notes and musings from a perennial gardener
Plant Profiles
I say ‘diva’ because delphiniums are attention-grabbing, gorgeous garden stars, but also notoriously temperamental to grow and sustain. Their finicky needs demand high maintenance and a considerable tolerance for unreliability. Since they are arguably one of the most beautiful perennials on the planet, we “delph” lovers grudgingly carry their water (literally!) in hopes of a spectacular show. If you think you’d like to try growing a few, read on.
Daylilies are as common as lawn turf these days, and their displays are often about as interesting. They blanket medial strips at the mall, brighten business parks, dot roadsides and figure in nearly everyone’s landscaping plan at some point.
And no wonder. Daylilies are fantastic problem-solvers. They routinely survive harsh conditions, need virtually no care and provide oodles of color when it’s needed most, midsummer.
Even so, waves of Stella d’Oros and Happy Returns have lost much of their mojo for many of us. Let’s explore how else we can utilize daylilies, primarily through color, form, and companion plantings.
Here’s a hard-working, easy-care perennial too few gardeners utilize. Fortunately the nurseries are pushing hard to get it better known, and breeders are bringing out new hybrids in more colors every year.
Hummingbird mint is also known as anise hyssop. It’s often referred to at nurseries by its latin name agastache. (I will call it agastache.) This intriguing plant is deer- and rabbit-proof, blooms June to fall, resists most diseases and provides sustenance for pollinators. A member of the mint family, it does well in most any sunny garden, yet never spreads, reseeds, or gets out of hand.
What’s not to love?