Choice Perennial Gallery | |
Perennials For Sun Perennials For Shade Perennial Vines | |
Welcome to our Choice Perennial Gallery! For those of you who live close enough to visit us at our Farm location, this page is a sample of the many choice perennials that will be available for your buying pleasure. Do you live in a far-off land (say, Kansas) that makes it impractical to visit us? Fear not - we can ship these choice perennials mail order. Please contact us with your wish list and we will send prices and shipping details. Do keep in mind that this list is by no means comprehensive - we grow thousands of varieties. Those presented here are just a few that intrigue us. | |
Perennials for Sun | |
Balloon Flowers | |
For a low height, all-season bloomer try these - they are easy and rewarding. | |
Banana 'Basjoo' | |
Yes a truly hardy banana! This banana has green leaves and is supposedly hardy to Zone 5. We were skeptical at first, but when it overwintered for us we became believers! This green-leafed banana will grow just as fast as the other bananas. Our 4-year-old plant gets over 10’ tall and 8’ wide every summer. In the fall we let the freeze “take it down” and do not clean it up until the spring. Self mulching and much easier clean-up. |
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Buddleias (Butterfly Bushes) | |
These open-growing bushes are among the best plants for attracting butterflies and hummingbirds. Their long season of blooms provides a constant source of nectar that will keep hummers and butterflies interested in your garden. You might consider planting two or more varieties of butterfly bushes in the same hole. As the plants grow their branches will intermingle, making it seem that different colored blooms are coming off of one plant. Do not prune until late spring; as they leaf out you can cut out any dead branches. In a hard winter they will die back to the ground, but will still be blooming by midsummer regardless. They typically become 5-8 feet tall and across, but after a few mild winters they can become tree-like; you may wish to cut them back. As a bonus they are deer resistant! They prefer full sun, and their rapid growth demands rich soil and even moisture. These will bloom this summer. Available from mid April until early June. | |
'Attraction'Still the best "red," producing an abundance of red-purple blooms. |
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'Black Knight'Flowers of the deepest violet, approaching black. |
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'Honeycomb'A good yellow that produces round balls of florets. |
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'Nanho Blue'The closest to blue yet. Leaves are silvery. A more compact variety, growing to 5 feet. |
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'Pink Delight'A good choice if you are looking for pink. |
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'Santana''Royal Red' with a snappy yellow edge to the leaves. We brought our stock plant from Wisley Gardens in England. |
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'Summer Beauty'Flowers are a reddish-pink color – different. | |
'White Profusion'We feel this is the best white available. |
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Daylilies | |
We grow short varieties of daylilies - they get only about 24" tall and most will be everblooming. Bullet proof. | |
Delosperma cooperi (Ice Plant) | |
Large, hot pink flowers adorn this succulent’s foliage. This is a rapid grower, forming a low-growing mound 36" wide and 8" tall. A location in full sun with perfect drainage is a must. Very drought tolerant once established. Ice plants are easy to grow, and also make good annuals for containers. |
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Ornamental Grasses | |
From 15' tall Arundo to 6" tall blue fescue we have lots of ornamental grasses to choose from. Most are extremely easy to grow needing just basic garden care - Here are 3 interesting ones from our selection of many! | |
Pennisetum 'Atropurpeum'This annual grass is wonderful. It will quickly grow to 3' tall sporting pink foxtails over burgundy blades. It prefers full to part sun and evenly moist soil. Adequate fertility is necessary to support the rapid growth rate. |
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Stipa (Nassella) tenuissima "Ponytails" or "Angel's Hair"This hardy grass makes nice, 12" tufts of the softest grass. It has been hardy for us in well-drained soil. A nice texture plant - put it where you can "pet" it. It needs full to part sun, good drainage, and adequate moisture. It will grow 12" tall and wide this summer. |
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Hydrangeas | |
We have plenty of these summer-blooming bushes. These grow well here and are great in sun or part sun. |
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Iris pallida 'Variegated' | |
Nice blooms for a week or two but the best part is the clean, white and green striped foliage. | |
Lithodora | |
Incredibly blue flowers in spring. It resents our heat, but baby it and it will prosper. |
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Nepeta × fassenii 'Walker's Low' | |
This plant wants to grow! It will easily produce a mound of foliage 18" tall by 48" wide this year! (You can cut it back if it becomes a threat to its neighbors). It will reward you with clean grey-green foliage covered in vast quantities of small lavender-blue flowers all summer long that attract butterflies and hummingbirds. Place it in a location with full to part sun and evenly moist soil for best growth. Drought tolerant once established. |
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Purple Leafed Oxalis | |
Arising from a weird looking bulb/root, this plant forms masses of purple shamrock leaves and lavender flowers. It will make an easy houseplant, conservatory specimen or perennial. In our garden it has been used if full sun to bright shade and has prospered everywhere. It has formed clumps up to 18" wide and remains attractive all season long. It goes dormant after the first fall frost and re-appears each spring without fail. This is a perennial for us. |
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Tall Garden Phlox | |
Native to the U.S., many of these varieties went to Europe for an education. Summer or fall blooming in a wide range of colors. Hardy and drought tolerant once established. |
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Solidago rugosa 'Fireworks' | |
What fall color! This plant will stop traffic when in bloom; producing vibrant gold flowers for six weeks. This variety is an American native plant selected for its outstanding form. Prefers full sun and well-drained soil, and will grow to 36" tall by 36"+ wide. It is drought tolerant once established and is resistant to deer nibbling. |
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Perennials for Shade | |
Astilbe | |
Ferny foliage with poofy heads of blooms in midsummer. Easily grown; nice mixed in a shade garden or in a mass planting. | |
Bletillas (Hardy Orchid) | |
These hardy orchids bloom outdoors each May in our zone 5-6 garden. We offer the plants no special protection or care in our shade gardens, nor do they need it. They will form clumps 18" tall by 36" wide. We recommend planting in part sun to bright shade in evenly-moist, good soil. Please choose from the following colors: Pink BletillaWhite Bletilla Available April through June. |
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Corydalis lutea | |
Blooming from March to November, this is a favorite - a bright, cheery lemon yellow. Attractive, ferny foliage, too. |
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Everblooming Bleeding Heart | |
Pink or white flowers spring to fall over ferny foliage. Easily grown. A nice addition to any shady space. |
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Hardy Ferns | |
We will have lots of varieties to choose from - tall, short, clumping, or running. Some are a soothing green, others are shades of red or silver. Here are two of our favorites, but we offer many more! | |
Japanese Painted Fern (Athyrium nipponicum )A classic beauty, the leaves of the Japanese Painted Fern are brightly colored with silver and burgundy. An outstanding plant for bright shade or morning sun. They require even moisture and prefer a compost-enriched soil. Grows 12" tall by 18" wide. |
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Tassel Fern (Polystichum polyblepharum)This is a favorite with our customers. The Tassel Fern grows rapidly into a 18-24" tall by 24" wide mound of gorgeous, dark green fronds. In our area it is semi-evergreen. Like most ferns it prefers good soil and even moisture. It likes morning sun or bright shade. | |
Hellebores | |
Hellebores are a fantastic plant for the shade/part shade garden, offering blooms in the winter! Yes, winter! (February to April).The plants are also “deer proof” so it is an excellent choice for those with a deer problem. Hellebores come in white and shades of pink to red to burgundy to a black-blue in both single and double flowers. Go the the Hellebore Variety Spotlight for more information. |
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Heucheras | |
"Coral Bells" with leaf colors of green, purple, amber, or chartreuse - a trouble-free plant for sun or shade. Small blooms attract hummingbirds. |
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Ophiopogon planiscapens 'Niger' (Black Mondo Grass) | |
This plant's black foliage makes the perfect backdrop for it purple blooms. It is a perennial here in Southwest Missouri, and will slowly fill out into a nice, low clump. |
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Variegated Solomon's Seal | |
I like this plant! Slowly spreads to form large clumps - it looks great spring to fall. Tolerates drought but grows best (like most things) if you pamper it a little. It grows so well here that nothing - not even weeds - can stop it. We always sell out - you will like this. |
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Voodoo Lily | |
Just plain weird - this plant comes up late (May) and grows fast. Its odd, giant flower is "offally" fragrant for 24 hours. | |
Vinca minor 'Illumination' | |
Vibrant gold-centered leaves are vigorous enough to make a good ground cover. Blue flowers in the spring are an added bonus. This is a very rugged groundcover, and once established it is quite drought tolerant. Grows in the sun or shade, and can really lighten up a dark corner. You might also consider using it in container plantings or hanging baskets. |
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Perennial Vines | |
These are great to hiding or embellishing old cars or outhouses. Equally at home on a trellis or (for some) growing up or through a tree. | |
Clematis | |
We offer about 50 varieties - most prefer bright shade here in Missouri. Nice grown up into smaller trees or mixed on a trellis. The Queen of flowering vines. Plant two or more plants in the same hole. Your neighbors will be impressed with your “multicolor” clematis. |
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Honeysuckles | |
This year we will be offering the scarlet (non-fragrant, hummingbird magnet), and two different pink/yellow (fragrant) honeysuckles. They are fabulous growers and bloom most of the summer. We will not be offering the fragrant white/yellow “wild” honeysuckle due to lack of demand last year. But if you ask nicely, you may convince Oscar to grow it again. |
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Schitzophragma 'Moonlight' ("Climbing Hydrangea") | |
In our gardens this vine grows about 8 feet per year up our black walnut trees, with outstanding white flowers in May-July. If you have trees you need this vine! |
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