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Perennials for Sunny Areas
Hemercallis - common name Daylilies: Daylilies come in
many colors, sizes and blooming times. Older wild varieties grow to 3-ft.
tall with floppy foliage, are usually orange and bloom for a short time in June
and that's it. Many newer varieties were developed with many different
colors, larger flowers, and more refined foliage, but they still have a rather
short period of bloom. The latest varieties (and in my opinion some of the
best perennials of all) are re-blooming Daylilies. The plants will bloom
in June and then off and on till frost. The foliage is denser and more
upright than the wild varieties, and the plants usually bloom at a height of
about 18 to 20-inches. While wilder varieties can grow in some shade, the
more sun the re-bloomers get the better they do, and the more they bloom.
If they get enough sun they are very easy to grow. Some of the more
common varieties are "Happy Returns" a light yellow variety and
"Stella d'Oro" a golden yellow variety. These plants are nice
enough to be used alone and still brighten up a garden.
Click here for additional photos of Daylillies
Daylilly 'Stella d' Oro' - One of the most popular perennials - for good
reason. Reblooming with a golden yellow color.
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Daylily 'Happy Returns' - Similar to 'Stella d'Oro but with a lighter yellow
color.
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Daylillies - A mix of different colors. These have larger flowers than
the rebloomers, but only bloom once
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Daylily - Naturalized orange daylily - Very commonly seen along the road in
June.
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Phlox paniculata - common name Summer Phlox: Newer
disease resistant varieties of Phlox are greatly improved over past
varieties. Phlox grows as erect stems, 2 to 3 feet tall, with large
colorful flower heads. It comes in a lot of colors and blooms for weeks in
summer. Phlox is one of the most colorful summer perennials. It is
important to get one of the newer disease resistant varieties. Phlox does
best in a sunny location.
Phlox subulta - common name
Creeping Phlox: Nice early blooming and low growing phlox
that blooms for a few weeks in early spring. Makes a good ground
cover and can grow over rocks and walls. Very colorful flowers
cover the entire plant. Weeds need to be kept in check more with
low perennials like this because of their low stature they can be
overgrown by taller plants.
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here for additional photos of Phlox
Summer Phlox - light pink
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Summer Phlox - mixed colors
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Creeping Phlox - mixed colors
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Rudbeckia - common name Black Eyed Susan: Rudbeckia
"Goldsturm" (the most popular variety) is an easy to grow long blooming perennial that can stay
in bloom for two months. It has a tendency to spread so it need some room
or you will spend a lot of time pulling it away from your other
plants. Rudbeckia grows to about 2-feet and blooms mid-summer into
fall. It does best in the sun but it can take a little shade. A
great perennial in a location where it can be allowed to take over, but needs
some maintenance when planted close to other plants.
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here for additional photos of Rudbeckia.
Coreopsis verticillata - Common
name Tickseed: Coreopsis will bloom most of the
summer and even into fall. "Moonbeam" has a pale yellow flower which is small but
the plant is covered with these small flowers. Easy to grow in sunny
location. The leaves are very thin, almost needle like. "Moonbeam" is the
a popular variety of Coreopsis, and many other reliable varieties
are available; some with darker yellow flowers, and some newer varieties with
dark red flowers. A good low maintenance perennial that may not be as
showy as some of the larger flowered plants, but still a colorful great plant
for the garden.
Click
here for photos of 23 different varieties of Coreopsis from Terra Nova
Nurseries.
Click
here for additional photos of Coreopsis
Coreopsis verticillata
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Coreopsis verticillata - close-up
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Coreopsis verticillata 'Moonbeam'
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Iris: German or Bearded Iris come in many colors (Iris
is the Greek word for rainbow) They have about 1-inch wide sword like
leaves that can range from a few inches tall to over a foot tall. Flower
stems can range up to 3-feet tall. Bearded Iris normally bloom in spring,
but some newer types bloom again in fall and these are recommended over other
varieties. Bearded Iris sometimes have problems with insect borers and
have to be divided every few years so they require some maintenance.
Siberian Iris are easier to grow. They have a more limiter color range -
white, blue and purple - but the leaves can give a much nicer effect in the
garden. Siberian Iris leaves are narrower but form a thicker upright clump
about 3-ft. tall. Japanese Iris have flatter, wider
flowers and because of that work nice if you are viewing them from above.
Japanese Iris are said to be a little harder to grow than other varieties. Iris need some sun for best results.
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for additional photos of Iris
German Iris - two toned blue
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German Iris - two toned burgundy
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German Iris - mixed colors
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Japanese Iris - Light Blue
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Siberian Iris
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Iris with variegated foliage
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Lilium - common name Lily:
Often grouped with bulbs, but for all practical purposes the are used the same
as the other perennials on this page. Lilies have very large
colorful flowers and are very popular in cut arrangements. Lilies bloom
for only a couple of weeks each summer and taller varieties sometimes need
staking. With these drawbacks in the garden I still like the Oriental
varieties because of their great fragrance. Different varieties grow 2-ft.
to 4-ft. and they come in various combinations of white, yellow, pink, and red
with out facing flowers. Asiatic hybrids have more colors and upright
flowers but they do not have the fragrance of the Oriental hybrids. Lilies
generally have narrow stems and can be grown with other perennials or annuals at
their base. Lilies do best with some sun.
Click
here for additional photos of Oriental Hybrid Lily
Click here for additional photos of Asiatic Lillies
Asiatic Lily - Blooms in June in this area
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Oriental Lily 'Casa Blanca' - Fragrant, blooms in July in this area.
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Easter Lily - Blooming at their normal time - Early July. These
were planted outdoors after Easter and bloomed the next year.
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Ornamental Grasses: Grasses generally grow best with some sun and
are a nice textural change from the other plants in most gardens. They
come in many sizes from a few inches tall to over 6-ft. tall. The planting
of one group, Miscanthus (common name Maiden Grass), is currently being
discouraged because it is displacing native plants in the wild, but many other
nice varieties are available. Besides their interesting textures, grasses
come in colors that range from common green, to blue, to shades of maroon, and
variegated types with stripes of white or light yellow. The seed stalks on
some grasses can be more interesting than the leaves.
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here for additional photos of Ornamental Grasses
Blue Fescue - Nice low growing grass. Needs dividing when the
center starts to die out.
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Elymus magellanicus - Blue Magellan Grass - Great blue
color, low to medium sized grass. Don't know much about it but
growing well here in Drexel Hill, PA
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Hamilin Fountain Grass - Nice medium sized grass, not over powering.
Nothing special about the color, but good for texture and the right size
for many gardens.
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Miscanthus - Maiden Grass - Large growing grass. Nice where you
have a lot of room, but should not be planted near wild areas.
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Miscanthus - Maiden Grass - Large growing grass. Nice where you
have a lot of room, but should not be planted near wild areas.
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Dwarf Pampas Grass- (I Believe) - Growing nicely in Lansdowne, PA
Even with the name still a large plant that needs a lot of room.
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Hakonachloa ‘Aureola’ - Low growing grass that can take some shade.
Very nice.
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Annual Red Fountain Grass - Not hardy in this area.
Quickly grows to over 2-ft. high and wide. Very interesting and
easy to find in Spring.
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Annual Red Fountain Grass - Not hardy in this area.
Quickly grows to over 2-ft. high and wide. Very interesting and
easy to find in Spring.
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Iberis - common name Candytuft: Iberis is a low growing
evergreen perennial with white flowers in early spring. It keeps a
neat compact growing habit for many years. Grows best with some sun.
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for additional photos of Perennial Candytuft
Iberis - Nice low growing ground cover. Blooms for a few weeks
in Spring
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Iberis - Good plant for dressing up a wall
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Iberis - Evergreen dense foliage.
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