Garden centers fill their benches in the fall with thousands of mums. But what else is blooming? With a little effort, dozens of great perennials that bloom during early fall can be found.Chelone, or turtlehead, is a North American native perennial whose peak flowering period lasts about fo...
Lynn’s favorite flower is bottle gentian (Gentiana andrewsii) because the blue flowers never fully open. In the late summer, our native bumblebee pollinates it by pushing its way in. She likes this plant’s interesting story. White turtlehead (Chelone glabra) is the host of the Baltimore...
A native of Southeast Asia, crape myrtle is a beauty that's destined for greatness in any garden. Depending on the variety, this deciduous tree can reach 25 feet in height (7.5 meters) with 6 to 12 inch (15-30 cm) clusters of delicately ruffled flowers in shades from white to pur...
Joe Pye weed is native to North America, but is more commonly used in the finest gardens of Europe. In more dry and less fertile conditions, plants may only grow to 4 or 5 feet, but moist, fertile soil will produce plants up to 8 feet tall. Its pinkish purple flowers are produced in...
The thymes are important to cooks. Most varieties are perennial in Michigan, but they are little subshrubs that only grow about a foot tall, and they tend to get woody, which some gardeners consider unsightly. Thyme is also pleasant on the windowsill for the winter. It holds its flavor ...
We must confine plants to be able to grow trees in openings in the sidewalk or perennial gardens in patio containers. That’s all copasetic so long as we understand the unavoidable consequence of limited space: premature aging. Wood ages and dies sooner, herbaceous stems become more crowded mor...
For a gardener, there are few sights as welcome as the first crocus of the year, peeking its flowers through the freshly melted snow of late winter. Crocus is a very hardy perennial and one of the few plants that can bloom as early as February or March. By being hidden deep in the ...
crowding out native saplings so that autumn hillsides once red maple scarlet in fall are muting to European yellow. They throw such long-season shade that they close the early spring window of sun our native wildflowers evolved to exploit, gradually killing the beauty at their feet. Even thei...
or white flowers in June and July will repeat in August if the shrub is sheared to deadhead it. Blooms on new wood and can be grown as a perennial, by cutting it to the ground each spring (the first bloom will be delayed into July). Some varieties have colorful foliage in summer (‘...
For a gardener, there are few sights as welcome as the first crocus of the year, peeking its flowers through the freshly melted snow of late winter. Crocus is a very hardy perennial and one of the few plants that can bloom as early as February or March. By being hidden deep in the ...