Sun Perennials Julie Schroer and Jodie Ramsay Jean’s - The Right Plant Place

It can be difficult to find perennials that take a lot of sun, especially when soil moisture and texture can be so variable even within in a small area. In this presentation we’ll show you some perennials that can take partial to full sun. Bergenia: These versatile plants can tolerate full sun to full shade. They bloom very early – in fact, we have removed the frost blanket in mid-April to find bergenias blooming already! B. ‘Flirt’ gets only 10” tall and produces large, deep-pink flowers. Called Pigsqueak because of the sound the leaves make when rubbed together. Zone 4. Amsonia (Blue Star): A. ‘Blue Ice’ is covered with navy blue buds that open to star-shaped lavender-blue flowers in late spring. It forms a neat mount of 12-16” foliage that turns bright yellow in fall. A tidy plant, it does not need to be cut back after flowering. Great for borders and rock gardens! Zone 3. Pulsatilla: Pasqueflowers are very early bloomers for sun. P. vulgaris ‘Rubra’ (Zone 4) produces large, fuzzy reddish-purple flowers in early May, while the flowers of P. patens (Zone 3) are bluish-violet; both can make snow melt around them. 6-10” tall. A very fun way to welcome spring and provide early food for pollinators. Dianthus: Pinks start blooming early and many will rebloom in the fall if deadheaded. New this year are D. ‘Appleblossom Burst’ (8-10” tall, Zone 4), with semi-double flowers that exhibit a mix of colors from white to blush to raspberry, and D. ‘Classic Coral’ (6-8” tall, Zone 4), with coral pink blooms. Great for borders and rock gardens! Paeonia: Peonies are old standbys that seem to grow with virtually no care. Garden peonies come single or double; P. ‘Red Charm (3’ tall) has purple-red double bomb-type flowers while P. lactiflora ‘Flame’ (20-24” tall) produces single, fiery red flowers with yellow petaloids (both Zone 3). Intersectional peonies are crosses between tree peonies and garden peonies; they are sturdier, have larger flowers, and produce flower colors not normally seen in garden peonies. P. ‘Scrumdidleumptious’ produces 6” flowers that are creamy yellow with a pink blush and pink edges (28” tall). Tree peonies reach 4-5’ and have very large flowers; new this year is P. ‘Chojuraku’ (Zone 4), with large, double lavender flowers. Achillea: Members of the Sassy Summer collection are taller and more substantial than other yarrow varieties. The stems are sturdy and will look great throughout the flowering season. A.‘Sassy Summer Sangria’ is one of the tallest varieties of the collection, at 30-36”; it has dark red flowers with a white eye. A. ‘Sassy Summer Silver’ has silvery leaves with golden-yellow flowers (26-30” tall); A. ‘Summer Taffy’ (26-32” tall) has dark salmon-pink flowers that age to peachy pink. Zone 3. Euphorbia polychroma: Cushion spurges are some of the neatest plants in the garden – literally! They form tidy mounds that are about a foot tall and wide and never stray. Chartreuse bracts look like flowers in late May and early June Allium ‘Lavender Bubbles’: This beautiful ornamental onion will produce dark purple flower globes towards the end of the summer. Leaf blades twist and curl for additional interest. 12-14” tall. Deer and rabbit resistant! Zone 4. Centaurea m. ‘Amethyst Dream’: This 20” bachelor button variety has royal purple flowers; its foliage is somewhat hairy, making it appear silver. These plants are drought and heat-tolerant once established. Zone 3. Delphinium: Larkspurs produce eye-catching flower spikes on tall stems that sometimes require staking. D. elatum Delphina™ ‘Rose White Bee’ (Zone 3) is the first genetically dwarf variety, topping out at only 18-20”! It has rose-pink flowers with white centers and may rebloom with deadheading. D. Highlander® ‘Flamenco’ is a bit taller at 30” and has purplish-red flowers (Zone 4). Echinacea: We always have a hard time narrowing down the new varieties of coneflowers we want to get because there are so many and they are all so fun! A few we have coming this year (all Zone 4) are:

 E. ‘Atomic Orange’: 4.5” vibrant tangerine-orange flowers with dark cones (16-18” tall).  E. Cara Mia™ Rose ‘TNECHCMR’: long-blooming, double, raspberry red flowers (20” tall).  E. purpurea ‘Pink Fascinator’: cherry-red, semi-double flowers that look like an English lady’s hat, with giant fuzzy pink cones (16-18” tall).  E. purpurea ‘Tweety’: large, canary yellow flowers on compact plants; mature height is only 8”! Geranium pratense ‘Boom Chocolatta’: We love the name of this new geranium! It has rich, dark bronze leaves and an upright habitat, with blue-purple flowers. It grows to 24-26” tall and shouldn’t flop like some older varieties. Zone 4. Hemerocallis: We normally carry around 150 varieties of daylilies at Jean’s in a variety of heights, flowers shapes, and colors! A few new varieties include:

 H. ‘Orange Smoothie: Early-mid + rebloom. The 4” orange-mango flowers have a light rose eye, green throat, pink midrib, and huge ruffled edges. They are also fragrant. Dormant. 24” tall.  H. ‘Lady Betty Fretz’: Mid-season. The 6” fragrant flowers are ivory with a red eye and double red-gold edges. Semi-evergreen. 26” tall.  H. ‘Heavenly Mr. Twister’: Mid-season. This unique spider daylily has 8” pinkish-red flowers with a darker eye above a green-yellow throat. Dormant. 39” tall.  H. ‘Handwriting on the Wall’: Mid-season. The purple colors blends to lavender towards the yellow throat on these 6” flowers. A thin picotee edge frames the edge of the blooms, which are also fragrant! May rebloom. Semi-evergreen. 24” tall.  H. EveryDaylily™ Series: Daylilies in this series are offspring of the very popular ‘Stella D’ Oro’ and rival her in bloom power. Varieties include ‘Cream’, with ruffled yellow flowers, ‘Punch Yellow’, with two-toned pink and yellow flowers, and ‘Red Ribs’, with red flowers and gold edging. Dormant. 12-15” tall.

Lilium: The Fantasiatic® series (Zone 3) produces a large number of flowers on compact, 12- 20” plants. Varieties in this series include ‘Chocolate’ (chocolate-red flowers), ‘Pink Hot Spot’ (dark pink with red spots), and ‘Spark’ (orange with yellow centers). Other new lilies include Oriental ‘Curley Sue’ (36-48” tall, Zone 4), which has pink flowers with white edges (Zone 4), and the double oriental ‘Sweet Rosy’ (36-48” tall, Zone 3).

Penstemon: Beardtongue is a hardy prairie plant that can tolerate poor soil and dry conditions. P. DAKOTA™ Burgundy (Zone 3, 12-18” tall) has glossy, purple-black leaves with lavender flowers. P. x mexicali WINDWALKER® has narrow, glossy green leaves; its ruby-red tubular flower have striped throats (14-18”, Zone 4). Hummingbirds love these plants, and you’ll surely see bumblebees visiting when they’re in bloom! Digitalis purpurea ‘Sugar Plum’: Foxglove is a unique biennial with tall spires of closely placed flowers. Pink, heavily speckled flowers have dark purple throats and appear July to August. 30-40” tall. Phlox: Dutch breeding brings us the Garden Candy™ series of highly mildew-resistant phlox with large, fragrant flowers and a compact habit (18-22” tall). Grape Lollipop has grape-colored flowers with white around the centers; Coral Cream Drop has glowing coral-colored flowers with a hot pink halo around the throat of each bloom. Zone 3. Hibiscus SUMMERIFIC™ ‘Holy Grail’: There is a lot to love about this plant, starting with is dark, near-black foliage; 8”, deep red flowers cover the stems in fall. Once the flowers are finished, bright green calices provide wonderful contrast to the dark foliage. 4-5’ tall. Zone 4.

Sedum: Sedums are outstanding plants for hot, dry areas. The upright varieties flower in the fall, while the groundcover varieties start flowering in midsummer. S. ‘Steel the Show’ (6-8” tall, Zone 3) is a bit later blooming than other groundcover varieties; its blue-green foliage and rosy-pink flowers really stand out! S. ‘Bundle of Joy’ (10-12” tall, Zone 3) forms tight mounds of blue-green leaves that are covered by white flowers in fall. S. Sunsparkler Series ‘Dream Dazzler’, which has purple leaves edged in hot-pink along with magenta-pink flowers (15” tall, Zone 3).

Sempervivum: Hens and Chicks are very drought-tolerant groundcovers. The Chick Charms® series (2- 3” tall) includes plants of a variety of colors, many of which change color through the season. Cosmic Candy™ has bright red rosettes with cobwebbed centers; Silver Suede™ is mauve pink in spring and turns silver as the temperature increases; Sugar Shimmer™ ‘Soft Line’ has silver rosettes that turn blue- gray in summer and have shimmery hairs. Veronicastrum virginicum ‘Cupid’: This native wildflower known as Culver’s Root is vastly underused. Pollinators absolutely love the flowers; on this variety they are a striking shade of lilac! Dark green foliage is whorled, and robust maroon stems add vertical interest. Said to be deer-resistant and can tolerate clay soil. 36-48” tall. Ornamental Grasses: There are a number of stately ornamental grasses that provide four season interest. Consider leaving grasses uncut in the fall so that you can enjoy the plumes swaying in the breeze in winter when there may be very little else to watch in the yard.

 Panicum ‘Apache Rose’ (Switchgrass): The dense, upright habit makes this 4’ tall grass very sturdy. Leaves develop a hint of rosy-red at the tips. Airy, rose-colored panicles appear in late summer. Zone 4.  Schizachyrium scoparium ‘Standing Ovation’: This variety of Little Bluestem (3-4’ tall) has steel- blue foliage that turns an intense mix of purple, red, pink and orange in the fall. Zone 3.  Andropogon gerardii ‘Red October’ (Big Bluestem): Narrow foliage turns candy-apple red in the fall. This plant is also called Turkey Foot due to the shape of its seed heads. The clump is good sized, reaching 5-6’ in height. Zone 3.  Calamagrostis ‘Cheju-do’ (Dwarf Feather Reed Grass): This compact variety is similar in form to C. ‘Karl Foerster’, but grows to only 18-36”. Golden-brown inflorescences develop in the fall. Zone 4.  Molinia caerulea ‘Variegata’ (Variegated Moor Grass): This small clumper works well in a border, growing 24-30” tall. It has dainty spikes of gold flowers from late summer to fall. Zone 4.

Rudbeckia (Black-eyed Susan): R. ‘American Goldrush’ (new 2019) is said to be resistant to leaf spot, thanks to the thinner and hairier leaves. A profusion of golden-yellow flowers with dark cones forms mid to late summer and lasts through much of the fall. 22-26” tall. Zone 4. R. ‘Herbstsonne’ reaches 4-5’ in height; its sulfur-yellow flowers produce green cones in August and September. Both are butterfly magnets! Silphium perfoliatum (Cup Plant): This is one of the giants!! A native of the tallgrass prairie, this perennial sports cheerful yellow daisy-like flowers on stout stalks that grow to 8-10’ tall and don’t need staking! And yes, it dies back to the ground every fall. The leaves fuse together at the base forming a "cup" that often holds water after a rain (hence the common name). A real attention-getter!

Jodie Ramsay and Julie Schroer Think Spring! Good for 15% off your entire purchase. Offer good through September 30, 2019. Excludes gift certificates and sale items. www.rightplantplace.com Alexandria