Enjoying the
Reliable, healthy perennials will come back year after year for low-maintenance...
Balloon Flower (Platycodon grandiflorous)
Light: Full Sun - Partial Sun/Shade
Water: Occasionally
Soil: Moist, Well-Drained
Mature Size: 3"-6"
Varieties:
Plant Time:
Blooms: June - September
Uses: Groundcover. Great for fillers, edging, and growing between walkways stones!
Resistant to:
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Beebalm (Monarda didyma)
Light: Full Sun - Partial Sun/Shade
Water: Frequently
Soil: Moist, Well-Drained
Mature Size: 2-4 Feet
Varieties:
Plant Time:
Blooms: June-August
Uses: Great for large, easy clumps of color.
Resistant to:
Tips: Spread easily- don't let them crowd. Avoid dry soil.
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Black Eyes Susan (Coneflower)
Light: Full Sun
Mature Size: 2-3 Feet
Varieties:
Plant Time:
Blooms: July-September
Uses: Add classic orange and yellow, or vary into purple and white.
Resistant to:
Tips: Reseeeds easily. Attracts birds and butterflies.
Coralbells (Heuchera sanguinea)
Light: Partial Shade to Shade
Soil: Moist, Well-Drained
Mature Size: 12"-18"
Varieties:
Plant Time:
Blooms: May-July
Uses: Striking foliage colors provide "something different" to a flower bed.
Resistant to:
Tips: If you plant is struggling, it may be getting too much sun.
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Bleeding Heart (Dicentra spectabilis)
Light: Shade
Soil: Moist, Well-Drained
Mature Size: 2-3 Feet
Varieties:
Blooms: June
Uses: Novel and delicate, a great focal point on a shady walk or outdoor living area.
Resistant to:
Tips: Don't worry! Dormancy begins in late summer. Don't plant too deep- this may lead to root rot.
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Delphinium
Light: Full Sun
Soil: Moist, Well-Drained
Mature Size: 4-8 Feet
Varieties:
Plant Time:
Blooms: June-July
Uses: Formal and attractive.
Resistant to:
Tips: Fertilize heavily in the spring!
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Poppy (Papaver orientale)
Light: Full Sun
Soil: Moist, Well-Drained
Mature Size: 2-3 Feet
Varieties:
Plant Time:
Blooms: May-June
Uses: A touch of the exotic returns every year!
Tips: Poppies can be hard to get started. Don't stop trying!
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Peony (Paeonia)
Light: Full Sun
Soil: Moist, Well-Drained
Mature Size: 2-3 Feet
Varieties:
Blooms: June-July
Uses: Easy to grow! Beautiful even outside the blooming season.
Tips: A new peony may take a year or two to bloom, but they are worth it! Don't fertilize too heavily.
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Cosmos (Cosmos bipinnatus)
Light: Full Sun
Water: Regularly
Soil: Moist, Well-Drained
Mature Size: 12"-24"
Varieties:
Plant Time:
Blooms: Junes-September
Uses: Attracts birds and butterflies!
Resistant to:
Tips: Don't water r fertilize Cosmos too much! It may lead to fewer blooms.
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Daisy $$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$
Light: Full Shade
Water: Regularly
Soil: Moist, Well-Drained
Mature Size: 18"-24"
Varieties:
Plant Time:
Blooms: May-September
Uses: Brilliant colored with a sense of the exotic, Fuchsia add great color to shady areas and make a fantastic hanging basket plant.
Resistant to:
Tips: Bring hanging basket fuchsia into your garage and trim back in the fall to bring them back next year!
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Dianthus (Dianthus chinensis)
Light: Full Sun / Partial Shade
Water: Regularly
Soil: Moist, Well-Drained
Mature Size: 6"-18"
Varieties:
Plant Time:
Blooms: May-September
Uses: Dianthus can be planted a bit earlier than other annuals. Tall varieties make a nice cut flower.
Resistant to:
Tips: Leave heads to self-seed- they may return next year. Dianthus may be susceptible to root and stem problems, so ensure good drainage.
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Fuchsia
Light: Full Shade
Water: Regularly
Soil: Moist, Well-Drained
Mature Size: 18"-24"
Varieties:
Plant Time:
Blooms: May-September
Uses: Brilliant colored with a sense of the exotic, Fuchsia add great color to shady areas and make a fantastic hanging basket plant.
Resistant to:
Tips: Bring hanging basket fuchsia into your garage and trim back in the fall to bring them back next year!
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Geranium (Pelargonium x hortorum)
Light: Full Sun
Water: Regularly
Soil: Moist, Well-Drained
Mature Size: 12"-18"
Varieties:
Plant Time:
Blooms: May-September
Uses: Great for containers, handing baskets, and bedding.
Tips: Overwatering, especially during heat waves, can damage your geraniums.
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Geber Daisy &&&&&&&&&&
Light: Full Sun
Water: Regularly
Soil: Moist, Well-Drained
Mature Size: 12"-18"
Varieties:
Plant Time:
Blooms: May-September
Uses: Great for containers, handing baskets, and bedding.
Tips: Overwatering, especially during heat waves, can damage your geraniums.
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Hollyhock (Alcea rosea)
Light: Full Sun
Water: Regularly
Soil: Moist, Well-Drained
Mature Size: 2-6 Feet
Varieties:
Plant Time:
Blooms: June-August
Uses: A great background and cutting plant.
Tips: Hollyhock may need to be staked so that they are not broken by wind. Pinch back the main stem early in the season to produce shorter, fuller plants. Hollyhock may reseed itself and come back the following year.
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Impatiens
Light: Partial Sun / Partial Shade
Water: Regularly
Soil: Moist
Mature Size: 6"-18"
Varieties:
Blooms: May-September
Uses: Enormously popular as a bedding plant for their pleasant and wide-ranging colors.
Tips: Healthiest in soils that can retain some moisture.
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Lantana (Lantana camara)
Light: Full Sun.
Soil: Dry
Mature Size: 12"-24"
Varieties:
Blooms: June-September
Resists: Heat
Uses: Attracts Butterflies!
Tips: Resilient in various conditions.
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Lavender $$$$$$$$$$
Light: Full Sun.
Soil: Dry
Mature Size: 12"-24"
Varieties:
Blooms: June-September
Resists:
Uses: Attracts Butterflies!
Tips: Resilient in various conditions.
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Lobelia (Lobelia erinus)
Light: Full Sun / Partial Shade
Soil: Moist, Well-Drained
Mature Size: 6"-12"
Varieties:
Blooms: June-September
Resists:
Uses: A popular option for containers and hanging baskets, and makes a lovely border.
Tips: Lobelia appreciates cooler weather and won't bloom well in strong heat.
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Marigold (Tagetes sp.)
Light: Full Sun
Soil: Moist, Well-Drained
Mature Size: 1-3 Feet
Varieties:
Blooms: May-September
Resists:
Uses: A popular option for containers and hanging baskets, and makes a lovely border.
Tips: Marigolds attract butterflies, but deter other garden pests- plant near your vegetables!
Milkweed (Asclepias curassavica)
Light: Full Sun
Soil: Moist, Well-Drained
Mature Size: 18"-24"
Varieties:
Blooms: May-September
Resists:
Uses:
Tips: Interesting and attractive in nearly every way, Milkweed sap may be irritating, and their prodigious expansion can make them really seem more like a weed at times.
Nasturtium (Tropaeolum majus)
Light: Full Sun / Partial Shade
Soil:
Mature Size: 8"-15"
Varieties:
Blooms: N/A
Resists:
Uses:
Tips:
Osteopernum
Light: Full Sun
Soil: Moist, Well-Drained
Mature Size: 12"-18"
Varieties:
Blooms: May-September
Resists:
Uses: Early color
Tips: Plant early or in the fall, as flowering tends to diminish during the hottest months.
Pansy
Light: Full Sun - Partial Sun/Shade
Soil: Moist, Well-Drained
Mature Size: 6"-12"
Varieties:
Blooms: March-October
Resists:
Uses: Early color
Tips: Great for early or late-season color.
Petunia
Light: Full Sun
Soil: Moist, Well-Drained
Mature Size: 6"-3 Feet
Varieties:
Blooms: May-September
Resists:
Uses: Petunias are a must-have for nearly every annual garden. Coming in an enormous array of colors, they can fit into nearly any sunny area and are commonly used in hanging baskets.
Tips:
Rudbeckia (Rudbeckia hirta)
Light: Full Sun
Soil: Moist, Well-Drained
Mature Size: 18"-36"
Varieties:
Blooms: June-September
Resists:
Uses: Playful, daisy-like flowers, beautiful for cuttings.
Tips: Attracts butterflies, decline in hot, humid weather.
Salvia
Light: Full Sun
Soil: Moist, Well-Drained
Mature Size: 18"-36"
Varieties:
Blooms: May-September
Resists:
Uses: A good option when soil is a bit dry.
Tips:
Snapdragon (Antirrhinum majus)
Light: Full Sun
Soil: Moist, Well-Drained
Mature Size: 3 Feet
Varieties:
Blooms: May-September
Resists:
Uses:
Tips: If planted mid to late summer, Snapdragon will do well until a hard frost.
Sunflower (Helianthus annuus)
Light: Full Sun
Soil: Moist, Well-Drained
Mature Size: 3 Feet - 10 Feet
Varieties:
Blooms:
Resists:
Uses:
Tips:
Sweet Potato Vine (Ipomoea batatus)
Light: Full Sun
Soil: Moist, Well-Drained
Mature Size:
Varieties:
Blooms:
Resists:
Uses: Groundcover, available in colors from deep read to bright green.
Tips: This vigorous vine can spread great distances, and is a beautiful addition to containers or hanging baskets.
Verbena
Light: Full Sun
Soil: Dry
Mature Size: 18"-24"
Varieties:
Blooms: May-September
Resists:
Uses: Great for Sunny, dry areas. Attracts butterflies.
Tips: Tolerates cold well.
Vinca Vine (Catharanthus roseus)
Light: Full Sun
Soil: Dry
Mature Size: 9"-16"
Varieties:
Blooms: June-September
Resists:
Uses: Containers and bedding plant. Tolerates heat and stress well.
Tips: Don't plant in wet or cold soil- allow soil to warm before planting.
Zinnia
Light: Full Sun
Soil: Moist, Well-Drained
Mature Size: 8"-24"
Varieties:
Blooms: May-September
Resists:
Uses: Beautiful cut flower.
Tips: Look for varieties resistant to powdery mildew.