Perennial plants return year after year and add to your landscape in all sorts of ways. Whether you’re tucking into a small space, creating a pollinator buffet, or looking for a large focal point plant, there’s a perennial for most situations. With a little planning, you can stagger perennial bloom times for a full array of long-lasting color. Kyle Lambert, Perennial Manager has chosen five New for ’22 perennials to highlight.
Paint The Town Red Pinks
Paint your garden magenta-red with this low growing, fragrant beauty. Flowers completely cover the blue-green foliage when blooming in early summer. Intermittent reblooms keep the butterflies coming back. Plant in full sun with average, well drained soil. Grows 6” – 12” H by 12” – 18” W. This Proven Winner is drought tolerant, deer resistant, and great for cut arrangements. Dianthus ‘Paint The Town Fuschia is also new, offering pink flowers with lavender centers.
Sombrero® Rosada Coneflower
Bright rose-pink flowers stand out against purple stems on floriferous and compact plants. Plant in full sun to part shade with average, well drained soil. These drought tolerant Coneflowers bloom in mid summer and intermittently rebloom. Grows 18” – 24” H by 18” – 24” W, attracting butterflies and birds. While good for cutting, we suggest leaving some up over winter as food for birds and nesting for beneficial insects.
Timeless Treasure Coral Bells
A prolific show of rosy pink flowers on mahogany stems will bloom mid summer. The dark veins contrast the pewter foliage. Intermittent reblooms keep butterflies and hummingbirds coming back to your yard. Plant in part shade with average, well drained soil. Grows 10” – 14” H by 12” – 18” W. Flower heights tower above foliage and make nice additions to cut arrangements. Heuchera are a gardener’s favorite for all season interest and resistance to deer.
Luminary™ Backlight Garden Phlox
Pure white flowers against dark green foliage will illuminate the garden. This Proven Winner is mildew-resistant. Plant in full sun to part shade with average soil. Grows 24” – 30” H by 18” – 24” W and will intermittently rebloom, attracting butterflies and hummingbirds. Phlox are also good for cutting so plant enough for the garden and the table!
Rock ‘N Grow® Back in Black Stonecrop
The near-black burgundy foliage provides a nice contrast against other plants in the garden. Late summer brings buds that open to cream flowers with deep garnet red centers. Plant in full sun with average, well drained soil. Grows 18” – 24” H by 18” – 24”, Butterflies are lured to this drought tolerant plant’s flowers while rabbits and deer avoid the foliage. A Growing Place Choice plant, this Proven Winner provides year round interest.
“We constantly evaluate our offerings. Additions to our listings could be new from a breeder, a variety we’ve had requests for, a selection that caught our attention with its performance, or a proven, older variety that we’ve just not had for a few years.” says Kyle.
To provide the best selection and quality, we work with many growers from seed to those specializing in small plugs, to bare root plants, to finished plants. Our Aurora location grows over half of the Annuals and Perennials, and almost all the Vegetables and Herbs we sell.
