Cultivating experience

It seems that kind words so often come at just the right time. Although I try to be the one uttering the kind words, sometimes I am also the one hearing them. “How was your day mom?” That phrase uttered by a 17-year-old girl is pure gold! “She’s loved and treasured…she’s gonna be fine.” Expressed to us about that same 17-year-old, after a painful life-learning experience, meant so very much. “I cut out your columns out of each issue.” Said by a reader when I knew my bi-weekly deadline was coming up acted as a bit of inspiration for me to finally sit down and get on paper, what was bouncing around in my head. Thank you!

The benefit of experience is that, over time, you learn what works and doesn’t work. Whether it is from experience that you know that going to Wal-Mart at noon on a Saturday isn’t a good idea, or if it is when to approach your spouse about a possible trip to see your Grandkids. It is the culmination of our experiences that help us make the decisions we make each and every day.

Also from experience, here are a few plants that you may want to consider planting in your yard. In this column, I will highlight perennial flowers, groundcovers, and ornamental grasses. In the next column, I will include flowering and evergreen shrubs.

Perennial Flowers

Noble Spirits Goatsbeard (Aruncus ‘Noble Spirits’)

The white flowers float above light green, fern like foliage. Fabulous orange/red fall color. 12” tall by 12” wide. Grows best in part shade.

Visions in Red Astilbe (Astilbe ‘Visions in Red’) This astilbe blooms from June through July and has a bronze tint to the foliage in the spring. It grows about 18” tall and 15” wide. Grows best in part to full shade.

False Indigo (Baptisia ‘Solar Flare’)

The tall spikes of flowers are yellow in color. The habit is very vase shaped. This is a new cultivar that is produces an abundance of flowers. It can get tall at 3-4’ in height by 4’ in width. They grow best in full sun.

White Bleeding Heart (Dicentra ‘alba’)

This is very similar to the traditional old-fashioned bleeding heart, but with pure white flowers that made it pop in a shade to part shade garden. They can go dormant in the heat of the summer.

Hot Papaya Coneflower (Echinacea ‘Hot Papaya)

This is the first fully double, vibrant orange colored Echinacea! Intense color does not fade. The cone consists of reddish-orange center petals with long papaya-orange lower ray petals. The 3″ pom-pom bloom not only looks great, but smells wonderful also. This is flower power! Great as a cut flower, in a mass, in containers, mixed borders, and butterfly gardens. Insect, disease, and drought tolerant. Grows about 30” tall and does best in full sun.

Mai Tai Geum (Geum ‘Mai Tai’)

Apricot blooms with a rose blush, maturing to a pleasant peach with a yellow center. Very adaptable. Green, velvety textured foliage. Grows 15” tall and 15” wide. Grows best in full sun to part shade.

Petit Brigette Asiatic Lilly (Lillium ‘Petit Brigette’)

This bright Asiatic Lily blooms with large, pure yellow flowers on strong stems, and a very long shelf-life. It is perfect for cutting. It grows about 15” tall and does best in full sun.

Spidorwort (Tradescantia ‘Red Cloud’)

Strap-like foliage with clouds of rosy-red flowers. This flower has a very long bloom time of June-September. It grows about 18” high but can spread vigorously. Does best in full sun to part shade.

Ornamental Gasses

Fountain Grass (Pennisetum alopecuroides)

Foliage of bright green, and then, a yellow-brown fall color aging to almond. Bottle brush-like seed heads are wonderfully ornamental, emerging creamy white and aging to reddish brown.  This is the hardiest of the Pennisetums. It grows about 36” tall.

Northern Sea Oats (Chasmantium latifolium)

This warm season, clump-forming grass is a good choice for a partially-shaded area, and it takes moisture too! Green bamboo-like foliage turns yellow to copper in the fall. Oat-like, green to copper seedheads are wonderfully ornamental. Grows about 36” tall.

Little Blue Stem (Schizachyrium scoparium ‘Carousel’)

Blue-green blades with a purplish-bronze bloom.
Dwarf, clump forming, warm season native was chosen for its unique rounded shape and resistance to lodging. A true kaleidoscope of autumn colors! Grows about 30” tall.

Groundcovers

Chocolate Chip Bugleweed (Ajuga ‘Chocolate Chip’)

Lavender-blue spikes emerge from the deep chocolate-purple, elongated foliage. A tasty treat for any garden or container! The dense mat that forms serves well as ‘weed prevention’. Grows best in full shade to part shade.

Purple leaf Winter creeper (Euonymous ‘Coloratus’)

Dense, woody groundcover that will also climb. Small, lustrous green leaves. Spreads by rooting stems. Red-burgundy fall color. Very adaptable and will grow in full sun to part shade.

Barren Strawberry (Waldstenia ternata)

Many yellow flowers cover the evergreen, strawberry-like foliage in the spring and early summer. Grows 6” high and spreads up to 12”, grows up in full sun to part shade.

Japanese Spurge (Pachysandra terminalis ‘Green Carpet’)

This reliable groundcover bears waxy deep green leaves on compact stems that do not trail like the species. Very neat and uniform growth habit. Grows best in shade to part shade.

Lime Zinger Stonecrop (Sedum sunsparkler ‘Lime Zinger)

Very hardy groundcover Sedum with lime-green leaves outlined with cherry-red. Soft pink flowers add texture and color to this exciting variety. Grows best in full sun.

Please be sure to consider your own personal likes or dislikes before doing any planting. What you like is as important as what might grow well in your yard.

Kathleen Carr is the owner of The Growing Scene, Inc., a garden center and landscaping company.  She can be reached by calling 815-923-7322 or tgsinc12@msn.com.  Have a gardening question?  Please contact her.  She will address it in an upcoming column.

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