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!

Clematis 'Henryi'

Height: 10 feet

Spread: 24 inches

Sunlight: full sun

Hardiness Zone: 4a

Description:
A positively stunning climber with enormous snowy white flowers with reddish amber centers from mid summer on, looks nothing short of amazing trailing over a dark structure or against a dark wall

Ornamental Features:
Henryi Hybrid Clematis features showy white star-shaped flowers with dark red anthers at the ends of the branches from mid summer to mid fall. It has green deciduous foliage. The compound leaves do not develop any appreciable fall color.

Landscape Attributes:
Henryi Hybrid Clematis is a multi-stemmed deciduous woody vine with a twining and trailing habit of growth. Its average texture blends into the landscape, but can be balanced by one or two finer or coarser trees or shrubs for an effective composition.

This is a relatively low maintenance woody vine. It is a Type 2 clematis, which means it will bloom primarily on old wood of the previous season, with a second flush later in summer. Dead and weak vines should be removed in late winter, and remaining vines should be trimmed back to the first buds that are seen to remove dead stems. It is a good choice for attracting hummingbirds to your yard. It has no significant negative characteristics.

Henryi Hybrid Clematis is recommended for the following landscape applications:

- Accent
- Hedges/Screening
- General Garden Use
- Container Planting

Planting & Growing:
Henryi Hybrid Clematis will grow to be about 10 feet tall at maturity, with a spread of 24 inches. As a climbing vine, it tends to be leggy near the base and should be underplanted with low-growing facer plants. It should be planted near a fence, trellis or other landscape structure where it can be trained to grow upwards on it, or allowed to trail off a retaining wall or slope. It grows at a medium rate, and under ideal conditions can be expected to live for approximately 20 years.

This woody vine should only be grown in full sunlight. It does best in average to evenly moist conditions, but will not tolerate 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 particular variety is an interspecific hybrid.

Henryi Hybrid Clematis makes a fine choice for the outdoor landscape, but it is also well-suited for use in outdoor pots and containers. Because of its spreading habit of growth, it is ideally suited for use as a 'spiller' in the 'spiller-thriller-filler' container combination; plant it near the edges where it can spill gracefully over the pot. It is even sizeable enough that it can be grown alone in a suitable container. Note that when grown in a container, it may not perform exactly as indicated on the tag - this is to be expected. Also note that when growing plants in outdoor containers and baskets, they may require more frequent waterings than they would in the yard or garden.

Clematis paniculata

Sweetly fragrant white blooms. Attracts hummingbirds. Tolerates deer & shade. Fast growing. USDA 5-9

Paeonia lactiflora 'Shirley Temple'

Height: 3 feet

Spacing: 30 inches

Sunlight: full sun

Hardiness Zone: 2a

Ornamental Features:
Shirley Temple Peony features bold lightly-scented white cup-shaped flowers with shell pink overtones and pink centers at the ends of the stems from late spring to early summer. The flowers are excellent for cutting. Its compound leaves remain green in color throughout the season.

Landscape Attributes:
Shirley Temple Peony is an herbaceous perennial with a more or less rounded form. 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. Deer don't particularly care for this plant and will usually leave it alone in favor of tastier treats. Gardeners should be aware of the following characteristic(s) that may warrant special consideration:

- Disease

Shirley Temple Peony is recommended for the following landscape applications:

- Mass Planting
- General Garden Use

Planting & Growing:
Shirley Temple Peony will grow to be about 30 inches 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. The flower stalks can be weak and so it may require staking in exposed sites or excessively rich soils. It grows at a slow rate, and under ideal conditions can be expected to live for approximately 20 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 pH, but grows best in rich soils. It is somewhat tolerant of urban pollution. 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.

Miscanthus sinensis var. condensatus 'Cosmopolitan'

Copper blooms. Wide arching variegated foliage with creamy white margins and coppery-red flowers USDA 6-9

Pennisetum alopecuroides 'Hameln'

White blooms. Compact. Clumping green foliage. USDA 5-9

Acanthus 'Whitewater'

Bold, variegated evergreen foliage with a mounding, dense base. Tall flowers spikes appear early to mid summer. USDA 7-10.