Author Archives: vlm

Columbines are charming perennials that have been increasing in popularity in recent years. Their unique flowers bloom with colorful pastels. They are bi-colored in shades of lavender, yellow, red and white. They like part shade to part sun. They bloom from May until late June. When Columbines are blooming, they tend to attract hummingbirds, who feast on their nectar. They are excellent additions to a wildflower garden, beds, borders, or rock gardens.

Daisies and their many cousins are long blooming perennials that are great for summer color. Shasta Daisy’s have big white petals with a vibrant yellow center which makes them mix well with other colorful perennials for a great backdrop to your fence and yard. Daisies prefer full sun and well drained, moist soil. Sandy soil will need occasional fertilizer early in the growing season. Their dazzling snow white presence and clean look make them a must buy.

This wide range of summer perennials are a true beauty in any garden. The most popular ‘Pardon Me’ is a beautiful red, ‘Apricot Sparkles’ is a nice peach color, and ‘Little Grapette’ is a dwarf purple so as you can see there is much more then just the standard orange trumpet flower. Combining a collection of re-bloomers and summer months.

These recently popular perennials have become a garden staple for summer color. Their bright yellow flowers and long bloom season, from late June thru September, make this a must have. They require full sun and a little room to grow as they will spread a little bit each year, but hardly invasive like Bee-Balm.

These are very popular late spring and summer bloomers. They grow as ground cover to about 2′ high and can become 2′ wide, depending on the variety. They will tolerate drought and heat conditions well, but watering during dry spells is always a good idea. Sedums like full sun to part shade conditions and prefer sandy or richer, heavier soil. There are a few varieties that bloom in fall and some varieties are even like by butterflies. Poolscapes and rock gardens are favorite locations for these plants.

These popular perennials are actually from Japan. There are many different varieties. Host’s are grown mainly for their large green or variegated foliage. Their leaves vary in color from solid green, to blue-green, white/green variegated, and yellow/green variegated. They bloom with small clustered purple flowers on spikes that sprout from the center of the plant in July and last until early August. Hosta’s like the shade but will take some filtered sunlight. Don’t put them in full sun. Unfortunately, in the south Jersey area, deer are a large problem and deer love to eat Hostas. If you can keep them out of the reach of deer then add it to your garden.

Astilbe have long been a gardeners favorite perennials. Its feathery spikes of vivid summer color are great for shady spots. Their flowers bloom in shades of raspberry pink, light purple, white, or plum, the whole summer from July to September. They prefer rich moist soil but can tolerate some summer dryness. Also, they like partial shade which is perfect for that filtered sunlight area of your yard.

This shrub is popular because it comes in a couple different species. There are Star Magnolia, Saucer Magnolia, and a Southern Magnolia, which is actually a tree. Star Magnolia bloom white flowers in April or May as does the Saucer Magnolia. A Southern Magnolia’s blossom is very large and fragrant white flower. It blooms in late June to mid July. Overall, the whole family needs full to partial sunlight and rich soil that is well drained. The Star and Saucer Magnolias grow to be about 8-15′ tall in a bush like manner. Southern Magnolias grow to be about 40-50′ tall. Any of them will fit nicely into most settings.

Spring wouldn’t be same without these bight yellow bushes. Forsythia are one of the first plants to bloom in early spring with their brilliant yellow blossoms. These fast growers require full sun to do well. They grow to be about 6-8′ tall and 3-5′ wide, perfect for a border or a tall hedge. Watch out, though, they need to stay watered because they don’t take well to dry conditions.

Spirea’s contribution to any landscape consists almost entirely of a massive springtime display of small white, pink or red flowers. Spireas grow to be about 3-5′ tall in a globe like shape. They grow about 2-4″ a year. Spirea’s need full to partial sun, but don’t tolerate a lot of shade well. If you need a plant that will serve almost any purpose, you have to have a spirea in your yard.