Most of my garden space is devoted to perennials. I find that it is easier to maintain perennial gardens than to mow lawns. Since most perennials survive from year to year they are much more cost effective than annuals. In fact they often multiply on their own providing stock for expansion or to give away.
On numerous occasions I am asked what perennials require, or when do they bloom, or what kind of soil do they like. Unfortunately there is no general answer because perennials comprise a large number of plants with many differing cultural requirements. I have to grow only the hardiest perennials in my Gilboa location as it is a Zone 3 climate.
To describe cultural information for the hundred or so perennials that I grow is beyond the scope of this web page but I have a program “George’s Perennial Guide” that supplies cultural information for the plants that I grow with photographs of each. In this program you can select the cultural requirements and be given a list of plants that matches that criteria. This program is for the Windows operating system and I charge $20 for the disk.
Some garden views 2006.06.10
Rhubarb - Harvested 30 lbs - Friend Vern makes some really good wine from rhubarb.
For information on Lupines see:
Aqualegia - "Colombine"
Much of my perennial garden space is devoted to Hemericalis Lillies “ Day Lillies “. I have been growing and hybridizing these hardy perennials for over 30 years and I have collected many varieties. I have a preference for the hardy performers that produce an abundance of blossoms over some of the fancier varieties. I also prefer the varieties that do not water spot significantly. Each blossom only blooms for one day but since a single plant has several flower stalks with some varieties producing as many as 20 flowers per stalk they put on a significant display. Different varieties bloom at different times the earliest starting in early July and some varieties still bloom after the first frost in the fall. It is nice to have the midsummer display of these hardy plants when most of the other perennials are resting.
Day lilies can be transplanted, split, and or moved at any time during the growing season. In fact I dig them while they are blooming and pot them for the following year as this allows me to identify the variety and place a marker in each pot. I store the pots under my Maple tree which automatically deposits a leaf mulch over the pots for the winter. I very seldom have a fatality doing this.
The following are some example screens from from the program:
"Georges Perennial Guide"
For information on Digitalis see:
