March 1, 2010

perennial favorites

Happy March!

Are you making your garden plans yet? I know we still have a way to go, but I have just started really thinking about what I'm going to be doing in the garden this year. Flower successes that I'll repeat again, and things I'd like to change. I'm making lists of seeds, and thinking about bare spots that need filling in the perennial bed.

Bleeding Heart is one of the very first bloomers in my garden. They are so pretty and old fashioned. Last year, we planted some white ones too, and I can't wait to see how they do this spring.


Hardy geraniums are one of my very favorites. Some varieties get huge, leggy and out of control, but this one, Birch's Double, is one of a few varieties that know how to behave.


Peonies. Good gracious, the peonies. I always want to bring bouquets inside, but mine are absolutely filled with ants. I'm always afraid I'll wake up the next morning to find the kitchen crawling with the little buggers.


Dianthus. Pinks. Whatever you call them, they are a treat. Their sweet smell is so fresh and a little bit spicy. Yum.


Black Eyed Susans are everywhere in my herb garden where pretty much anything goes as far as color. Nice because they bloom a bit later in the season after most other perennials are done.


Delphiniums are quite possibly my favorite perennial ever. They have a couple strikes against them where I live, the deer love them and the wind can topple them, but they are so worth the hassle. And usually if you're a flower in my garden you have to be able to totally fend for yourself or you're outta here. Not delphiniums though. I'm willing to coddle those baby blues a bit. They're the favorite child. Shhh. Don't tell.


I'm very torn about what to do with my hollyhock patch. When they are good, they are great, but more often than not, the foliage gets very nasty looking and the ugliness overpowers the beautiful blooms.


Last year I vowed to tear them all out, but of course now I want to give them a second chance. All of my fall tough talk is gone. The birds sing, the bee's buzz, and I am deluded once again, that this year my hollyhocks will be beautiful for more than five minutes.


Another later summer bloomer is Purple Coneflower. It took a long time for me to really start liking this plant, but it blooms till frost, and you just can't say that about your average joe perennial. That reason alone earns it a spot in my heart.


There are many, many new varieties of Coneflower, and I have tried quite a few of them. Big Sky Sundown is a great color and fades to a pretty pinky orange. Very fun.


I could ramble on forever about ye olde garden, but at some point I should probably wrap up and save some for another day. A few last favorites....


Columbine, Sidalcea and Trollius.

As you can see, the "less is more" philosophy has no place in my garden. When it comes to flowers, more is more. That's my story, and I'm stickin to it.

Every year I try at least one new thing. What are the must have perennials in your garden?

Be an enabler and share your favorites.

38 comments:

  1. All your flower pictures just made me very happy. I'm so ready for spring. I've already bought a few packets of seeds and I'm making promises to myself that I will have a wonderful garden this year. I start out pretty good and then it gets really hot in Texas and I just want to stay inside in the air conditioning. I just got a bargain at Wal-Mart yesterday... A huge boston fern for $10!! I'm hoping I don't kill it. It's raining this morning so I sat it out in the rain.

    I'm anxious to see all the garden pictures on my favorite blogs. I will be stopping by to see you often :O)

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  2. Step away from the Hollyhocks! I'm serious, Missy. If you so much as lay a hand on them, why, I'll....do something really naughty.

    You've got me so inspired and READY! I may have to comb through some of my happy flower pics.

    Also - what variety of delphinium do you plant? I planted some last year and they did alright, but they didn't get nearly as tall as yours??

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  3. Gorgeous pictures!

    In a word, yes I am making plans over here in England. Spring is almost upon us and basically I need to start from fresh.

    I went to the garden centre yesterday and stocked up on seeds but it's still so cold and icy here it's too early to do bedding plants yet.

    x

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  4. Honestly, I need to visit your gardens to be inspired to add more to mine! I am going to add your Birch's Double and of course, every year I try to add more coneflowers, but sometimes they don't want to return. On my road trip through Minnesota and Iowa last summer, I was shocked to find them along the roadside growing as weeds. If I ever drive back from there, I am FILLING my trunk with them to fill my gardens!
    Have a marvelous week,
    xx

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  5. oh, and for my own favorites - I adore my peonies, as well as dahlias. Sadly the slugs don't seem to want the dahlias to come up most years... I can't get enough lilacs, clematis, and love mass plantings of zinnias when I have open space and need color.

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  6. It always amazes me that what some of us take for a weed growing in the ditches others would give their left leg for. I live in MN and see coneflowers everywhere.
    During a trip to South Africa several years ago I too was amazed by what the locals there viewed as common place. The man that was our guide down there told me to tell him to stop anytime if I wanted pictures as he sees the flowers everyday and it was just day in and day out for him.
    When I go to visit a friend I drive past a long stretch of shaded ditch that has ferns growing wild and I swear the next time I go that way I am going to have my shovel and bucket with me. Never remember to bring them along.

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  7. Oh, your garden is lovely! and your photos are gorgeous... spring is coming someday, isn't it?

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  8. Gorgeous flowers. I sure wish I could grow this sort of thing in Florida. Did you use a macro to take some of these pics?

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  9. What? Where are the snapdragons? Do the snaps know that the delphiniums are your favorite? I'm shocked!

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  10. Your garden is gorgeous!Delphiniums are one of my favs but I can't seem to grow any. Maybe after we get a deer fence. Hydrangea, bleeding heart, columbine, clematis, there are so many I can't list them all. And I agree more is more...always!!
    Annette

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  11. This time of the year is so hard -- too soon to plant but just warm enough to fool me into wanting to ... some I love include echinacea, peonies!, hydrangeas, fuschias, and nasturtiums. -amy

    PS There are entirely too many spellings for echinacea - I went with dictionary.com :-)

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  12. More is great! And your garden is lovely!! I love hardy geraniums, coneflowers and black-eyed-susans. We had several peony shrubs at our last house and the fragrance was amazing! I have never tried to grow hollyhocks, so I don't know what kind of foliage issues they have. But they sure look beautiful in bloom!

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  13. OH...may I ask that you commute the sentence of the hollyhocks indefinitely? I have tried to get hollyhocks to come up and be fruitful and multiply....no luck! LOVE YOURS...and if they look a bit shaggy, well, shabby is IN especially in a farmyard, no? My delphiniums usually get beautiful and then a windstorm beats them down but they usually get their day in the sun. Love your black-eyed susans and I'd love to try those coneflowers....your photos, as usual are just so enticing!
    XOXO
    Joni

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  14. I wish it was gardening season RIGHT NOW! It's so very hard to wait. All your beautiful photo's make me want to start right away.

    Last year I went crazy! I planted and shopped for new plant all season long. This year I plan to only add a few annuals and a couple more perenials. I'm determined to keep it low-key. However that will probably pass with the first scoop of the shovel and my resolve will fly out the window to be replaced with a chant of "more blooms, more blooms, more blooms"

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  15. Oh the flowers! they make me happy. thank you for sharing the pictures.

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  16. those are gorgeous. it makes me want to plant something.

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  17. Hydrangeas, I LOVE THEM. All colors. All kinds. True love.

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  18. I know that lilacs are a bush instead of a plant, but I have 100 year old lilac hedges that are as tall as the first story of my house...and come lilac time it's a pure pleasure to just sit on my porch swing and breathe! I'm with you on the peonies and the delphiniums too...I enjoy them all year round because they are so easy to dry and put in flower arrangements...Thank you for posting the pictures of your flowers...I could almost feel the summer sun on my face! Debby at http://athomeinwyoming.com/

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  19. I love Lilacs just like at homeinwyoming. Hydrangeas are lovely but hate where I live. It get too cold. I do however have a favorite annual. I love "Jack be little" baby pumpkins. I love to bring them in doors for my fall decor. I can't help myself. This year I am hoping to have some white ones to show off as well. I've got my fingers crossed.

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  20. Love your garden pics. The hollyhocks are stunning. I've always been a little nervous about trying them since I haven't always had the best of luck with plants. I did plant Delphiniums for the first time last year and LOVED them. I adore my coneflowers too because I don't have to do a thing to them to have them come back. I adore hydrangeas but just can't seem to get mine to grow very big. :o(

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  21. you have an amazing garden! i, not so much. i will just get my fill looking at your photos.

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  22. Your gardens are absolutely divine! I love to garden, but my gardens are "evolving" with all the construction going on in my yard. My peonies always had ants too. I almost bought delphiniums a few weeks ago, but didn't. I shall have to return to get some. Do you grow most of your perennials from seed?
    Brenda

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  23. You take lovely photographs. Bleeding hearts, and also my tall asiatic lilies, are my favorites. I can't wait for high spring!

    Kristina
    Sweetfern Handmade

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  24. How in the sam hill did I miss this post? You've taken my breath away. Your gardens are the loveliest I've seen in 'real life'...but then, I'm starting to think you aren't real life. It's just all so danged perfect!!! I planted "Tomato Soup" and 'Mac and Cheese' Coneflowers last summer. Very neat colors. Hope they survived the winter. Hollyhocks make me ache when they are lovely (about ten minutes) and then I hate the suckers....bug eaten, powdery mildew covered messes. BUT....that darned ten minutes of glory is worth it all. Seriously Teresa....you have a beautiful garden. I know the work that goes into it, and I believe it's the highest compliment....from one gardener to another.....you got it goin' on. I've had the graph paper out planning my veggie garden. My flower garden is all hit and miss.....

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  25. You've inspired me to plant perennials-- your garden is beautiful!
    Hugs,
    Jill

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  26. Oh my gosh. Totally not fair that you posted all this lush springness and all that is outside and grey ick. I'm gonna miss my flowers when we go. I love the delphs too but so do the bunnies that live in back yard. Oh did we go round and round last year. I planted cone flowers last year for the first time and loved them. Those suckers bloomed forever and looked gorgeous around my bird bath. And peonies...well they are my favorite. We don't tend to have the ants too badly so mine do come inside but sometimes I have a hard time cutting flowers to bring in. I need to get over that!

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  27. Unfortunately, I'm not much of a gardener. Fortunately, I live in Florida where lots of cool things grow without very much effort. A dying pothos house plant with 2" leaves can be thrown under a tree, and before long, you have a vine growing up the trunk with leaves that are now 2 FEET long.

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  28. The pics are great... especially the ones where the sunlight hits the flowers and foliage... nice closeups too!

    love,
    the meadowbrook farmer

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  29. I absolutely love your garden pictures! I cannot wait for warm weather to get here so I can enjoy my yard. I did see some crocus pop up a few days ago and the daffodils are just starting to poke up through the dirt. Ahh, patience... :) Thanks for sharing!

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  30. Wow... love your garden! I wish I had your green thumb! I'm going to try my hand with more flowers at my shop this year! I will look forward to more inspriation from your blog!
    Laurie

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  31. Hi Teresa,
    So glad I found your blog. Love your colorful gardens. I love to garden, too. Will come back often to visit. We renovated at 1917 farmhouse into a B&B, loved every minute of it. Stop by and say hello. :)

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  32. We share many favorites, but delphiniums don't do well here in the hot, humid climate of Georgia. My peonies are nice, but my bleeding hearts - both the pink and white and the solid white one - became victims last spring of the hated voles. Made me cry - oh yes, it did! Then I went to work at trying to kill the voles. As of now, it seems my efforts were successful, so I'll be looking for some new bleeding hearts this year.

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  33. Oh...the flowers in front of the fence...looks just like my previous home...miss it! :D

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  34. beautiful garden! I too have been counting down the days til spring! I have a list a mile long in my head, I may need a second job just to fund my flower budget! ahhh, guess I will keep dreaming!

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  35. I am so tickled TidyMom featured you and I found you! Your blog is stunning. I'm so glad you shared your favorite flowers. I'm feeling inspired to get my flower garden going! ;) Thanks for sharing. -Shelley {www.HowDoesShe.com}

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  36. My new absolute favorite blog! Thank you!!!

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  37. Would it be possible for you to post a full-size version of a photo? I'd love to take a closer look at the top-left photo of the last collage in this post? I see a white trellis surrounded by flowers and I'm just a sucker for that! Pretty please? :)

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