Category: Perennials

(Pulsatilla) Blooms in Spring and sports lavender-purple, bell-shaped blooms followed by showy fuzzy seed heads.  Is native here and you will see it bloom in Black Forest and other places.  Drought tolerant once established.  Low growing perennial.

(Perovskia) Russian Sage is widely planted in our area because it is showy, blooms all Summer into Fall and holds up undeniably well to our dry climate.  Will grow well in full Sun.  Bees love the lavender colored blooms. Deer resistant. Can spread readily.

Variety:

Little Spire: A smaller variety that gets 2’H x 2’W

(Lychnis) Also known as Campion or Catchfly. These are long-blooming flowers that begin in early Summer.  They love a location with consistent moisture and a sunny exposure.  Loved by butterflies. Deer and rabbit resistant.

Varieties:

Lychnis chalcedonica: Tall (up to 3′) orange-red heirloom

Orange Gnome: Shorter hybrid (12″) with deep contrast with striking orange flowers held above deep green leaves with a bronze case. (Zone 3)

Honeysuckle is a reliably hardy decorative vine.  Offer some support to grow it vertically or prune and allow to become a mounding plant.  Easy to grow in full or part sun.  Hummingbirds love the tubular flowers.

Varieties:

Dropmore Scarlet:  Fragrant, blooms or orange & scarlet. Long bloom time.  Zone 3

Kintzley’s Ghost – grown for its attractive circular silvery foliage.  A Plant Select perennial.  More info here.

Major Wheeler: fast grower with gorgeous red-orange blooms and deep green leaves.

Mandarin: Orange blooms are a cantaloupe color. Purple flushed leaves emerge in Spring and turn to green. Not fragrant. Can grow to 20 feet. Zone 4.

(Helianthemum)  Also known as Rock Rose, this low growing perennial sports tons of small brightly colored flowers.  It is tolerant of poor soils–in fact it prefers sandy or rocky, well drained soils.  Hot, dry, and windy places aren’t a problem either.  She’s tough!  Plant her in full sun and watch her flourish.  Will spread up to 2 feet.  Not a good choice for clay or poorly drained areas.

Varieties:

Henfield Brilliant (pictured) Orange flowers offer a nice contrast above the low-growing silvery green leaves. Zone 4.

Classic vines with a huge range of colors.  Well-behaved and easy to grow.  It will take about 3 years to establish and may look terrible the first year –but, take heart, once it gets a foothold, it will be long-lived and showy for many years to come.  Most will grow and bloom best in full or part sun.  They prefer to keep their roots cool –so use some type of mulch or rock to accomplish this.

Varieties:

Adam’s Courage: Repeat bloomer in lavender tones.
Henryi: Large 6″-8″ pure white flowers
Jackmanii: Large, Deep purple blooms.  Very popular!
Montana rubens: 2″ Pastel pink flowers, fragrant
Mrs. N Thompson: 4″-6″ deep violet striped flowers. 
Niobe: Deep burgundy/red, large flowers
Sweet Autumn: (paniculata) Small but MANY fragrant white flowers in late Summer/Fall.  This variety will happily bloom in shade

(Ceratostigma) Low growing groundcover that gives you multi-season interest.  Lavender-blue flowers appear in late Summer to Fall.  Lovely rounded leaves that deepen to burgundy-red in the Fall.  Each plant will get about 10″ tall and spread by about 18″.  Water well to establish.  After that, it is quite drought tolerant but performs better with supplemental water.

(Buddleia) An upright blooming shrub that can get tall at 4′-6′.  Grow it in full sun for best performance. Keep it in bloom longer by deadheading spent flowers.  As the name suggests, butterflies love this source of late season nectar.  And the blooms are gorgeous!  It will die to the ground in Winter so acts more like an herbaceous perennial. Zone 5

Varieties:

Chrysalis Cranberry
Chrysalis Pink
…and other Asst Colors

(Allium) ‘Millenium’ Ornamental Onion is a drought tolerant plant that produces globe shaped, 2″ flowers in Summer.  Loved by bees and butterflies.  Also deer resistant, it makes a nice front of the border plant.  Size is: 18″ H x 15″ W.