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!

Coreopsis grandiflora 'Early Sunrise'

Height: 12 inches

Spread: 18 inches

Sunlight: full sun

Hardiness Zone: 3b

Description:
Early blooming with excellent drought tolerance, this variety features beautiful semi-double blooms in golden yellow, rising above mounded, green ferny foliage; excellent addition to borders, cottage gardens or fresh-cut arrangements

Ornamental Features:
Early Sunrise Tickseed is smothered in stunning gold daisy flowers at the ends of the stems from early summer to early fall. The flowers are excellent for cutting. Its ferny leaves remain emerald green in color throughout the season.

Landscape Attributes:
Early Sunrise Tickseed is an open herbaceous perennial with a mounded form. 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 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.

Early Sunrise Tickseed is recommended for the following landscape applications:

- Mass Planting
- Rock/Alpine Gardens
- Border Edging
- General Garden Use
- Container Planting

Planting & Growing:
Early Sunrise Tickseed will grow to be about 12 inches tall at maturity, 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 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 does best in average to evenly moist conditions, but will not tolerate standing water. It is not particular as to soil pH, but grows best in poor 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.

Early Sunrise Tickseed is a fine choice for the garden, but it is also a good selection for planting in outdoor pots and containers. It is often used as a 'filler' in the 'spiller-thriller-filler' container combination, providing a mass of flowers against which the thriller plants stand out. Note that when growing plants in outdoor containers and baskets, they may require more frequent waterings than they would in the yard or garden.

Schizachyrium scoparium 'Prairie Blues'

Upright clumps of slender, flat, linear bluish green leaves. Purplish-bronze blooms. Tolerates black walnut. USDA 3-9

Andropogon virginicus

Foliage turns golden orange in the fall. Clump forming. USDA 5-8

Schizachyrium scoparium

Purple bloom. Upright foliage with blue base. Fall color. Native. USDA 3-9


Eupatorium purpureum ssp. maculatum 'Gateway'

Pink blooms. Tolerates clay & wet soils. Native cultivar. Naturalizing. USDA 4-8

Physostegia virginiana 'Pink Manners'

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

(Eupatorium) Eutrochium dubium 'Baby Joe'

Large fragrant pink blooms. Upright bushy habit. USDA 3-9

Nepeta faassenii 'Cat's Meow'

Dense purple blooms. Fragrant. Tolerates deer, dry & poor soils. USDA 3-8

Kniphofia uvaria 'Flamenco Mix'

Spikes of tubular flowers that may be yellow, red, or orange. Bold, arching clumps of long, narrow, evergreen leaves. USDA 5-9

Penstemon digitalis

Tubular shaped white flowers cover the tops of erect blooming stems, standing tall over top of clumping mounds of lance-shaped dark green leaves. Height 3-4'.

Penstemon attracts bees, butterflies and hummingbirds to the garden. Prefers average, dry to medium well drained soil. Avoid wet poorly drained soil as it will rot. Drought tolerate when established. Deer and rabbit resistant.

- USDA Hardiness Zone(s): 3-8
- Exposure: Full Sun, Part Shade
- Bloom Time(s): April-June

Salvia nemorosa 'Caradonna'

Blue-violet flowers. Fragrant foliage. Long bloomer. Upright and clumping. USDA 4-8

Verbena bonariensis 'Lollipop'

Dense clusters of small, violet flowers. Long bloomer. Toothy dark green leaves. USDA 7-11

Tiarella cordifolia

Plant Height: 6 inches

Flower Height: 12 inches

Spacing: 18 inches

Sunlight: partial shade full shade

Hardiness Zone: 3a

Ornamental Features:
Creeping Foamflower has masses of beautiful spikes of lightly-scented white star-shaped flowers rising above the foliage from mid spring to mid summer, which emerge from distinctive shell pink flower buds, and which are most effective when planted in groupings. Its lobed leaves are green in color. As an added bonus, the foliage turns a gorgeous deep purple in the fall.

Landscape Attributes:

Creeping Foamflower is an herbaceous evergreen perennial with tall flower stalks held atop a low mound of foliage. Its relatively fine texture sets it apart from other garden plants with less refined foliage.
This plant will require occasional maintenance and upkeep, 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. Gardeners should be aware of the following characteristic(s) that may warrant special consideration: Spreading

Creeping Foamflower is recommended for the following landscape applications:

- Mass Planting
- General Garden Use
- Groundcover

Planting & Growing:

Creeping Foamflower will grow to be only 6 inches tall at maturity extending to 12 inches 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. Its foliage tends to remain low and dense right to the ground. It grows at a fast rate, and under ideal conditions can be expected to live for approximately 10 years. As an evegreen perennial, this plant will typically keep its form and foliage year-round.

This plant does best in partial shade to shade. It requires an evenly moist well-drained soil for optimal growth. It is particular about its soil conditions, with a strong preference for rich, acidic soils. It is somewhat tolerant of urban pollution, and will benefit from being planted in a relatively sheltered location. Consider covering it with a thick layer of mulch in winter to protect it in exposed locations or colder microclimates. This species is native to parts of North America. It can be propagated by division.