Comments on: Five Low-Maintenance Perennials

By: pays to live green

pays to live green — Thu, 01 Jan 2009 23:21:44 +0000

I wanted to try planting some perennials in the garden of my new house and I am going to try some of these this year. I am going to try Echinacea and maybe Veronica this spring. pays to live greens last blog post..Happy New Years

By: Doug

Doug — Sat, 20 Dec 2008 13:36:24 +0000

@Christine Lucas -
Yeah – well, I *can* grow peonies and I get to dig out after a whomping big snowstorm – I don’t have to have people make snow so I can play in it. 8 days.

By: Christine Lucas

Christine Lucas — Sat, 20 Dec 2008 13:01:00 +0000

Had to bring up the Peonies, didn’t you? Why not pour some lemon juice on my paper cut too. It’s going to be a balmy 76 today in Savannah. Fa-la-la-la-la-lala-la-la!

By: Doug

Doug — Fri, 12 Dec 2008 15:43:24 +0000

@JoAnn -
Good thought on the Platycodon. You’re right they’re easy to grow but I often found they aren’t as long blooming as some of the other plants in my garden so they never wind up as backbone no-work first stringers. Easily in the second rung of the garden choices though in my garden. (And the delightful thing is that because you love ‘em, you get to put them in *your* first rung of choices and ignore curmudgeons like me)

By: Doug

Doug — Fri, 12 Dec 2008 15:41:28 +0000

@Yvonne Cunnington -
I just *knew* somebody was going to say “grass!” I know a lot of folks go nuts about these and I know they look lovely in your garden but while I appreciate them, I could never really warm up to them. I have some big areas out in the front of our place that I’m tempted to turn into grass beds and let them rip. I think my bias comes from too many years in the nursery trying to dig some of the darn roots and force them into one-gallon pots for retail.

By: Doug

Doug — Fri, 12 Dec 2008 15:38:06 +0000

Lorra-
Echinacea is a surprisingly robust plant. I tend to be a little hesitant to recommend prairie plants for clay soils but I’m glad to hear I can think about this one that way. (and no, don’t tell it)

By: Doug

Doug — Fri, 12 Dec 2008 15:37:02 +0000

@prairiepetunia -
Most of the V. longifolias tend to be the taller ones. ‘Eveline’, ‘Sonja’, ‘High Five’ are three recent introductions. The V. spicata plants are bushier and tend to be dense and upright – ‘Royal Candles’ is one of my favorites in this line.

By: prairiepetunia

prairiepetunia — Thu, 11 Dec 2008 22:49:09 +0000

I would like to add ‘Becky’ daisy. This year it bloomed from mid-summer through several light frosts. It is very upright and the blooms are so classic daisy. They also stand out in moon light.

I agree with your 5 picks, Doug. Does anyone know the name of the Veronica variety that gets real tall? I have ‘speedwell’ which is pink and sort of a ground cover, and ‘icicles’ (white) which gets about 2 feet max for me. I’ve seen some really tall ones in other gardens that look just like my ‘icicles’ and wondered what it was.

Jan

By: Lorra

Lorra — Thu, 11 Dec 2008 05:52:31 +0000

Veronica is a new one for me. It did fairly well this summer, after planting this spring. Look forward to next year. The others are old friends of mine. Am glad my Echinacea hasn’t heard that it doesn’t like clay soil. And I’ll not tell it.

Thanks Doug.

By: Yvonne Cunnington

Yvonne Cunnington — Thu, 11 Dec 2008 01:47:44 +0000

Hi Doug: My own favorite “no work” perennials are ornamental grasses. All you have to do is cut ‘em down in late winter or early spring – that’s it. Some people divide them, but I don’t unless I need a few more. The big ones need strong back to move, so I tend to leave them where they are.

By: Hayden

Hayden — Wed, 10 Dec 2008 14:54:49 +0000

ohhh, yummm – peonies! Just the thought of their fragrance makes me feel like it’s summer again. Good list.

By: JoAnn

JoAnn — Wed, 10 Dec 2008 14:37:39 +0000

Another great perennial for me has been the Balloon Flower (Platycodon grandiflorus), or Chinese Bellflower. They get their name from the way they bloom…looks just like a balloon and then the petals unfold to a star shape. They’re early bloomers and with deadheading will continue to bloom all summer long until frost here in the South. You don’t have to deadhead, but I do it quickly and easily with a pair of scissors. They’re also fairly drought-tolerant, but like a long deep drink when the soil gets too dry.
The plants can grow up to 24” tall, but pretty much stay in a compact mound. Balloon flowers come in shades of blue, pink and white. I have my bluish-purple Balloon Flowers planted around a Japanese Red Maple Tree…what a striking contrast!
These cold hardy plants like full sun and do best in well-drained soil in zones 3-8. Some light shade in the afternoon in the South (zones 7-8) would be good for them.
In the spring, give it some compost, compost tea, or a slow-release fertilizer. They aren’t bothered by insects although the bees love them. Not sure about diseases, but mine haven’t had any problems.
It’s easy to start new plants from seeds in spring, just after the last winter frost, or summer, up to 2 months before the first fall frost. No need to cover the seeds, they need light to germinate so just press into the soil. They may not bloom the first year. Mature plants can be difficult to divide, but can be done at the rootball, or cuttings can be taken in late spring. For collecting seeds, just allow the seed pods to dry on the plants and when you see the pod starting to open up at the top, just snip the seed head off the stem. Generally, the seeds will fall out easily, but sometimes to get them started I’ll roll the pod between my thumb and index finger. The seeds are round, black and about the size of a pinhead. From about 12 plants around my tree I have collected almost a full cup of seeds!