Garden Time Part One: Perennials

Article and Photos By: Emily Clark

Part One of Three

Poppies

 

Bed Of Roses

It’s the time of year when gardeners start to get itchy. It feels like spring and looks like spring, but is it really time to plant?

Yes it is! And no, it’s not. Unfortunately Utah’s weather is unpredictable at best, but the commonly known rule of gardening in Utah is to start after Mother’s Day or the 15^th. Whichever comes later.

However, if you simply cannot wait then perennials are the option for you. These hardy plants are the ones that come back every year. If we have a frost or if it freezes they probably won’t die because of this.

That said they may not look very pretty for awhile if that happens either.  It won’t necessarily stunt their growth or kill them though, and as long as it warms up quickly (as it usually does after a Utah spring snow storm or frost) then they liven up again right quick. It is a good idea to put them in now so that you’ll have nice healthy and well rooted plants by the end of summer.

I Will Survive (Perennials)

Most perennials won’t bloom for more than a season (ie: spring or summer), if you’re lucky a season and a half, but the green foliage looks better than an empty bed and you don’t have to replant them every year.

·         Walking on Sunshine—For Sun or Part Shade: Hollyhocks, Columbine, Clematis, Daylilies, Phlox bushes, paeonia (aka: Peony), Echinacea, Hemerocallis, Iris, Geranium (wild), Tickseed, Bee Balm, Lupine, Thrift, Campanula, Saxifrage, Candy Tuft, Rock Cress, Daisies, Blanket Flower, Rudbeckia, Poppies, Heuchera, Salvia, Delphinium, Snap Dragons, Scabiosa, Foxglove, Ice Plants, Hens and Chicks

Columbine

·         Ain’t No Sunshine When Your Gone— For Shade: Vinca Vine, Forget-Me-Nots, Bleeding Heart, Hostas, Pansies (although pansies can handle some sun), Trailing Phlox

Pink Flowers: Bleeding Hearts, Purple Flowers: Trailing Phlox, Blue Flowers: Forget-Me-Nots

 

Orange Blossom Special (Extras)

·         Most perennials you’ll find in Utah green houses and nurseries will be sun or part sun.

·         Heuchera only blooms for one season, but the leaves are so bright and colorful that they’re a great option if consistent color is what you’re after.

Heuchera

·         Don’t confuse annual Geraniums with perennial Geraniums. They are very different in appearance.

·         Don’t confuse annual Salvia with perennial Salvia. They are also quite different in appearance.

·         Clematises are climbing plants and are great for trellises.

·         Vinca vine can become somewhat weed-like over time if not kept trimmed.

·         Candy Tuft, Rock Cress, Trailing Phlox and Saxifrage are great flowers for borders and for rock gardens because they will spread.

·         Ice Plants and Hens and Chicks are succulents—meaning drought tolerant. They don’t need to be watered as much as other plants.

Every Rose Has Its Thorn (Maintenance)

The nice thing about perennials is they are incredibly hardy plants, still you’ll want to check the labels on them when you purchase them, or look them up online for more specific care instructions.

The perennials that I have found to be the most resilient are Hens and Chicks, Ice Plants, Pansies, Iris, Daylilies, Poppies, Salvia, Dianthus (Sweet William), Rock Cress, Candy Tuft and Vinca Vine to name a few.

Hens and Chicks

Now, that’s not to say the others won’t thrive or aren’t hardy. That’s the nice thing about perennials.

Flight of the Bumblebees (Attracts Bees)

·         Hollyhocks

·         Echinacea

·         Bee Balm (Surprise, surprise.)

·         Lupine

·         Campanula

·         Salvia

Salvia

·         Delphinium

·         Snap Dragons

·         Scabiosa

·         Fox Glove

·         Rudbeckia

·         Blanket Flower

Butterflies and Hurricanes (Butterflies)

·         Phlox Bushes

·         Blanket Flowers

·         Blazing Star aka Liatris spicta

·         Tickseed

·         Coreopsis

Coreopsis

·         Echinacea

·         Sedum

·         Black-eyed Susan

·         Rudbeckia

·         Bee Balm

Three Little Birds (Hummingbirds)

·         Bee Balm

·         Columbine

·         Daylilies

·         Foxglove

Foxglove

·         Campanula (Bell Flower)

·         Delphinium

·         Salvia

·         Hollyhocks

If you would like to garden, but don't know if there is a space for you to do so please send us an email. If you have any other questions about perennials please leave us a comment.

Join us next week for part two of Garden Time. We’ll be talking about fruit and vegetable gardening. 

(All titles are songs.)