Coneflowers come in a variety of colors, including purples, pinks, white — and now oranges and reds.
Welcome to June, the first month of summer and it is National Perennial Plant Month.
Perennial plants offer a low-maintenance planting solution for long lasting beauty.
Unlike annual plants that need replanting every season, perennial plants, once they are established come back year after year.
They offer many different vibrant colors, textures and structure with minimal upkeep.
Most perennial plants attract pollinators and many are long-lived plants with extended bloom times.
Creating a pollinator-friendly garden using perennials is essential for bio-diversity in the garden and provides a reliable source of nectar and pollen year after year, making them ideal for supporting bees, butterflies, hummingbirds and beneficial insects.
Birds also benefit from a bio-diverse perennial garden in that most perennials provide seed-heads in fall and into the winter months.
Here are a few of my favorite perennial plants, and some of their attributes in planting them:
• Coneflowers (Echinacea) come in a variety of colors, (purples, pinks, white and now oranges and reds) blooms over a long period of time, blooms during the summer when most flowers stop blooming, is drought-tolerant and like to be planted in the full sun. They are pollinator magnets and provide seeds for birds in the fall and winter.
• Black-Eyed Susans (Rudbeckia hirta) native and Maryland State flower, blooms over a long period of time, provides nectar and seeds and is deer resistant and likes to be planted in the full sun.
• Daylilies (Hemerocallis) drought tolerate, grows in poor soil, blooms early to late summer (many newer varieties are re-bloomers), they are available in a variety of colors and likes full sun and they are deer resistant.
• Sedum (Stonecrop) succulent, drought tolerant and will grow in poor soils and full sun. It blooms in pink, reds and yellows and they bloom late summer into fall.
• Salvia (Sages) extended bloom time and when spent blooms are cut they are re-bloomers. It is low maintenance, attracts hummingbirds and butterflies and comes in many shades of blues, purples, white, pinks and red. It likes full sun and is drought tolerant.
• Lavender: extended bloom time, likes full sun and dry locations. It is very fragrant, good for dried flowers and for pollinators. It comes in shades of blues and purples. Some new varieties tolerate humidity well.
• Coral Bells (Heuchera) plant for the foliage colors of reds, purples, burgandy, lime greens, orange and many other shades. Most are evergreen and prefer shade. It does flower, but the foliage is the show.
• Hosta: Plant for the foliage colors and variegations. Loves the shade and most flower, again the foliage is the show.
These are just a few of my favorite perennial plants, but remember there are lots of other varieties and many are native and thrive in our area.
Many of them offer good disease and pest resistance and are pollinator favorites.
Other June tasks should be to cut back by one-third of garden mums, asters, bee balm (monarda), helianthus, heliopsis and other late-summer and fall-blooming perennials to keep them tidy, compact and improve flowering.
Be sure to deadhead catmint (nepeta) and salvias and other spent perennial flowers to encourage a second bloom cycle.
This also prevents premature seed heads and stimulates the production of new flowers.
Trim back the stems and shoots of perennials crowding their neighbors to maintain the definition between individual groups of plants.
Apply Milorganite with a rotary spreader to your lawn as to provide a slow-release organic nitrogen and iron to produce a superior lawn for July and August.
Remember to provide at least an inch of moisture a week.
Keep blades sharp and set your mower height to 3-4 inches.
This will help prevent stress to your grass, cut down on weed germination and reduces water needs.
Also remember morning irrigation between the hours of 6-9 a.m. are best as it washes away the dew which can cause certain diseases and fungus.
Have a happy start to your summer!
(Editor’s Note: Ken Morgan is the owner of Robin’s Nest Floral and Garden Center in Easton, Md.)
