Tuesday, August 31, 2010

Best Long Blooming Perennials

Maiden Pinks - Dianthus
Coreopsis - Zagreb

I wish the rain would finally stop! The ditches are filled once again...there is another threat of over-land flooding and my flowerbed gardens are a 'muddy' mess!!

Actually, come to think of it, the last time I was able to take any decent flower images was August 23rd. How pathetic is that? And now tomorrow is September 1st. and within two weeks I am quite sure there will be the threat of frost...but I'm off on a tangent and this post was supposed to be about my suggestions for the best long blooming perennials.

The image to the left is the beautiful and dainty Dianthus Arctic Fire. This evergreen perennial does not totally die-back in the winter and is one of the first perennials to green in the spring. If you remember to deadhead, the Arctic Fire will bloom all summer long. The Dianthus make great groundcovers and work well under any type of rose shrubs or taller perennials.

The images to the right is one of my favorites, the Coreopsis Zagreb. As the seasons pass, this long blooming perennial can grow into a small shrub, just covered in tiny yellow daisy-like blooms. This is another perennial that requires deadheading if you want the continued blooming, but that's easy to do. Just take your garden scissors or your fingers and snip/snap off the spent blooms.

Both of these perennials require little maintenance other than the deadheading and are not bothered by any pests that I can remember. As always, I suggest adding a teaspoons of Myke's growth hormone to the hole prior to planting and keep well watered until established. You can find additional information on these two perennials using the link below. Because these two perennials are quite popular, they can be found in any local garden center and it's not too late to plant them right now.

Why not check out my web page for additional best long blooming perennials.