Perennials

Campanula spp   Other Name garden bluebell   Sun Requirements Full sun, part sun   Bloom Period and Seasonal Color Late spring to early fall in colors such as blue, white, red and pink   Mature Height x Spread 6 inches to 6 feet x 6 inches to 3 feet   Added Benefits attracts beneficials, deer resistant   This diverse group of perennial flowers range from creepers to tall garden flowers. The one thing they all have in common is their bell or saucer-shaped flowers. Bellflowers are a classic cottage garden plant filling in among...

Sun Requirements Full sun for best flowering. Will grow in part shade but flowering will be reduced. Bloom Period and Seasonal Color Blooms on and off year round, mostly in summer in cooler areas Mature Height x Spread 4 to 6 feet tall, 2 to 3 feet wide Bird of Paradise (Strelitzia) is a tropical evergreen that features colorful flowers reminiscent of tropical birds. They come in a variety of colors. Bird of paradise is a warmth loving plant and is only hardy in USDA zones 9-11. They grow outdoors in warm parts of California, Texas and...

Learn how to grow Rudbeckia or Black Eyed Susans including new varieties. Listen to podcast: podcast transcript Rudbeckia spp   Other Name Brown eyed Susan   Sun Requirements Full sun, part sun   Bloom Period and Seasonal Color mid summer to fall in colors such as yellow, red, green and bronze   Mature Height x Spread 1 to 5 feet x 2 to 3 feet   Added Benefits attracts beneficials, attracts hummingbirds, native, drought tolerant, deer resistant   A standard late summer flower in gardens and wildflower meadows, black-eyed...

Liatris spicata   Other Name gayfeather, blazing star   Sun Requirements Full sun, part sun   Bloom Period and Seasonal Color mid to late summer in colors of white, rose and lavender-purple   Mature Height x Spread 1 to 4 feet x 2 feet   Added Benefits attracts beneficials, attracts hummingbirds, drought tolerant, deer resistant   This North American prairie native grows pretty well in our neck of the woods, too. Blazing star thrives on neglect, producing multiple, tall spikes of white, rose or magenta purple flowers in mid...

Learn about grow bleeding heart plants including information on varieties. Listen to podcast: podcast transcript Dicentra spectabilis   Other Name old fashioned bleeding heart   Sun Requirements Part sun, part shade   Bloom Period and Seasonal Color Spring in colors of red, pink and white   Mature Height x Spread 2 to 3 feet x 1 to 3 feet   Added Benefits Native, deer resistant   This eastern United State native plant is a beauty in spring with its characteristic heart-shaped flowers that come in red, pink or white. At the bottom...

Asclepias tuberosa   Other Name Orange milkweed   Sun Requirements full sun   Bloom Period and Seasonal Color Late summer to fall in colors of orange, red, yellow and pink.   Mature Height x Spread 2 to 4 feet x 2 to 4 feet   Added Benefits Native, attracts hummingbirds, attracts beneficials, drought tolerant, deer resistant   This native has less stature, compared with the butterfly bush, but is just as effective at drawing in winged friends, such a butterflies, ladybugs and beneficial insects, into the garden. It’s particularly...