Perennials and Other Garden Treasures
Loretta Aaron
Gardeners are perennial - they come back season after season and make room for a few more plants. (Grass areas may begin to shrink and the flower beds grow larger.)
CAMPANULA PERSICIFOLIA: Blue or white bell flowers. Shade. Acid soil.
CAMPANULA GLOMERATA: Double bell flower, referred to as "clustered". Very showy, 18 to 20 inches tall. Shade or part sun.
PLATYCODON: "Balloon Flower" - 7 varieties available. All do great in our area. Provide support for all except the dwarf blue Mariesi. Colors - pink, white and blue. Form - single and double. Bloom mid-summer. Pest - red spider mite.
PAPAVER ORIENTALIS: Oriental perennial poppy. Fall planting preferred, with bare root stock. If planted in spring, container grown ONLY. Do not crowd with other plants. Part shade, slightly acid soil. Many colors with 10 inch blooms.
GERANIUM: Perennial. Several varieties. Dwarf to about 15 inches tall. Colors of pink, rose magenta and blue. Shade or part sun. No insects or diseases.
BAPTISTA: Australis. Part shade. In legume family, with large pea-shaped blooms of deep blue. Resembles the native lupine. Easily grown from seed. Will bloom the second years. 24 to 30 inches tall, with attractive foliage.
CERASTIUM: "Snow in Summer". A great plant for the perennial border or rock garden. Full sun, good drainage. Wooly grey foliage covered for many weeks with white blooms.
TRITOMA: "Red Hot Poker". Full sun, perfect drainage. (Will not tolerate overhead sprinklers). The orange one does best in our area.
ASTILBE: Feathery plumes stop attractive foliage. Shade with organic soil, acid.
POTERIUM: Burnet. Shade or part sun. Long lived perennial with beautifully cut foliage and spikes of rose-pink flowers resembling bottle brushes. Prefers acid soil. Blooms July through September.
COLUMBINE: Shade perennial. Easy to grow from seed sown in July or August. Largest blooms found in the McKanna hybrid strain. Good drainage and acid soil.
ACHILLEA or YARROW: Drought resistant perennials for full sun. Foliage very attractive. Summer blooming. Colors - white, rose, pink and yellow.
LIATRIS: Many native wild flowers. Colors - purple, blue and white. Suited to our area. Full sun and summer blooming. Great for cutting and garden display.
HOSTA: A large family of plants with spectacular foliage, from variegated, green, yellow, blue and green, with graceful spikes of white, lavender or blue blooms. Shade, and prefers an acid soil.
Three great biennial plants suited to gardens in our area:
NEMOPHILA: "Baby Blue Eyes". Grow from seed sown in July or August. Will germinate in late September. One inch single blue blooms held above compact neat mounds. Great border plant for shady borders. Shade or morning sun. (Park's Seed Company)
SWEET ROCKET: (Hesperis Matronalis) Grow from seed planted in late summer. Grows to 3 feet tall. Fragrant lavender blooms for many weeks. Blooms early - shade or part shade. Great for cutting or garden display for many months.
LUNARIA: "Money Plant". Shade plant with orchid blooms. Forms decorative seed pods much prized for dried arrangements. Sow seed in July or August.
(Reprinted from Sooner State Iris News, April - May 1988)