I have a friend who is dividing her perennial flowers and has offered to share them with me. She has a big variety and my space is limited. What would you suggest I plant?
I would suggest choosing plants with a variety of blooming times so you can have color over a longer period. She may not know the names of all her plants but she will remember when they bloom. If possible, get a large enough division so you can divide it into at least three plants. Planting three plants each of three varieties will give you a better display than one plant each of nine varieties.
Ask her for the approximate height of each variety so you don’t end up with tall plants in front of shorter ones.
You can look up more information about those varieties that she remembers the names. You can also find plants at local full service nurseries and online.
Early blooming perennial flowers include basket of gold alyssum, rock cress and Candytuft. Rock cress has flower colors in white and pink to lavender. Candytuft has white flowers.
Two taller spring blooming perennials are doronicum, a yellow daisy, and lupine, which has spike flowers in shades of red, pink and purple. Columbine blooms in the late spring.
Two of the longest summer blooming perennials are coreopsis moonbeam (lemon yellow) and geranium Rozanne (sky blue). Other summer blooming perennials are daylily, shasta daisy, black-eyed Susan, coreopsis, coneflower, coral bells, centranthus, perennial geraniums, perovskia, liatris and Veronica.
Some of the most popular late summer blooming perennials are sea holly, sweet William and spiderwort.
You will find fall blooming perennials at many locations now. Chrysanthemums come in a wide range of colors from crimson red to white.
New England or fall asters come in shades of pink, lavender and purple. Asters bloom for a longer period and are reliably hardy. Chrysanthemums may need mulching or other protection to bring them through the winter. It is a good idea to mulch fall planted perennials. Grass clippings make an excellent mulch. I also use my own compost and bark dust. They can also be covered with a translucent protective frost cloth.
