Perennials

Fall - The Second Planting Season

Fall - The Second Planting Season

Let me get straight to the point. Fall is an excellent time of the year for planting trees and shrubs, as well as continuing to introduce annuals, perennials, and ornamental grasses to our gardens. It’s a fact…

'Bee-You' Bee Balm

'Bee-You' Bee Balm

Monarda, commonly known as Bee Balm, has been a popular garden perennial for many years. Most of the modern hybrids come from two species native to the eastern United States. Today’s cultivars come in a range of colors, including…

Celebrate Summerific Week

Every year during the first full week of August… we celebrate the perennial Hibiscus moscheutos and its many cultivars… An incredibly durable North American native that can sport blooms the size of your face in late summer when lots of other plants have pooped out…

Evolution Coneflowers - They Just Keep Getting Better & Better

Evolution Coneflowers - They Just Keep Getting Better & Better

Over the last 10 years I have written several times about the attributes of our North American native, Echinacea purpurea, or what we commonly refer to as a coneflower. These tough perennials mix well with Ornamental Grasses, Sedums, Lavender, Black-eyed Susan Daisies and really, just about any summer blooming perennial that likes a hot, dry, location. And while they have been a staple on most gardens…

Westcountry Lupines Are To Die For

Westcountry Lupines Are To Die For

I think it is safe to say that most northwest gardeners (or even non-gardeners) a familiar with lupines - those plants we see along the freeway in late May and early June with their spikes of blue flowers. They are native all-over North America and are one of the first plants to…

All Hail To The Lowly "Pigsqueak"

All Hail To The Lowly "Pigsqueak"

Over my lifetime as a horticulturist, I have found myself enamored with different genera of plants to the point that I have gone out of my way to collect as many variations of the same genus, simply because I thought they were “really cool”. The genus “Bergenia” is a typical example and for me it all started when I was quite young…