Planning a Perennial Wildflower Garden

While I have always loved wildflowers in a garden or just growing wild in the woods, such flowers can help enhance the natural wild setting in your backyard or front yard. A wildflower garden is low maintenance if you enjoy flowers but do not have enough time for gardening should you have a busy schedule. Back east, where I used to live, it was not uncommon to walk through the woods and see purple coneflowers, daisies, black eyed Susans and columbines growing randomly in clusters on the ground. You can of course plant your wildflowers to appear as if they just grew there naturally without any pre-planning. Below is a list of some of my favorite perennial wildflowers:Columbines. This is the state flower of Colorado but they can grow well in any part of the nation during the summer and fall months. They come in purple, purple-white, pink, pink-white, yellow, white. They grow an average of 18 to 20" tall and they reseed themselves each year. Columbines belongs to the ranunculus family. These flowers are frequently bicolored. Each flower shape resembles a bonnet. Columbines like well drained soil and can tolerate partial shade. These flowers grow in the summer through the fall.Black eyed Susans. These flowers do not require a lot of care. They likes full sun, and grow well in moderate soil. Black eyed Susans grow from 18" to 25" in height. These flowers have yellow petals with dark brown or black centers. Black eyed Susans belong to the aster family and grow during the summer and fall months.Daisies. As with the black eyed Susans, daisies also belong to the aster family.

These popular wildflowers have pretty white petals with yellow centers. They grow in moderate soil and like full sunlight. Daisies grow an average height of 18" to 22" tall. Daisies will last from the early summer through the fall.Echinacea, or purple coneflower. These pretty wildflowers have orange-brown centers with daisy-like petals in the color purple. Purple coneflowers grow between 18" to 25" tall. This flower also belongs to the aster family and grows well in moderate soil. Echinacea blossoms during the summer and fall monthsAsters. These flowers are a vibrant blue-purple in color with yellow centers but there are other varieties of asters that come in other colors, such as the golden asters and Bigelow's aster. They bloom late in the summer season. Asters grow from 18" to 24" inches tall. The flowers have many petals, that are oblong in shape, forming stars. They like the full sun and grow well in moderate soil.Lupines. These flowers are a member of the pea family that bloom during the summer and grow from 2 to 3 feet high. In shape, the plants are spiked with the flowers forming round shapes and come in a wide range of colors. Lupines like full sun to partial shade. If you choose to plant lupines from seeds, soak the seeds in warm water the night before planting them to encourage germination.Gayfeather. This is a spike-shaped flower that grows from 24" to 48" tall. Gayfeathers are purple or white in color, like full to partial sun, and prefers to grow in moist soil. Gayfeathers also tolerate humidity if you live in a climate that is prone to humidity during the summer and fall months, such as Connecticut. The flowers on this plant resemble fine bottle scrubbing brushes. This flower will also attract butterflies.Blue flax. This common roadside flower belongs to the flax family and grows from18 to 30" tall. Each flower has five petals of a beautiful blue color. This flower likes the full sun, and well drained soil. Blue flax can survive droughts but does not grow well in humid climates. This flower blooms during the spring and summer seasons.Lance-leaved coreopsis. This flower grows 1 1/2' to 3' tall and has bright yellow flowers. This plant prefers soil that is sandy and dry. Lance-leaved coreopsis can survive droughts and prefers full to partial sun. This flower blooms during the summer months and will attract butterflies and birds.Moss verbena. This variety of verbena grows to 1 foot tall, and has five-petaled blue flowers clumped together forming a ball. Moss verbena blooms in the early spring through the summer. This plant likes the full sun and well drained soil.With the exception of the lupines which grow from legumes, these other flowers can easily grow from seeds, or plants purchased at your local nursery. The flowers belonging to the aster family can be combined together along with the lance-leaved coreopsis to create a natural, wild growth look to them. As with any other garden, these can be planted in a designated boundary area with natural grass remaining beyond the boundary. Keep weeds under control as these can inhibit the growth of wildflowers. Compost can be added once a year to your wildflowers. Water the flowers once a week but do not over water those that thrive in dry conditions, such as the aster family flowers. The wildflowers listed above all make beautiful cut flowers for a vase. Best of all, these flowers, once planted, will come back year after year in your garden By Garna

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Perennial Flower Garden Ideas

The perennial garden is one way to beat the necessity to redo the garden each year and does tend to decrease the labor that is involved in gardening since perennial gardens for the most part, with the right care, will proliferate themselves. Perennial gardening ideas are as plentiful as the gardeners who grow them.Some perennial flower garden ideas tend to stand out more than others. One which we find personally very appealing is the injection of herbs as the flowering plant since they tend to proliferate well, so offer something aside from beauty and to grow in many cases in the least favorable conditions.There are multiple types of herbs you might use in your perennial flower garden. Ideas might include Cone Flowers (Echinacea), and several other flowering herbs such as Bee Balm, which is also known as monarda, and bergamot, the flavoring that is used in Earl Grey tea.Bee balm comes in many different colors, and can range from a deep burgundy red, which is an attractive choice and will also gather hummingbirds and butterflies.Nearly all varieties of bee balm are quite hardy and will grow well in any climate, however there is one which is not recommended.
The Cambridge Scarlet variety is not recommended for your perennial garden ideas list because it tends to be prone to what is called powdery mildew. This makes it less a good selection for your herb garden. Interestingly enough tea made of bee balm was a staple in the kitchens of colonial American, especially after the Boston Tea party when actual tea was a rarity.Another perennial that is flowering and will provide you with some wonderful separator plants as well as lovely flowers and a super scent is lavender. Lavender is hardy, will tolerate many climates and colder or quite warm weather and is useful for a great many home herbal projects. You can use the dried blossoms to make some wonderful home products such as hair rinses, carpet sprinkles and astringents. Lavender is a great plant to include in your perennial flower garden ideas because it has some additional benefits aside from beauty and its use in home cleaning. It does tend to be antiseptic and in addition one of the benefits of growing lavender in your garden is that it tends to repel pest insects, keeping your garden a much more pleasant place to sit.There are many such herbs that will bear inclusion in your perennial flower garden. Ideas for plants that will repel insects might include May apple, marigold as well as Roman chamomile. Roman chamomile gives off a lovely light scent and does help a great deal in repelling mosquitoes. By Ian Pennington

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No Fuss Perennial Flower Gardening

America has become hectic. Most people work well over forty hours each week to make due. With all this time spent working, it's only natural not to have the time to garden. Or maybe, you have the time, but just don't want to spend your days digging in dirt in order to have a great looking garden.There are easy ways to have a good looking garden without working hard or maintaining it. If done right, your garden will largely take care of itself. Instead of poring over it day in and day out, you'll be able to leave it alone. The most you'll have to do, once planted, is leave the sprinkler on every once in a while.Perennial plants and flowers are perfect for the busy person's garden. Perennials keep growing back every year. Once you plant them, you can just leave them alone. Annual flowers have to be replanted every year. This makes perennial flowers and plants ideal for those of us who don't have the time to work in the garden, but who still want our yard to look nice.The first thing to do when making your no fuss perennial garden is to prepare the space. This can be a flower box, pots, or just a patch of land. Dig at the soil in your designated area to make it loose enough for planting flowers. This is just about the only preparation you need to do. Make sure that there aren't any rocks or weeds in that area of land. If there are, they can hinder or halt the progress of your plants. This step shouldn't take more than a half an hour depending on how big the plot of land is.

Can't think of where to put your garden? There are some beautiful spots that look perfect on anyone's lawn. For a nice accent to the front of your yard, surround the base of your mail box with plants and flowers. Just dig a little circle around the base and plant there. Another good planting area is around the border of a walkway. If you have a little walkway that leads from the driveway or sidewalk to the front door, this could be a good idea. Dig up an area about a half a foot wide on each side of the cement walkway and plant your flowers and shrubs there. Once you have your area ready and the soil aerated, now is the time to plant seeds. Go to a flower or hardware store and pick up some seed packets. Make sure that they say 'perennial' on them as opposed to 'annual.' Some good choices for low maintenance flowers and plants are poppies, shasta daisies, and lamb's ear. Once these are planted, you won't have to worry about them. Plus, they spread like crazy, filling up empty spaced in your garden.Once you purchase the seeds or plant cutting, simply follow the directions that come with them in order to plant them. This usually comes down to digging a few inches deep, setting the seeds in the hole, and covering them back up. Easy! After the seeds and plant clippings are planted and covered in soil, set up the sprinkler to water them for about a half hour. Now your perennial flowers and shrubs are planted. Most of the work is already done. Now you just need to worry about maintaining the garden.Maintenance can be pretty easy if you picked the right plants. Most of the perennial flowers, especially the ones I listed above, will do well with just the annual rainfall. If your area is experiencing a bit of a drought, turn on the sprinkler for a while. Mostly, you should be able to leave the plants alone. If you notice a bunch of weeds in the garden, pull them. You may even get by without doing that.Imagine pulling into your driveway, stopping the car, and stepping out into a beautifully flowered lawn. Daisies and poppies line your walkway, ushering you in to your home. Do you stop to water your flowers or pick some weeds? No, you have more important things to do.This can be the kind of garden you have if you follow the steps listed above. By choosing perennial plants, you'll only have to do the planning and planting process once. The plants will stay in your garden year after year. Happy gardening! Or, more accurately, happy watching your garden grow without you. By Trisha Bartle

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Blooming Perennials

As far as perennial flowering plants go, there are a few that shine in the home landscape. Many perennials bloom for a short time without a stunning show, but the following blooming perennial flowers put on an amazing show of blooms, year after year. Read on for my top picks of blooming perennial plants to place in your home landscape or garden.First is the Black-Eyed Susan. The Black-Eyed Susan is a daisy type flower with bold, bright yellow petals and a black center. They prefer full sun, and will bloom for most of the summer. A Black-Eyed Susan plant is scientifically called the Rudbeckia serotina. The Rudbeckia family has several varieties, but the Black-Eyed Susan has the most beautiful of yellow colors. This flower may also be called the Yellow Coneflower and the Yellow Daisy.Another amazing blooming perennial is the Purple Coneflower. The scientific name for the Purple Coneflower is the Echinacea purpurea. It loves sunny areas and will set large flowers with purple petals and a dark golden center. They grow rather tall, reaching a height of up to 3 feet.

The make a great choice for a border garden and can be separated easily as they grow each year. Once you have one Purple Coneflower in your garden, you may never have to buy another!Daylilies are another favorite for many home gardeners. They beautiful blooms can be seen throughout most of the summer, and each year the plants get bigger and have more flowers. They triangle shaped flowers come in almost any color, but yellow shades and red shades are the most common. They are very hardy and can withstand many conditions. Many gardeners begin to collect daylilies and have an entire portion of their landscape devoted to showing these beautiful plants. The scientific name for a Daylily is Hemerocallis. Daylilies are one of the most commonly bred perennials. There are many new hybrid varieties each year.Tall Phlox is another one of my favorite perennials. The plants spread fairly well, but may be difficult to establish. Also in the Phlox family is the creeping phlox, a favorite in many rock gardens. The scientific name of Tall Phlox is Phlox paniculata. Tall Phlox have a shorter blooming season, but the flower heads that form on top of tall plants are beautiful for even a short time. They may a great choice for any border or edge garden and will compliment many other plants you place it near.Chrysanthemums are a fall favorite for almost every gardener. After the blooms of summer have faded, the "mums" produce an award winning show! They begin blooming in late August to early September, and often bloom through the first few frosts of the year. If you want some fall color around your home, plant a few Chrysanthemums for some beautiful blooms. You can find them in many colors ranging from white, yellow, orange and red. The scientific name for this family of plant is Chrysanthemum.For all these perennials you will need to provide them with rich soil, water and sunshine. They will delight you with their blooms for many years, and you can keep your collection growing! By K Jolin

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