notes and musings from a perennial gardener
Plant Profiles
There’s nothing quite like the sages (Salvia) and catmints (Nepeta) for bushy, vibrant spires of rich purples and lavenders in late spring. Beebalm, lavender and agastache follow up, with the latter going right into fall. Aromatics are among the easiest and most trouble-free of all perennials to grow, in part due to their menthol-like aromas which keep many pests at bay.
No summer flower display is complete without garden phlox, a workhorse of the home flowerbed since European naturalists first discovered our native species, Phlox paniculata. The name ‘phlox’ comes from the Greek for flame, and you can see why– there’s nothing shy about these stalwart mainstays.
Tall phlox not only put on a colorful show, they’re usually long-lived once established. Some are wonderfully fragrant. New introductions are more disease resistant than ever, and many repeat bloom, or just keep going like the Energizer Bunny.
In my quest to identify some of the best phlox choices for zone 6, I delved deeply into two exhaustive phlox trials, as well as drew on my own experience with some of the cultivars.
Let’s take a look at the top performers, new introductions and what makes tall phlox so desirable in the garden.
Hydrangeas are deservedly popular shrubs with long bloom periods and handsome foliage. As a result, growers have introduced hundreds of cultivars in a dazzling array of colors. There are over 70 species and roughly 1000 cultivars and hybrids in production worldwide, with more being added every year.
Selecting a plant you’ll be happy with for the long haul can be tricky. Most cultivars and hybrids available in the US fall within six types, or species. Not all types have the same needs, and some can fail to bloom after a hard winter. So, where to start?
Here’s what I learned when I started researching hydrangeas.