PERENNIAL PRIMER
Anemones to Veronicas: A Bouquet of Beautiful Blooms Anemones top our list of the most common perennial plants. Though they begin our list (which is almost alphabetical), they bloom last, lingering longer into the fall than other flowers, usually beginning in late August as everything else is fading. The most commonly available Japanese anemone ( Anemone japonica ) is the single white-flowered species, an absolute picture of grace, with flowers perched atop thin, branching stems that are three, four or even five feet tall. The low clump of leaves becomes rambunctious in time, spreading to form large colonies that could be called invasive--except that this plant will grow in considerable shade where there is not much to conquer. Wonderful around camellias, it will not hinder their growth in the least. There are also named kinds that have pink flowers, and kinds that have double flowers. These fancier sorts are usually less rampant and of shorter stature. After flowering occurs, cut off all leaves and flowers, and the clumps will appear tidier when they re-sprout in February. Divide if necessary.
Gayfeather ( Liatris spicata ) and Physostegia virginiana are two other reliable late-bloomers that may begin in August but hang on into October. Both send up spikes of pinkish-purple (or white) flowers, the former about three feet tall, the latter only one to two feet tall. Both should be cut to the ground after flowering. The liatris may not re-emerge until the middle of the following summer, so mark its place to avoid digging it up by mistake. Liatris needs good drainage; physostegia needs next to nothing.
Michaelmas daisies are supposed to bloom in the fall, but here they usually flower in summer. These are not chrysanthemums but asters, crosses of two native American species, and they become graceful, bushy plants about three feet tall and at least as wide. After flowering occurs, cut the stems to the ground and divide every two years. Italian asters ( Aster amellus ) are somewhat like Michaelmas daisies. The flowers, a lovely, soft lilac with a yellow center, are larger and the plants smaller (a foot tall, with flowers), but the effect and culture are similar.
Stokes aster ( Stokesia laevis ), in blue or white for summer, is quite different, with 18-inch-tall stems that arise from tight, evergreen clumps of leaves--always there, always neat. Clumps increase slowly and may be divided in the fall.
The various Shasta daisies, some with single, some with double flowers, grow about two feet tall or less. Last year at Sassafras Nursery in Topanga, however, we were delighted to see the old-fashioned, five-foot-tall singles that bring an amiable air of nonchalance to a garden bed. If you haven’t tried the shorter Shasta daisies with zinnias, you’re missing a sure bet. However, that snowy white is welcome almost anywhere. These plants can be tough as nails (witness the many plantings that survive around older homes, but on what?). Nevertheless, Shasta daisies can succumb quickly to several diseases, so divide every two years, in fall or early winter, and keep a few spares elsewhere in the garden.
Campanulas cannot be left out of any perennial planting scheme, but be prepared to suffer losses. We’ll mention only the ones that send up spires of bellflowers, although the low-growing kinds are easier to deal with. Only one is sure-fire-- Campanula rapunculoides , the aptly named rover bellflower that roams everywhere throughout the garden. Although it is easy to pull out, it will be back, and often, where its particular shade of pale purple is not wanted. Low clumps of foliage spread rapidly in good soil, sending up three-foot spikes of flowers in spring and early summer. Next easiest is C. glomerata with l8-inch spikes of narrow blue bellflowers. Campanula persicifolia , the peach-leafed bluebell, is illustrated. Delicate summer spires of lavender-blue or white flowers reach heights of two to three feet from low clumps of foliage. If you want to cheat a little, grow the annual Canterbury bells. The flowers are bell-shaped--blue, violet, pink or white. Or try the biennial kind that has flowers like a cup-and-saucer set. Campanulas need rich soil.
Geums take a while to get going, and once going they need to be divided every other year and replanted in renewed soil or they will begin to fade, but this fiddling is worth it. Flowers are orange or yellow--or a deep scarlet in the case of one named Mrs. Bradshaw. Like bright butterflies, flowers alight on graceful, branching stems that stand two to three feet tall. Well beneath is a year-round, one-foot-tall clump of dark green leaves that spreads slowly.
Of the many coreopsis, one named Sunray is the most spectacular. It is brighter than its namesake--perhaps the brightest golden yellow of any perennial--and is so shocking next to purple flowers that it can be unsettling. But try it with zinnias or Shasta daisies. This coreopsis is usually begun from seed (Park Seed, Greenwood, S.C. 29646), and its clump grows to about two feet around, blooming spring through fall. Shear it almost to the ground in December. It is easy to divide and to spread around.
Salvia farinacea , the mealycup sage, is a fine plant to try with coreopsis. Most are deep shades of purple with a hint of gray caused by a fuzz at their base. A few are white. Flowering goes on forever. Plants are difficult to keep tidy and tend to sprawl, but there’s a trick to keeping them neat. Try planting several close together so they support each other. You can cut them back in winter, but their return is not guaranteed, so you may want to start anew each year.
Coral bells and columbine are two of a kind. Both can grow in full sun or in a little shade, blooming in the spring. Coral bells are the more permanent of the two and are often used as a ground cover; the foliage lasts all year but needs occasional cleaning up. Plants can be divided with care in the fall. The common kinds ( Heuchera sanguinea varieties) are some shade of red and send up wands of dainty flowers about two feet tall very early in the spring. Less common but even more elegant is the native, white-flowered H. maxima , with flowering stems about three feet tall. Most columbines are McKana hybrids, with pastel flowers and dramatic spurs. Plants grow to a height of about two to three feet. Columbines can be cut back, but it’s best to leave them alone until they look unredeemable, then replace them.
Border penstemon ( P. gloxiniodes ) bloom throughout most of the year in Southern California; they vary in color from deep reds through pinks and purples. Buy them in bloom because some are decidedly prettier than others. Somewhat sprawling, to say the least, they grow into three- or four-foot bushes that cannot be divided, so you will have to restart them when they finally go (they are easy to restart from cuttings). And go they will, quite suddenly, although soil with speedy drainage helps, as does cutting off the flower spikes before they set seed. Experts are adamant about this timing. Cut an inch or two above the base and new stems will sprout from the old, but never cut the whole plant back at once.
Veronicas, or speedwells, are very much the classic herbaceous perennial--a dense, slowly spreading clump of stems, each of which flowers at its tip in lovely shades of lavender. After they flower, cut the stems to the ground and you’ll get a repeat performance. In flower, the plants are about two feet tall. They’re easy to divide, although that’s seldom necessary. Don’t confuse these with Hebe , a shrub sometimes sold as Veronica .
Pictured on the cover are a strain of delphiniums called Blue Fountains, a very useful and dramatic perennial that should be in every garden. Reputedly difficult to grow, it is actually quite easy if it’s planted in February or March from packs or quart pots. Even April is not too late. Dig deep and add lots of organic matter to the soil and a granular fertilizer below the roots, and you can practically see the spikes growing. Blue Fountains have more purple and white flowers than true blue, and many have a black “bee” in their center, but there is always at least one spectacular bright blue in any lot. The spikes grow from two to four feet tall, and there is little uniformity, but these perennials do have a casual cottage-garden sense about them. If you cut the flower stalks back to just above the bottommost leaf, they will sprout from the base and produce a second set of smaller spikes in late summer. For a bit more height, save only one new stalk per plant. The taller Pacific strains grow as high as eight feet with ease, and they do need staking. There are very uniform strains of separate colors, such as the light-blue strain named Summer Skies.
Illustrated on Page 11 are four other perennials that are so useful that they should be in every garden. Two are low-growing--the white-flowered candtytuft ( Iberis sempervirens ) and the lamb’s ears ( Stachys byzantina ), which has leaves that are so woolly that they are almost white. Both make a perfect front-row plant, and their color neutrality only makes other plants look better while they hide the bare earth.
The lamb’s ears grow quickly into a low-spreading clump several feet across. Unfortunately, they fade just as quickly, usually in the second or third year, so be sure to divide it and save the pieces so that you can begin again. Although they are reputedly drought-tolerant, they seem to do best with ample water. Their demise is often the result of not enough water penetrating the thick mat of dead leaves and roots that is not unlike thatch in a lawn. Flowers are short, inconspicuous spikes of pink.
Candytuft is grown for its flowers, which begin in winter and last all spring. Nurseries sell it two ways--as seed-grown plants and as plants grown from cuttings, with the latter much more uniform in size and habits. Plants do not spread and cannot be divided, but each can grow to two or more feet across while staying under a foot tall. They will live several years if they’re sheared after flowering. The foliage is an unusually dark green.
Tall bearded iris and daylilies will steal the show when they’re in bloom. Their height alone gives them a commanding position. There are also shorter, more diminutive varieties, although those are difficult to find at nurseries. In fact, the best iris and daylilies are not at nurseries but are available only from specialists. For iris, write to the following growers: Cal-Dixie Iris Gardens, 14115 Pear St., Riverside 92504, or Hamner Iris Gardens, 960 N. Perris Blvd., Perris 92370. For daylilies, try Cordon Bleu Farms, 418 Buena Creek Road, San Marcos 92069.
Iris bloom primarily in the spring, but some bloom again in the fall. Daylilies bloom in summer. Both are striking accents when they are not in flower, with their explosion of grasslike leaves. For best blooms, both also need dividing and replanting on a regular basis; however, when these flowers are mixed in with others, dividing and replanting need be done only every few years.
You should have no trouble finding the perennials on our list, but if you want to find some of the more exotic perennials (there are hundreds), try the following nurseries, which are listed in order of diversity of stock.
Burkard Nurseries, 690 N. Orange Grove Blvd., Pasadena; (818) 796-4355.
Sperling Nursery, 24460 Calabasas Road, Calabasas; (818) 340-7639.
Sassafras Nursery, 275 N. Topanga Canyon Blvd., Topanga; (213) 455-1933.
Palos Verdes Begonia Farm, 4111 242nd St., Walteria; (213) 378-2228.
Merrihew Nursery, 1426 Montana Ave., Santa Monica; (213) 451-0814.
Roger’s Gardens, 2301 San Joaquin Hills Road, Corona del Mar; (714) 640-5806.
This year, the L.A. County Arboretum’s plant sale (the Baldwin Bonanza) will offer many perennials on May 5, from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., at the arboretum, 50l N. Baldwin Ave., Arcadia. The Huntington Botanic Garden sale in May also is an excellent source of perennials. That sale is by invitation, but a limited number of invitations are available by mail. Address your request to Plant Sale, Department S, The Huntington, 1151 Oxford Road, San Marino 91108.
