Perennials: A Picturesque Portrait

Breathes there anyone with a soul so dead,

Who would not admire a perennial bed?

Most of us start gardening too late in life. When we are young and sprightly, we have too many other interests. The middle years are taken up with furthering our careers and/or raising families, so that by the time we should be hitting our stride, our stride has turned into a totter; bones are creaking and backs are aching. The spirit might be willing, but the knees are weak. However, it’s never too late to start. Procrastinating about doing a project is like looking at a wheelbarrow; nothing will happen until we start pushing.

Planning a Large New Border:

Study the photos in gardening books then choose the layout and the plants you most admire within them. Like Agatha Christie’s Hercule Poirot, we must use the “little grey cells” in order to choose the best plants. Picture this large border as a stage and like Cecil B. de Mille you’ll soon be directing a cast of hundreds.

Digging:

Roses are reddish,

Violets are bluish,

But they won’t grow in soil that’s glueish!

Gardening is 10% preparation and 90% perspiration; most of the latter comes from digging.

1. Make sure the soil is soaked but not soggy.
2. The tines of the fork should go in the full length. Large clumps should be broken up with the back of the fork or spade.
3. Spread large amounts of compost, peat, and manure then dig again. The soil will become friable. (For a vivid example of this, read page 39 of Too Late for Regrets.)

Planting:

Place the plants in the area where the holes are to be dug. Move them around until you’re happy with the result. Container plants bought from the nursery might have become rootbound; tease out some of the roots and spread them out before planting. Water thoroughly, and make sure that any weeds appearing are eradicated promptly.

Sun-Loving Perennials

• Aurinia (Basket of Gold) – low growing, mid-spring
• Rock Cress (Arabis) – showy racemes of pure white, late spring. Ideal for rock gardens.
• Centranthus Ruber (Jupiter’s Beard) – has upright stems bearing fluffy clusters of pink flowers. 2 feet, needs staking.
• Rudbeckia (Goldsturm) – Black-eyed Susan. Stunning orange flowers with a black center. Shasta daisy makes a spectacular splash of white, mid-summer.
• Coreopsis (Tickseed) – “Early Sunrise,” “Sunray,” charming yellow flowers at the end of wiry stems, 1-2 feet
• Heliopsis (Helianthus) – False sunflower, long blooming, 2-3 feet. Plant at rear.
• Phlox Paniculata (Garden Phlox) – “Eva Cullum,” exquisite clusters of deep pink flowers on sturdy stems, stake. 2 feet, mid-late summer.
• Aster Frikartii – lilac daisy-like flowers, late summer

Kniphofia (Red Hot Poker)

Stacys 1.5 Feet, Upright Stems

Achillea (Yarrow) “Paprika”

Aster Novae-Angliae

Sandwort, Early Summer, Low Growing

A Well-Planned Perennial Bed

Black-eyed Susan (Rudbeckia)

Gardening Topic of the Week: Tulips

The days are shorter, the nights are longer. It’s official–it’s fall.

In October, I make the much-anticipated visit to the nursery to choose tulip bulbs from the abundant

Tulips “Georgette,”
red or orange. This is a fabulous bunch flowering tulip. Several flowers on a sturdy stem. If you have enough space, plant ten or twelve for a spectacular show.

selection. The many varieties can be bewildering! Therefore, my advice is to look at the tags. They will tell you how tall the tulips will grow to be, and when they will bloom; early, mid, or late spring. Be sure to include those tags in your packet!

A mixture of Darwin tulips. Yellow, pink, and red are easy to grow.

It’s also important to have a definite plan. A mixture of yellow or red? Perhaps pink and white? Or a section devoted to orange?

The bulbs should be firm and unblemished–bulbs that show any sign of sponginess should be avoided.

The bulbs have to be planted before the ground freezes. I plant them in any vacant areas in the beds. Late spring (when the foliage emerges) is when yellow basket-of-gold and brilliant pink creeping phlox start to bloom. Together with the tulips, you will have a charming show which will last a month.

I treat most of my tulips as annuals even though this seems like a waste. They’re removed once they’ve finished blooming because the spaces are needed to plant summer annuals such as impatiens or lobelia erinus and alyssum. One particular gentleman with whom I walked down the aisle all those years ago strongly objects to this waste. “Why are you doing this?” he bleats pathetically. “I would leave them in.” But as Ingrid Bergman said to Walter Matthau in the movie Cactus Flower, 

“You go to your church, I’ll go to mine.”

“Maureen,” a sparkling white tulip that is sure to please.

Plant tulips in clumps of 6 or 8–they’ll look more effective. These beauties, the harbinger of spring, will give the gardener much joy and sense of accomplishment.

Darwin tulips, “Golden Parade,” glorious yellow which will light up your bed in late spring.

Do you have a favorite October/Autumn ritual? Pumpkin spice latte at the corner Starbucks? Visiting the pumpkin patch with the children or their children? Watching a scary movie by the fireside? Share in the comments below!