Written by Lori Auerbach, Realtor | Vanderblue Team | Higgins Group Real Estate
In my previous blog I shared a few hardy shade-loving perennials that Master Gardner Amy Ziffer spoke about at a recent Greenfield Hill Garden Club meeting. In this blog will share a few sun-loving perennials that you might want to consider for your landscape. Remember, perennials as oppose to annuals work for you because you plant them once and they come back to you each season.
Here are a few of my favorites:
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 BUTTERFLY WEED (Asclepias Tuberosa)
- Plant in full sun
- Likes medium to dry conditions
- Grows 1-3 ft tall and spreads 1-3 ft
- Blooms grow in clusters atop tall, fuzzy stemmed stems with narrow leaves. Typically flowers are orange, yellow or red
- Great for borders and butterfly gardens
- Blooms summer-fall
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 OCTOBER SKIES ASTER (Aster oblongifolus)
- Plant in full sun to part shade
- Likes medium to dry conditions
- Grows 1-3 ft tall and spreads 1-3 ft
- Bushy, low to the ground with bright purple flowers that attracts bees & butterflies
- Great for beds, borders, containers, butterfly gardens
- Blooms late summer- early fall
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 HELEN’S FLOWER OR MARDI GRAS (Helenium)
- Plant in full sun to part shade
- Likes medium to dry conditions
- Grows 1-4 ft tall and spreads 1-3 ft
- Daisy-like flowers grow atop sturdy steams & attract bees, butterflies and birds
- Great for cut flowers, beds, borders, butterfly gardens
- Blooms mid summer- early fall
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 GREAT BLUE LOBELIA (Lobelia siphilitica)
- Plant in full sun to part shade
- Likes medium to wet soil conditions
- Grows 1-3 ft tall and spreads 6-12 inches
- Tubular shaped bright blue flowers grow along stalky green stems
- Great for beds, borders, along waterside & naturalizing
- Blooms summer-fall
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 CULVER’S ROOT (Veronicastrum virginicum)
- Plant in full sun to part shade
- Likes moist soil conditions
- Grows in clumps, 3-6 ft tall and spreads 1-3 ft
- Tall stalks with whorl like floral spikes in white, pale pink or lavender
- Great for beds & borders; attracts butterflies
- Blooms early-late summer
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 BLUE STAR FALSE ASTER (Kalimeris Incisa)
- Plant in full sun to partial shade
- Likes moderate moist soil conditions
- Grows 12-18” tall and spreads 12-24”in clumps
- Pale blue daisy like flowers with green foliage
- Great for beds & borders; attracts butterflies
- Blooms summer- fall
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CATMINT (Nepta subsessilis) - Plant in full sun to partial shade
- Likes moderate moist soil conditions
- Grows 20-23” tall and spreads 12-18”in clumps
- Bushy, glossy green leaves with clusters of tubular like purple flowers
- Great for beds, borders & containers; attracts butterflies & hummingbirds
- Blooms early-late summer
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It’s not too late to select a few new plants for your landscape but chose a hardy, low maintenace perennial that reduces your work load in the yard.
If you’re like me, there’s so much to learn about gardening so stop by one of the many locally owned and operated nurseries in your area to get the real dirt on what to plant in your yard.
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