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Cottage Gardens

Your four perennials.

14 years ago

Nell asked Rita in her thread about perennials which 4 she should have. Last time, I let you have one plant, and only one plant in your entire garden. This time you get 4 to choose from. All perennials, all hardy to your zone, all in your garden. What are your four?

For me, Echinacea, Leucanthemum, Rudbeckia, and Hibiscus moscheutos.

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Comments (28)

PRO
Nell Jean
14 years ago
For those of you who have no clue about Rita and me and the perennials, Rita was saying that she had some perennials besides all those daylilies and lilies and roses, but some she'd tried had not thrived and some she used to have were no longer there. I asked what four she thought she needs now.

I would keep, besides the lilies and daylilies and roses, all 5 of the four I told Rita I thought she could use:
Dianthus pinks, Perennial Phlox (P. paniculata I forgot to add), Iberis and blue/purples Stokesia or Salvia farinacea.

I am ready to give up Shasta Daisies forever, such water hogs. Echinacea is now restricted to the upper garden only, with Perennial Phlox, Stargazer Lilies and Magenta Pentas.

Oh, Wait! Strike Perennial Phlox. I forgot about My Texas Tropicals, Esperanza and Pride of Barbados. Strike Dianthus, too.

I feel like Frances of Faire Garden when certain Bloggers had the task of choosing just four of something -- she shamelessly listed eleven.

Final answer: Salvia farinacea, Iberis, Esperanza and Pride of Barbados.

Nell
DYH
14 years ago
Agastache
Echinacea
Nepeta
Salvia

Easy to decide!

Cameron
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Information on Perennial Four O'Clock, Mirabilis multiflora
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Wow! I never thought this would get resurrected! Mine arent doing too well, Jali! As a matter of fact, theyÂre not doing at all! That very first one I planted, unknown to me at the time I planted it, wound up being in a place where water temporarily pooled from the gutters whenever it rainedÂwhich isnÂt all that much, but it doesnÂt take too much water to be too much for these things. And it was also planted in the middle of a vast expanse of rock mulch, so there was only a VERY small areaÂin extremely bad clay right thereÂthat was improved at all! The next year I bought another one, thinking IÂd be able to get rid of some of the rock and try again, but that spring, after working so sick for over a month that I could hardly stand up, I discovered I had severe anemia (at least partly because I had been giving blood every 2 months while I was off for 11 months with the broken kneecap), and I was so (unbelievably) weak I couldnÂt even sit up in front of the computer for more than 5 or 10 minutes at a time, so none of the rock got moved, and NOTHING got plantedÂand that one died (in the pot) too! ThatÂs also when my HP bit the dustÂmaybe it caught the anemia! I had my new Dell sitting here in the box right where the UPS guy put it for over a month. ThatÂs how sick I was! Brand new computer sitting in a box for a month! How often does THAT happen! But then, when the HP started talking to me in binary, I didnÂt have any choice anymore and had to get out the Dell. I remember the day I installed it! Oh, my! I eventually managed to get everything plugged into the right place, but when I tried to shove the CPU and all the other "spare parts" under the table where I work, I discovered the cords were all wrapped around the table legs! And they stayed that way for another month! When I turned it on it workedÂand it talked to me in English. What more could you want! (At that same time, when I was too sick to even drive anywhere except the doctorÂs office--and shouldn't have been doing that, the State of Colorado suddenly decided to void my driverÂs license! But thatÂs another whole long story! It had nothing to do with me or my driving record! I was just having a really, really good year!) Then, last spring I bought ANOTHER one! The people from FreeCycle who had taken the rock out of most of the back yard said they were coming back to get more out of the front yardÂand all summer they kept giving me excuses for why they couldnÂt come! By summer my elbow (having had 3 cortisone shots) was deteriorating so badly again that I was having trouble working and didnÂt want to do anything that might possibly aggravate it furtherÂlike moving rock!Âso the rock just stayed there againÂand the Four OÂClock didnÂt get planted againÂand I just went out to check it in the pot and another one has bitten the dust! TheyÂre taprooted and donÂt do well in pots over winter, or even for too long in summer for that matter, but I was hoping! And, since they are taprooted, you canÂt just stick them in somewhere temporarily and transplant them later, which is why I never tried that. So thatÂs the epic adventures of my many attempts to grow Mirabilis multiflora! HowÂs that for a long tale of woe! I donÂt have any live plants at all around here right now, and donÂt plan to buy anymore until the rock is GONE! And IÂm starting to think that could be 50 years from now! (Have I EVER mentioned ;-) that I HATE rock!) I do have seeds that I got from Cheryl (PaulinoÂs), and I donÂt know how long they stay viable, but when the rock does eventually "disappear," IÂm going to try the seeds before I buy another plant. At least with seeds I can start them right where I want them, so the taproot is a non-issue. The more I run out of room to plant things, though, the more I kind of wonder if I really want to put one in since they cover so much spaceÂwhich was my original intent when I moved in here and had virtually no perennials or anything pretty to look at. But after everything thatÂs happened so far in my attempts to grow one, I am absolutely determined that I eventually WILL have oneÂeven if it covers up the entire yard! IÂm planning it now to grow a little more to the side of where I originally planned it so itÂll grow around the bottom of a couple shrubs, so IÂll have the "pretty" but still have room to plant other things. Then IÂll try to plan the "other things" so it can grow around the bottom of them too, and if I need to, IÂll just cut off some of the stems that are growing the "wrong" direction. But I WILL have oneÂsome day! In the meantime, you can post some pictures of yours when they start blooming for me to salivate over! I had such high hopes when I started this thread! Still do! Skybird
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Nancy - funny that you mention "Some people have inflos when getting ready to put them down for dormancy" because that happened to mine. This past year was its 3rd year from a cutting and 1st year to bloom but it didn't wake up until late and finally bloomed mid-August. The inflo was still going strong when I brought it inside in October and by the end of November I was like - you're done. Snipped the leaves to the petioles and put the plumie in the dark, unfinished/cooler part of my basement for storage. Even there, it kept trying to put out leaves (completely yellow at that point due to no light) and blooms. The inflo finally dropped off at the end of February right before I moved the plant back to the finished part of my basement near my citrus to start waking up (which I hope it will do now... yikes). lol I'll be repotting it this year too. Before storage - After snipping leaves - And regarding the ST - I keep missing the pop up threads on its availability here. I never got chance to check the forum yesterday due to monitoring the storm here (other hobby...lol). But then this time of year is probably the worst to try to order anything for delivery. April is probably better.
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HI Ann, Thanks for reaching out! Please give us a call at 1-800-448-1632 and we can help you!
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carrie630
14 years ago
1)Veronica Spicata "Royal Candles"
2)Echinacea
3)Tall Scabiosas and....
(this is hard...)
4)Rudbeckias

Carrie
token28001
Original Author
14 years ago
Cameron is picking out 6 different echinacea and at least a handful of different Agastache. We won't even talk about the salvia. But she can do that. It's not against the rule.
sushi_deluxe
14 years ago
hardy geranium "Alan Bloom"
peonies
pulmonaria
phlox

But honestly, I can't stand to think about my garden without the flowering shrubs.
aftermidnight Zone7b B.C. Canada
14 years ago
This might change as I want to try plants I've never grown before but for the present
Michaelmas Daisies
Leucanthemums
Echinaceas
Campanulas

Annette
PRO
Nell Jean
14 years ago
So, Annette, give us four you haven't tried yet, but aspire to. Maybe that's another thread.

Nell
midnightsmum (Z4, ON)
14 years ago
Huh, I'll get back to you in Fall. I am still waiting to see what performs in the new perennial border. Actually, I am still waiting to see what blooms 1st, and does best.

Nancy.
lynnencfan
14 years ago
Daylilies
Salvias
agastaches
dianthus

This will pretty much give me color all year .....

Lynne
token28001
Original Author
14 years ago
Uh, I know it's my game, but I want to add another. Monarda. Especially the red. I guess I could live without the hibiscus. Maybe we can consider them deciduous shrubs?
little_dani
14 years ago
For me, In addition to my Belinda's Dream(s), and my lilies and daylilies, and hibiscus, I would have to have these;

plumbago
lantana
s. leucantha
and it would be a toss up between
s. uglinosa (bog salvia) and society garlic.

Janie
gldno1
14 years ago
For me it would be:

salvia farinacea
salvia nemerosa
rudbeckias
echinaceas

I love phlox but it gets the most dreadfull mildew in our wet springs.

I will be digging all mine and relocating them so they get more air.....they are not to be crowded in our kind of weather. I lost David who did better and have two others that are supposed to be resistant, Robert Poore and one other??,
gldno1
14 years ago
I forgot my favorite for height....almost a shrub:

Persicaria polymorpha.
sierra_z2b
14 years ago
Although I love Giant fleeceflower Persicaria polymorpha, that isn't on my top 4 list....but close.

Peonies
Bearded and siberian iris
Delphs
Daylilies and lilies.

Basic and reliable....and show stoppers.

Sierra
dawiff
14 years ago
Salvia, daylilies, penstemon, dianthus.
thorngrower sw. ont. z5
14 years ago
1) Heliopsis
2) Maynight Salvia
3) Russian Sage
4) Asters
All easy care plants here..
kathi_mdgd
14 years ago
Iris's all kinds
russian sage
cally lilies,the differen colored ones
hydrangeas

Kathi
countrycarolyn
14 years ago
Ok this one took me awhile to think about, I sure hope bushes are considered in this.

Shasta Daisy Silver Princess, cause its just toooooo cute!!

Shast Daisy Becky, cause its a great cut flower, and of course I love daisies.

Blueberry Bush, oh boy do I need to explain this one, lets just say blueberry pie, blueberry cobbler, blueberry jelly, blueberry pancakes, blueberry muffins, blueberriessssss lol.

Passion flower, Passiflora Incartna (probaly spelled that wrong), I will tell ya I had no idea what this flower was when I found it. I was tromping through the fields when I saw something that looked like a daisy. I quickly ran to see what that white flower was, uhhh it was queens anne lace (invasive here). Well as I was walking away with disapointment I found this vine with this unusual but pretty flower I had to investigate. I picked it up and of course stuck my nose in it, yall I tell ya now I have never smelled such an enchanting smell. I couldnt keep my nose out of it it was wonderful. I came home and searched and searched and searched some more I finally found out what this wonderful flower was. Its evergreen around these parts, edible, and did I mention it smells wonderful, phlox aint got nothing on this smell.

Dont dare make me pick 5 it took me forever to chose these 4!
treelover
14 years ago
Uruguayan firecracker plant (Dicliptera suberecta) Orange blooms in summer, fuzzy leaves . . . tolerates shade

Mexican firespike (Odontonema strictum) Big red spikes in Sept/Oct . . . needs shade

Korean chrysanthemum (Dendranthema zawadskii 'Clara Curtis' aka 'Country Girl') Pink w/yellow centers in Oct/Nov

Russian sage (Perovskia atriplicifolia) Purple spikes in summer

All are reliable, easy and pest-free.
wren_garden
14 years ago
Roses for scent, Daylilies for wow factor, Lambs Ears to tie everything together, Hosta for calm.
Thyme2dig NH Zone 5
14 years ago
The Fairy rose
Daylilies
Peony (tree and herbaceous)
Goldenrod 'Golden fleece'
irene_dsc
14 years ago
Oh, gosh. How to decide...

iris, agastache, russian sage, lambs ear? Can I throw in some geraniums, too?
jovy1097
14 years ago
1) Daylilies- they're so easy and dependable
2) Salvias - butterfly and hummingbird attractors
3) Lantana - bloom endlessly from spring till frost, plus are butterfly magnets
4) Hardy hibiscus - the flowers are so huge and exotic
bhnash
14 years ago
For my sunny and dry California garden:
Salvia
Stachys
Sedum
Centranthus

For my shady and dry California garden:
Geranium
Aster
Alchemilla
Digitalis
derelictgardener
14 years ago
Hello my friends, its been a while. My favourite perennials the past few years were: Black-eyed-Susans, Giant Hyssup, and Beebalm. Although they've come back again this year, the Hyssup have become quite invassive, not that I'm complaining.

Great to see you all again,
Your resident Romanian gardener.
Mihai
hepatica_z7
14 years ago
foxesearth, my Shasta daisy "Becky" is running all over, wherever I put it, including just under the drip line of a maple, where the soil gets bone dry in a day, even after deep watering. They just keep blooming and spreading. Maybe that's a cultivar for you, if you really like the look?
luckygal
14 years ago
Irises
Delphinium
Peonies
Lady's Mantle

All very reliable in this cold climate.
kristin_flower
14 years ago
My top four perennials are iris, catmint, hardy geraniums, and lilies, but I must also have roses.

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