Adding Color to Perennial Flower Borders
- 3 days ago
- 1 min read
Q: My perennial flower borders are lacking color this time of year. What can I add to perk them up?
A: First thing I do is go to the garden center and see what’s blooming there. My go to plants include the newer, dwarf, well behaved varieties of Russian Sage like Blue Jean Baby, Denim and Lace, and Little Spire. Salvias are a definite summer workhorse. Look for Caradonna, Vermilion Bluffs, Pachyphylla, Windwalker Royal Red. Other great perennials to consider are Redbirds in a Tree, Garden Phlox, Missouri Evening Primrose, English Lavendar varieties, Globe Thistle, Sea Holly, Monch Aster, Goldsturm Rudbeckia, any of the Cone flowers, Gaillardia, Rozanne geranium, Hollyhocks, Coreopsis, Agastache, Beebalm, Gaura, Joe Pie Weed, Hummelo Stachys, Crocosmia Lucifer, and Heleniums. I also like to leave a few areas throughout the perennial bed to plug in annuals since they bloom continuously through the summer season. Since annuals need to be planted every year, they give me the option of changing things up from year to year keeping things looking fresh and interesting.
Read our Q & As with Keith Funk answering common Colorado gardening questions here. See his website: gardenwiseguy.com and hear him on the Garden Wise Radio Show
