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Perennials have become an indispensable ingredient for beautiful gardens. Their colorful flowers, variety of leaf textures and range of size and forms make perennials a very versatile element for designing gardens.
In addition to the design benefits, perennials also attract butterflies, pollinators and birds that enhance our environment and add to our enjoyment of gardening.
But there was a time when perennials were overlooked and underused in American gardens.
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| Good Dirt: David Yost Blogs His Gardening Adventures |
 For Father's Day, The Gift
Of Gardening Deserves Consideration
One of the things I enjoy most about gardening is experimenting with new plants, ideas and products.
Three years ago, I tried the Topsy Turvy Upside Down Tomato Planter. I was negligent in watering and my tomato plant dried up and died.
Year 2 was going to be different. I had learned from my mistakes and was going to be a better gardener, but a wren had built her nest and laid her eggs in the planter before I got to it.
Complete Story >>
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Can't Decide What Perennials To Add To Your Garden?
Our Perennial Experts Offer Their Recommendations
Perennials have become an indispensable ingredient for beautiful gardens. Their colorful flowers, variety of leaf textures and range of size and forms make perennials a very versatile element for designing gardens.
In addition to the design benefits, perennials also attract butterflies, pollinators and birds that enhance our environment and add to our enjoyment of gardening.
But there was a time when perennials were overlooked and underused in American gardens.
Until about 25 years ago, landscapes were dominated by hedges of evergreens, shade trees and a few flowering shrubs here and there with large lawns. Some enthusiasts and cottage garden-style landscapes incorporated perennials into their designs while encouraging others to give them a try.
The idea eventually caught on. And we now have thousands of wonderful perennials to choose from. While there are perennials blooming in all the seasons of the year, June is the month when they take center stage. Yarrow, astilbe, campanula, daisy, coreopsis, foxglove, geranium, dayliliy, Asiatic lily, penstemon and many other perennials begin flowering this month.
Just trying to decide what to plant can be a challenge. To help tackle this challenge, we asked several of our horticulturists for advice and recommendations.
Peg Bier, one of the stars of our popular television show “Merrifield’s Gardening Advisor,” caught the perennial bug from her mother and has been growing and teaching others about perennials ever since. Peg was instrumental in raising the profile of our perennials section, from a modest selection in the late 1970’s to over 6,000 varieties and prime-time display today.
When asked to suggest a few plants that deserve our attention, Peg suggests agastache ‘Golden Jubilee’ - a new introduction with yellow leaves. Thriving in sunny areas, ‘Golden Jubilee’ attracts bees, butterflies and birds.
Peg also is a fan of dianthus, an evergreen perennial that will repeat flower if you cut it back after the first bloom. Dianthus, which features red, pink or white flowers, requires a minimum of five to six hours of sunlight per day.
For part sun or afternoon shade conditions, Peg suggests checking out the many varieties of heuchera. Their colorful leaves brighten up a shade garden, and they’re wonderful additions to container gardens. Peg said that the University of Georgia tested ‘Georgia Peach’ and ‘Peach Flambe’, and they survived the summer heat quite well!
Brunnera offers beautiful forget-me-not flowers in spring and gorgeous foliage all summer. They thrive in moist, but well-drained soil in the shade garden. Try ‘Jack Frost’ with its silvery leaves.
David Yost, who stars with Peg on “Merrifield’s Gardening Advisor,” can’t name his favorite perennial. He wants them all. But with a small townhouse garden, this is impossible.
David’s strategy is to pick a color scheme and stick with it. In his shade garden, he has hakonechloa ‘Aurea’ winding through to provide a sense of unity with its yellow color and weeping form. But you’ll need some patience and allow a few years for it to fill in. Tradescantia ‘Sweet Kate’ has been wonderful with year round interest and the striking contrast between the yellow leaves and purple flowers. Where he gets a few hours of sun, David grows an old night blooming yellow variety of daylily called citrina that is wonderfully fragrant.
Steve Gable, a self-described “Plant Geek” who manages the perennial section at our Merrifield and Gainesville locations, recommends stokesia ‘Peachie’s Pick’. At 10 to 12” tall, it looks like a bouquet of lavender-pink flowers in July and August. It thrives in full sun and a fertile, well-drained soil. The large, 3” flowers of ‘Peachie’s Pick’ make it Steve’s favorite of the group of Stoke's Aster. He rates ‘Honeysong Purple’ a close second. Butterflies seem to enjoy it as much as he does.
Steve was getting weary of yarrow until he saw the achillea ‘Pomegranate’. The flowers, which open in June above 24” stems, are a rich, cherry red that doesn’t fade in the summer heat. If you prune back this plant after the flowers are finished, it’ll produce more flowers within a few weeks. Yarrow, which prefers full sun, is a hit with butterflies. It can also be used as dried flowers.
Another perennial to try is Baptisia ‘Purple Smoke’. Not only does it boast gorgeous, purple-blue flowers, but it features purple stems to support the flower clusters. This sun-loving perennial will look much like a shrub at maturity.
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| Good Dirt: David Yost Blogs His Gardening Adventures |
For Father's Day, The Gift Of Gardening Deserves Consideration
One of the things I enjoy most about gardening is experimenting with new plants, ideas and products.
Three years ago, I tried the Topsy Turvy Upside Down Tomato Planter. I was negligent in watering and my tomato plant dried up and died.
Year 2 was going to be different. I had learned from my mistakes and was going to be a better gardener, but a wren had built her nest and laid her eggs in the planter before I got to it.
Now in Year 3, my Black Krim tomato is looking great, flowering and off to a good start. The Topsy Turvy is a nifty idea, but you must be reliable in keeping it watered.
Recognizing that I sometimes fall short on watering, I have also planted tomatoes in an Earthbox. The Earthbox supports two tomato plants and has a reservoir of water in the bottom that has to be refilled about once a week.
I think this is going to be the ideal solution for my style of gardening (well intentioned, but limited time). I planted an Early Girl and Orange Oxheart just after Mother’s Day and the plants are already 20” tall and setting fruit - and the squirrels are leaving them alone. I know it’s too early to claim victory, but for now I’m giving the Earthbox a big thumbs up!
The other thing I’m excited about is my new hummingbird feeder. I’ve tried hummingbird feeders before, and after going through feeders that leak, attract ants but no hummers, I’m finally having some success! Following the advice of several customers, I make my own “nectar” and keep it fresh by refilling a couple times each week. Now when I can find those brief moments of time to hang out on the deck, I’m surrounded by healthy tomatoes, cucumbers and hummingbirds - and life is good.
With Father’s Day approaching, I thought this would be a good time to share some of what’s working in my garden and suggest that any one of these products would make wonderful gifts. Of course, there are many ways to show love and appreciation to our Dads and that’s what’s important. But the gift of gardening deserves consideration. It’s a gift that anyone can enjoy and keeps on giving long after Father’s Day has passed. Happy Father’s Day!
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Hummingbirds: With the attraction of the blooming perennials, hummingbird activity is picking up throughout our area. To encourage these delicate beauties to stay in your garden, we suggest that you put up a hummingbird feeder. Remember to keep the nectar in your feeder fresh by changing it twice a week.
Roses: Remove old, fading flowers to keep your roses blooming. For hybrid tea, floribunda and climbing roses, the flowers should be removed just above a leaf with at least five leaflets. This ensures that the next bud will be strong enough to produce a nice flower. Knock Out and other shrub roses can be lightly sheared to shape them and encourage new blooms. If Japanese beetles become a problem, pick them off and drop them into a jar of soapy water or spray your plants with PowerForce Multi-Insect Killer.
Fertilizer: We recommend fertilizing annuals, perennials and flowering shrubs and trees with Merrifield Flowering Plant Food, a custom blend containing slow-release nitrogen, sulfate of potash, iron and other micro-nutrients to stimulate overall plant growth and development.
Lawns: It's time to get your lawn prepared for the hot summer months. Raise mower blades to a 3” cutting height for tall fescue lawns, 2” for Kentucky bluegrass and 1” for zoysia. Apply Ringer Lawn Restore (1 bag per 5,000 sq. ft.) to invigorate your lawn and suppress disease problems and it is time to make another application of Preen Lawn Crabgrass Preventer to stop late summer weeds from showing up. This is also a good time to protect your lawn from grub damage with Bayer Advanced Season Long Grub Control.
Water Gardens: Algae is a common problem in water gardens at this time of year. Water hyacinths and water lilies will help to shade the water and cut down on algae growth. Adding Microbe Lift PL on a regular basis will also help to maintain water quality and clarity.
Mosquitoes: To control mosquitoes in fountains, birdbaths or wherever water accumulates, use Mosquito Dunks every 30 days. Mosquito Dunks are a biological mosquito control with natural organic materials. Each Mosquito Dunk treats 100 sq. ft. of surface area of standing water.
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