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Perennials

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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!

Calamagrostis acutiflora 'Karl Foerster' | Feather Reed Grass

Height: 5 feet

Spread: 32 inches

Sunlight: full sun, partial shade

Hardiness Zone: 3a

Other Names: Feather Reed Grass

Description:
Dramatic red-copper plumes are eye catching during the early to mid summer months; a cool weather performer that looks wonderful in fresh or dried flower arrangements, borders or garden landscapes; heat tolerant and low maintenance

Ornamental Features:
Karl Foerster Reed Grass is primarily grown for its highly ornamental fruit. The tan seed heads are carried on showy plumes displayed in abundance from late summer to late winter. It features bold plumes of brick red flowers with coppery-bronze overtones rising above the foliage in mid summer. Its grassy leaves are green in color. The foliage often turns tan in fall. The gold stems can be quite attractive.

Landscape Attributes:
Karl Foerster Reed Grass 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 plant will require occasional maintenance and upkeep, and is best cut back to the ground in late winter before active growth resumes. It has no significant negative characteristics.

Karl Foerster Reed Grass is recommended for the following landscape applications:

- Vertical Accent
- Mass Planting
- General Garden Use
- Groundcover
- Naturalizing And Woodland Gardens
- Container Planting

Planting & Growing:
Karl Foerster Reed Grass will grow to be about 4 feet tall at maturity, with a spread of 32 inches. 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 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 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.

Karl Foerster Reed Grass 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.

Calamagrostis acutiflora 'Karl Foerster'

Upright. Pink-purple feathery summer blooms. Prefers moist soils. Tolerates clay and sandy soils. USDA 5-9

Dicentra spectabilis

Height: 3 feet

Spacing: 30 inches

Sunlight: partial shade full shade

Hardiness Zone: 1b

Other Names: Old Fashioned Bleeding Heart

Description:
Bushy upright mounded selection features blue-green fern-like foliage and arching stems of heart shaped locket flowers with white protruding petals; excellent for shaded borders and beds; beautiful cut flower; goes into summer dormancy

Ornamental Features:
Common Bleeding Heart features delicate nodding pink heart-shaped flowers with white tips dangling from the stems from late spring to early summer. Its ferny compound leaves remain bluish-green in color throughout the season.

Landscape Attributes:
Common Bleeding Heart is an herbaceous perennial with a mounded form. Its relatively fine texture sets it apart from other garden plants with less refined 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 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.

Common Bleeding Heart is recommended for the following landscape applications:
- Mass Planting
- General Garden Use
- Planting & Growing

Common Bleeding Heart 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 medium 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! As this plant tends to go dormant in summer, it is best interplanted with late-season bloomers to hide the dying foliage.

This plant does best in partial shade to 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 pH, but grows best in rich soils. It is somewhat tolerant of urban pollution. Consider applying a thick mulch around the root zone over the growing season to conserve soil moisture. This species is not originally from North America. It can be propagated by division.