For many years of floral beauty in your perennial garden, get off to a good start. Plant in an area in full or partial sun along with good air circulation to avoid mildew and leaf spot disease problems. Before planting, generously amend soil with compost and well-drained ground. Irrigate the first year to establish the landscape planting. […]
Archive for the ‘Eupatorium ‘Gateway’’ Category
Some Summer Perennials Reach New Heights
Celebrate this 4th of July with three giant flowering perennials: Giant coneflower, Joe Pye weed and Queen Of The Prairie Filpendula. Giant / Large coneflower (Rudbeckia maxima) is an herbaceous perennial that is grows in average, moist, well-drained soils in mostly full-day sun (USDA hardiness zones 4-9). Also called “Dumbo’s Ears”, it tolerates light shade, […]
Tidy Up These Perennials After Blooming Is Finished
Deadheading, the practice of removing the old spent flowers from perennials, is a way to improve a garden’s appearance and reduce overcrowding. Secondarily, many (not all) will rebloom after deadheading. Not all perennials respond to deadheading by reblooming. Most daylilies (Hemerocallis x.), coralbells (Heuchera spp.), and hostas (Hosta spp.) are prime examples of perennials that do not […]
Sorting Through The Joe Pye Cultivars
Joe Pye weed (Eutrichum purpureum) is a native perennial commonly spotted onthe edge of farm fields in the eastern and northern U.S. (USDA hardiness zones 4 to 9). The wild species grows 5-7 feet high and 2-4 feet wide. It blooms from late July to September and is a magnet to attract bees and butterflies. Over the past two […]
Late Rising Perennials
As air temperatures rise in the spring, most garden perennials and wildflowers are emerging from the ground. With the sudden appearance of 80°F temperatures, many seem to blast through the still cold soil in 1-2 days, and in full bloom a few weeks later. Yet, through the month […]
Basic Care Tips In The Spring Perennial Garden
In late winter – early spring, after the snow has melted and daytime temperatures are steadily above freezing, let’s get busy with the cleanup in the perennial garden. First, if you garden in a severe winter region such as zones 4 or colder, remove all winter protection such […]
Joe Pye Weed Is No Longer A “Weed”
U.S. native Joe Pye (Eupatorium spp.), formerly “Joe Pye Weed”, has been tamed. Modern day selections grow more compact compared to 8+ feet tall wildlings that inhabit fields across eastern North America (USDA hardiness zones 4-8). Huge, terminal, domed, compound flower heads measure 12-18 inches across (depending on cultivar) and make […]
Do Not Call Them “Weeds” Any Longer
Some plants deserve more respect. Over the years several U.S. native species have been tamed or domesticated. Yet, they retain their common name “weed”. Four popular former “weeds” are: butterfly weed (Asclepias tuberosa) ironweed (Vernonia lettermannii ‘Iron Butterfly’), sneezeweed (Helenium autumnale), and Joe-Pye weed (Eupatorium spp.). Butterfly weed (Asclepias tuberosa) […]