Choose better blooms for your buck
As the activity in your garden, and at the garden centres, heads into high gear, there’s a temptation to just buy everything that looks good. Well — hold on for a moment.
There are many plants that will provide great value for your investment. Some produce lots of bloom reliably the first year, continue to grow in size over time, are reliably winter hardy, have very few insect or disease problems and you can dig them up after a few years, divide them and plant the divisions around your yard — or give them away.
Here are my Top 5 favourites: 1. Day lilies ( Hemerocallis)
Unbeatable for reliable blooms in a sunny location. I planted about 50 day lilies around my new garden 11 years ago, and all of them have outperformed, each year growing in heft and flower count. I do separate them every four to five years, to help restore their vigour. Look for any variety that suits your colour palette. And if you want reliable, summer-long colour, pick up the Stella series, which are known to bloom for the longest possible stretch, usually about six to eight weeks. They grow to about 60 centimetres, though there are many day lilies that grow much higher. In my experience, there is nothing that harms day lilies: insects, disease or deep freezing temperatures. Even the lily beetles don’t bother them. They are members of the asparagus family, perhaps that is why. 2. Bee balm/Oswego tea ( Monarda)
This is a native plant that is so multi-useful it is almost superhuman. It blooms for up to eight weeks, attracts hummingbirds and native bees and honeybees. You can cut it and bring the flowers indoors, and if that isn’t enough, you can make fine tasting tea with it. (Earl Grey knew this, which is why you find it listed in the ingredients in his original blend.)
Medicinal, winter hardy and the only insects that I have found on my many specimens are some aphids — and finches love aphids. Growing to about 80 centimetres high, there are many new types that have been developed: Look for the Balmy series including Lilac, Purple and Rose. Also Grand Parade is a winner — loves the sun, tolerates up to half a day of shade. 3. Shasta daisy ( Leucanthemum x superbum)
Most of the Shasta daisies listed in the Sheridan Nurseries catalogue this year (there are eight) bloom from June to September. Think about that. Flowering annuals, like nasturtiums, lobelia and calendula have much shorter bloom cycles. And Shasta daisy is reliable; the variety Becky was the perennial plant of the year in 2003 — this is like winning the Academy Award, if you’re a plant. When I am “pushing up daisies,” my remains will be serving a great service to humankind. Don’t knock the daisies.
Note: Don’t make the mistake that I did and pronounce the Latin name super-bum. I did that for years before some kind person corrected me: “Mark, it is SUPERB-uhm.” Oh. 4. Geraniums
You are now saying, “the annual or perennial geraniums?” and my answer is “take your pick.” They are both excellent garden performers. a. Annual geranium ( Pelargonium)
There are no plants on the market that produce such reliable colour as geraniums. Preferring “cool” sun on the east or south-east side of the house during summer, they are good virtually everywhere. They look better when you remove the spent flower, though some of the new varieties are almost self-cleaning. You will maximize the blossoms with an application of fertilizer, especially when grown in containers. I use Once and Done fertilizers that provide a mild fertilizer charge every time you water. You can let them go dry for quite a while and they will forgive you. Buying tip: Get the expensive geraniums, generally priced over $2 per 4-inch pot. There are many plants sold in the $1-$1.30 range that are cheap to grow, produce a nice flush of colour in the grower’s greenhouse this time of year and completely poop out in a few short weeks. Instead, look for “zonal” geraniums that are grown from cuttings. More expensive, yes. But you really do get what you pay for. b. Perennial geranium, cranesbill
A ground-hugging perennial plant that will bloom from May until September. Look for the variety Rozanne, the perennial plant of the year in 2008 for good reason. There are many varieties to choose from that range in colour from magenta, blue, violet and pink. Most grow about 30 to 40 centimetres high and spread much further. All are reliable winter hardy plants to zone 4. My short list of second choices includes veronica, Rudbeckia, Hosta, peonies, all of the hardy ornamental grasses and perennial sage.