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!

Aster oblongifolius 'Raydon's Favorite'

Height: 24 inches

Spread: 24 inches

Sunlight: full sun partial shade

Hardiness Zone: 4a

Other Names: Michaelmas Daisy

Description:
This vigorous native selection forms a nice clump, smothered with beautiful, daisy-like, violet-blue flowers with yellow centers in fall; puts on an amazing show even on hot, dry sites; needs sun and good drainage for best flowering

Ornamental Features:

Raydon's Favorite Aster has masses of beautiful violet daisy flowers with blue overtones and yellow eyes at the ends of the stems from early to late fall, which are most effective when planted in groupings. The flowers are excellent for cutting. Its narrow leaves remain dark green in color throughout the season.

Landscape Attributes:

Raydon's Favorite Aster is a dense herbaceous perennial with a mounded form. Its relatively fine texture sets it apart from other garden plants with less refined foliage.

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 bees and 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: Disease

Raydon's Favorite Aster is recommended for the following landscape applications:

- Mass Planting
- General Garden Use
- Groundcover
- Container Planting

Planting & Growing:
Raydon's Favorite Aster will grow to be about 24 inches tall at maturity, with a spread of 24 inches. 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 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 somewhat tolerant of urban pollution. 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.

Raydon's Favorite Aster 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. 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.

Aster novae-angliae 'Purple Dome'

This compact, densely branched perennial is perfect for today's gardener. Requiring little work or care, it resists disease and adapts to a wide range of growing conditions. 'Purple Dome' makes an excellent companion for spring and early summer flowering perennials. Its individual flowers feature royal purple rings of petals and bright yellow centers that are certain to catch the eye of pollinators in search of late season nectar.

Schizachyrium scoparium 'Standing Ovation'

Showy seed heads. Blue-green foliage. Upright. Native. USDA 3-9

Schizachyrium scoparium 'Standing Ovation'

Patent: PP25202

Height: 4 feet

Spread: 20 inches

Sunlight: full sun

Hardiness Zone: 3a

Other Names: Little Bluestem
Description:
An excellent variety for hot, dry areas with consistent green-blue, ribbon-like foliage that takes on hues of violet-purple in fall; silvery white seed heads persist well into winter; an outstanding accent plant

Ornamental Features:
Standing Ovation Bluestem's attractive grassy leaves are dark green in color with showy silvery blue variegation and tinges of purple on a plant with an upright spreading habit of growth. As an added bonus, the foliage turns a gorgeous violet in the fall. It has masses of beautiful spikes of purple flowers rising above the foliage in late summer, which are most effective when planted in groupings.

Landscape Attributes:
Standing Ovation Bluestem is an herbaceous perennial grass with an upright spreading habit of growth. 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 cut back to the ground in late winter before active growth resumes. It has no significant negative characteristics.

Standing Ovation Bluestem is recommended for the following landscape applications:

- Mass Planting
- General Garden Use
- Groundcover

Planting & Growing:
Standing Ovation Bluestem will grow to be about 3 feet tall at maturity, with a spread of 20 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 somewhat tolerant of urban pollution. 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.

Muhlenbergia capillaris

Pink Muhly Grass | Airy pink blooms. Fine, threadlike foliage. Native. USDA 5-9

Muhlenbergia capillaris

Airy pink blooms. Fine, threadlike foliage. Native. USDA 5-9

Panicum virgatum 'Northwind'

Prefers average, medium to wet soils; tolerant of poor soils. Moisture and drought tollerant. Golden blooms in fall. Strong, upright, clumping habit. USDA 5-9

Muhlenbergia capillaris

Airy pink blooms. Fine, threadlike foliage. Native. USDA 5-9

Solidago rugosa 'Fireworks'

Plant Height: 3 feet

Flower Height: 4 feet

Spacing: 24 inches

Sunlight: full sun partial shade

Hardiness Zone: 4a

Ornamental Features:
Fireworks Goldenrod has masses of beautiful ray-like plumes of gold flowers at the ends of the stems from late summer to late fall, which are most effective when planted in groupings. Its narrow leaves remain forest green in color throughout the season.

Landscape Attributes:

Fireworks Goldenrod 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 plant will require occasional maintenance and upkeep, 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. Gardeners should be aware of the following characteristic(s) that may warrant special consideration: Self-Seeding

Fireworks Goldenrod is recommended for the following landscape applications

- Accent
- Mass Planting
- General Garden Use

Planting & Growing:

Fireworks Goldenrod will grow to be about 3 feet tall at maturity extending to 4 feet tall with the flowers, with a spread of 30 inches. When grown in masses or used as a bedding plant, individual plants should be spaced approximately 24 inches apart. It tends to be leggy, with a typical clearance of 1 foot from the ground, and should be underplanted with lower-growing perennials. It grows at a fast 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 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 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.