Perennial Picks of the Week
Looking through magazines, scouting plants on Pinterest, falling in love with gardens featured online… all fun past times. But when it comes to planting new plants, the place to go is your local garden center. We know what does well here in our area, and trial plants we aren’t familiar with before we recommend them. This is true for the following perennials; Good Earth grown for the first time this year. Jen M., our perennial grower, has chosen these as top winners for 2019!
Creeping Phlox is blooming all over town right now (late March) and this tough, eye-catching perennial groundcover is tough to beat for an early spring bloomer. We have grown the Emerald series for years but meet our newest phlox friend, ‘Eye Shadow’! This phlox variety blooms a bit later than some of the other phlox varieties; right now, it is about to burst with blooms while the Emerald series is already open, making it a great spring season extender. This sun loving perennial matures at 18-20″ wide and 4-6″ tall. As you can see from the image, the bright rose-purple blooms feature a dark purple center. Plant in well drained, alkaline soil (may want to add some lime to your planting each year to ensure the pH given our acidic soils). Enjoy this new vigorous grower!
‘Tidal Pool’ Veronica is another sun loving groundcover about to burst with blooms (late March 2019). Once it really opens up, these won’t last long, because just look at that bright blue color, surrounding the clear white centers! The foliage is a silvery-green, a wonderful contrast to the blooms. Plant in a full to part sun location and enjoy the semi-evergreen perennial near borders and in rock gardens. Mass plantings will be particularly showy. Prefers evenly moist soil, with good winter drainage. With a spread of up to 30″ and long season blooms, this perennial gives a significant bang for the buck. And speaking of bucks, it’s known to be rabbit and deer resistant, as well as attracting hummingbirds!
We will update this image when our crop start blooming; our newest dianthus is fully budded and looks ready to open any day! Meet ‘Georgia Peach Pie’ Dianthus, featuring very pale blush-pink petals with unique coral centers. The blooms are an outstanding contrast to the silver-green foliage. Extra large blooms are held up by sturdy stems. Georgia Peach Pie is a long-lasting cut flower. This dianthus is well-behaved in the garden, mounding to a mature size of approximately 11″ by 11″. The American Pie series of dianthus, which includes Georgia Peach Pie, are heat tolerant and drought tolerant as well, once established. Plant in loose, well drained soil, with plenty of organic matter.
We look forward to introducing you to these and other new plants throughout the year! Keep in mind that we grow our own perennials and once they are gone, they are usually gone for the year. Which means if you are loving these as much as we are… come shopping soon!