Height: 3 feet

Spread: 3 feet

Sunlight: full sun, partial shade

Hardiness Zone: 2a

Description:
Native to the Great Plains and Prairies, this extremely fine-textured grass features airy plumes of fine seed heads floating over the grassy foliage in the late season; ideal for restoration projects and flowing hummocky accents in the urban landscape

Ornamental Features:
Prairie Dropseed features delicate plumes of orange flowers rising above the foliage from late summer to early fall. The tan seed heads are carried on showy plumes displayed in abundance from early to late fall. Its threadlike leaves are light green in color. As an added bonus, the foliage turns a gorgeous harvest gold in the fall.

Landscape Attributes:
Prairie Dropseed is an open 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. Deer don't particularly care for this plant and will usually leave it alone in favor of tastier treats. It has no significant negative characteristics.

Prairie Dropseed is recommended for the following landscape applications:
- Mass Planting
- General Garden Use
- Naturalizing And Woodland Gardens

Planting & Growing:
Prairie Dropseed will grow to be about 24 inches tall at maturity extending to 3 feet tall with the flowers, with a spread of 3 feet. Its foliage tends to remain dense right to the ground, not requiring facer plants in front. It grows at a medium 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 is very adaptable to both dry and moist locations, and should do just fine under typical garden conditions. It is considered to be drought-tolerant, and thus makes an ideal choice for a low-water garden or xeriscape application. It is not particular as to soil type or pH, and is able to handle environmental salt. It is somewhat tolerant of urban pollution. This species is native to parts of North America.

Gaura lindheimeri 'Siskiyou Pink'

Rose pink blooms on rigid stems. Naturalizing. USDA 5-8 'Siskiyou Pink' prefers full sun and is happy in average to poor, well-drained soil. Wandflower is a tap-rooted perennial so it is very drought tolerant. The tap root makes these difficult to move once they are settled in, so site them carefully.

Physostegia virginiana 'Pink Manners'

Pink blooms. Compact habit. Slow spreading cultivar. USDA 3-9

Rudbeckia fulgida

Prolific daisy-like blooms. Long bloomer. Self-seeding. Native. USDA 3-9

Rudbeckia fulgida var. deamii

Plant Height: 24 inches

Flower Height: 3 feet

Spacing: 18 inches

Sunlight: full sun

Hardiness Zone: 3b

Other Names: Black Eyed Susan Description:

This vigorous variety has excellent disease and pest resistance; large yellow flowers with narrow petals and dark brown cones in late summer to early fall; ideal for gardens and containers; will freely self sow when seedheads are not picked

Ornamental Features:

Deam's Coneflower has masses of beautiful yellow daisy flowers with dark brown eyes and a orange flare at the ends of the stems from late summer to early fall, which are most effective when planted in groupings. The flowers are excellent for cutting. Its pointy leaves remain dark green in color throughout the season.

Landscape Attributes:

Deam's Coneflower is an herbaceous perennial with an upright spreading habit of growth. Its medium texture blends into the garden, but can always be balanced by a couple of finer or coarser plants for an effective composition.

This is a relatively low maintenance plant, and should be cut back in late fall in preparation for winter. It is a good choice for attracting butterflies 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: Self-Seeding

Deam's Coneflower is recommended for the following landscape applications:

- Mass Planting
- General Garden Use
- Container Planting
Planting & Growing:

Deam's Coneflower will grow to be about 24 inches tall at maturity extending to 3 feet tall with the flowers, with a spread of 24 inches. When grown in masses or used as a bedding plant, individual plants should be spaced approximately 18 inches apart. It grows at a fast rate, and under ideal conditions can be expected to live for approximately 15 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 should only be grown in full sunlight. It prefers to grow in average to moist conditions, and shouldn't be allowed to dry out. 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 species is native to parts of North America. It can be propagated by division.

Deam's Coneflower is a fine choice for the garden, but it is also a good selection for planting in outdoor pots and containers. With its upright habit of growth, it is best suited for use as a 'thriller' in the 'spiller-thriller-filler' container combination; plant it near the center of the pot, surrounded by smaller plants and those that spill over the edges. It is even sizeable enough that it can be grown alone in a suitable container. Note that when growing plants in outdoor containers and baskets, they may require more frequent waterings than they would in the yard or garden.

Vernonia lettermannii 'Iron Butterfly'

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