DEL.ICIO.USThe ballots are in: Experts weigh in on tried-and-true plants.
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Published on: 10/05/06
Don't get sidetracked by that sea of yellow, orange, red and purple blanketing garden center shelves.
In your mad rush to fill your beds with fall color — chrysanthemums, pansies, ornamental vegetables — it's easy to overlook the garden's backbone plant: perennials.
And that would be a shame, because fall is the best time of year to plant new perennials as well as divide and transplant existing ones. Typically, perennials planted now perform better than those planted in spring and summer because in fall they don't have to battle heat, insects and disease while trying to establish strong root systems.
Unlike annuals which perform only one growing season before dying, we're talking long-lived perennials — hardy (as in, they survive our area's coldest temperatures) herbaceous (not woody, they die back to the ground, but their roots survive) perennials (they return each spring). Perennials also offer diverse choices for every gardening situation — sun, shade, wet, dry, sand, clay — and many multiply, providing more plants for the buck.
That's a drawing card because perennials are more expensive than annuals. Flowering types bloom for a shorter period than annuals, and perennials require more maintenance (especially deadheading the spent blossoms) and soil preparation before planting (amend Georgia's poor clay by tilling in lots of organic matter).
Yet perennials are the garden's mainstay. Just ask the Georgia Perennial Plant Association, which recently surveyed its nearly 400 members for their top 10 plant recommendations for both sun and shade.
"These are all excellent, tried-and-true performers that will be an asset to any garden," group president Sara Henderson says — good news for gardeners weary from a summer of fighting unseasonably hot and dry conditions.
The GPPA first polled its members, whose expertise ranges from amateur gardeners to nursery owners and professional horticulturists, four years ago. Four of the top 10 sun perennials chosen in 2002 have been bumped off by others, while three on the shade list got edged out.
Henderson isn't surprised: With hundreds of varieties to choose from, it was a tough job narrowing their selections without omitting some really good plants. "This is encouraging for all of us who garden in this area," she says. "We have a broad palette to choose from."
Most plants on the lists are available at large garden centers or specialty nurseries in the metro area.
TOP 10 FOR SHADE1. Lenten rose, Helleborus x hybridus Helleborus, also known as Helleborus orientalis, has become so popular that Piccadilly Farm in Bishop holds its own Hellebore Days festival every year in late winter. That's when these low-growing evergreens with white, pink, mauve and deep rose blossoms come to life, blooming until late spring. Their evergreen foliage then graces the garden for the remainder of the year.
2. Hosta, Hosta With their bold and variously shaped foliage ranging from dark blue-green to bright chartreuse — and plenty of variegation in between — hostas send up stems with fragrant flowers in early summer. And as if that weren't enough, the plants can easily be divided in late winter.
3. Autumn fern, Dryopteris erythrosora The best of the fern group for Georgia gardens, autumn fern stands up to anything our climate throws at it. The erect, evergreen fronds remain attractive year-round and provide a graceful contrast to the bold-foliage plants. It gets its name from the coppery fronds that unfurl in spring. Though often only small plants are available, this fern matures to a statuesque 2 feet.
4. Variegated Solomon's seal, Polygonatum odoratum 'Variegatum' Solomon's seal has long been a shade favorite, but the variegated variety is stealing gardeners' hearts. With soft green leaves edged in wide ivory stripes, this perennial looks best when combined with dark green foliage, which makes its variegation pop.
5. Japanese painted fern, Athyrium nipponicum 'Pictum' Iridescent silver fronds with burgundy centers give this fern a distinctive, colorful look. It is the perfect companion to blue-leaved hosta and plants with purple foliage. While tolerant of heavy shade, the colors are more pronounced with a dose of morning sun.
6. Toadlily, Tricyrtis One-inch, orchidlike flowers in shades of pink, lavender and plum cover cascading branches into late autumn. This perennial prefers morning light, so place it at the edge of shady areas instead of in deep shade to produce more flowers.
7. Barrenwort or fairy wings, Epimedium hybrids These mostly evergreen, clump-forming perennials, when given a shearing in late winter, quickly produce flowers resembling small orchids on wiry stems. When the flowers fade, new foliage with burgundy edges emerges, forming a reliable ground cover. Cultivars include 'Frohnleiten' (yellow), 'Lilafee' (lavender) and 'Niveum' (white).
8. Hardy begonia, Begonia grandis Resembling its more tropical cousins, hardy begonia easily withstands our winters and grows into a lovely colony. Colorful all season, the red-backed foliage is outstanding when backlit, and its pink flowers appear in late summer and continue until frost. Provide morning sun if you want the best bloom and leaf color.
9. Northern maidenhair fern, Adiantum pedatum This fern is so delicate looking that you expect it to need coddling under glass, but the truth is this native fern is tough and forgiving. Given a woodland setting with filtered light, it will spread slowly to make an elegant colony.
10. Woodland phlox, Phlox divaricata Spreading slowly in the woodland, this native phlox creates an attractive deep green carpet that is covered each spring with a cloud of lightly fragrant blue or lavender flowers that attract butterflies. Give it high light or morning sun to encourage the heaviest bloom.
TOP 10 FOR SUN 1. Coneflower, Echinacea purpurea 'Magnus', etc. Long-blooming and adaptable, the classic pink-purple forms are still the favorites, but excellent white forms and the new sunset colors also are popular. Prairie natives, they perform best with plenty of sun and excellent drainage. Deadhead for continuous bloom.
2. Daylily, Hemerocallis hybrids Among the easiest perennials to hybridize and grow, daylilies include thousands of cultivars, with hundreds of new introductions each year.
3. Garden phlox, Phlox paniculata 'David', etc. With deadheading, phlox bloom from midsummer to frost. White-flowering 'David' cultivar resists mildew, which plagues phlox. Other good choices include lavender and pink 'Franz Shubert' and deep pink 'Robert Poore'.
4. Shasta daisy, Chrysanthemum superbum 'Becky' (aka 'Ryan's Daisy') Not always popular because of a tendency to flop, but this selection stands up tall and straight. A tough, reliable perennial, 'Becky' performs best in full sun and lean conditions, making this an excellent choice for tough areas. Deadheading will prolong the bloom.
5. Wild blue indigo, Baptisia australis With droughts, native perennials grow more popular every year. Baptisia, with its blue-green foliage and purple-blue spring flowers, is among the most dependable. The white-flowered form, B. alba, and the yellows, B. tinctoria and B. sphaerocarpa, are also worth trying. All have lupinelike flowers on plants that grow better each year.
6. 'Autumn Joy' sedum, Sedum 'Autumn Joy' Popular for the soft green flower buds that are followed in fall by russet flowerheads, this perennial is tough and drought tolerant. Give it plenty of sun with lean conditions, and it will provide interest throughout the year.
7. Hardy lantana, Lantana 'Miss Huff' This hardiest of the lantanas can develop into a woody shrub covered all summer by thousands of butterfly-attracting flowers. Cut it back each spring for a more compact form. It thrives in hot weather.
8. Black-eyed Susan, Rudbeckia fulgida 'Goldsturm' Orange coneflowers and native ornamental grasses are a low-maintenance combination few gardeners can resist. University of Georgia horticulture professor Allan Armitage notes that few plants sold as 'Goldsturm' are the variety originally introduced, but many are "almost as good."
9. Siberian iris, Iris siberica More delicate looking than the bearded iris, these irises are happy in a variety of conditions, including damp sites and light shade. But give them full sun and good soil, and you will be rewarded with a drift of butterflylike flowers in late spring.
10. Blue anise sage, Salvia guaranitica Hardy salvias rank high because of their diversity. This 36-inch-tall plant with violet-blue flowers — marginally hardy in metro Atlanta — is better planted in spring.
TOP PERENNIALS FOR GEORGIA — ALMOST
The Georgia Perennial Plant Association recently polled its members for their picks for the best perennials, both for sun and shade, for Georgia. For their top 10 favorites, see Pages 6-7. Here are 15 selections that almost made the cut:
RUNNERS-UP: SUN
1. Cheddar pinks, Dianthus gratianopolitanus 'Bath's Pink', etc.
2. Hardy geranium, Geranium hybrids
3. Korean mums, Chrysanthemum x 'Clara Curtis', etc.
4. Stokes aster, Stokesia laevis
5. Bluestar, Amsonia hubrechtii
6. Southern shield fern, Dryopteris ludoviciana
7. Threadleaf coreopsis, Coreopsis verticillata 'Zagreb', 'Moonbeam'
8. Japanese aster, Kalimeris pinnatifida
9. Speedwell, Veronica peduncularis 'Georgia Blue'
10. Goldenrod, Solidago 'Fireworks'
11. Bearded iris, Iris barbata
12. Wormwood, Artemisia 'Powis Castle' 13. Spiderwort, Tradescantia virginiana
14. 'May Night' salvia, Salvia x sylvestris 'May Night'
15. Guara, Guara lindheimeri
RUNNERS-UP: SHADE 1. Cast iron plant, Aspidistra elatior
2. Ginger, Asarums
3. Foamflower, Tiarella
4. Alumroot, Heuchera americana 'Palace Purple', 'Amethyst Mist'
5. Japanese anemone, Anemone x hybrida
6. Native columbine, Aquilegia canadensis
7. Sacred lily, Rhodea japonica 8. Christmas fern, Polystichum acrostichoides
9. Strawberry begonia, Saxifraga stolonifera
10. Celandine poppy, Stylophorum diphyllum
11. Bear's-foot hellebore, Helleborus foetidus
12. Fringed bleeding heart, Dicentra eximia
13. Lungwort, Pulmonaria 'Bertram Anderson', etc.
14. Tassel fern, Polystichum polyblepharum
15. Jack-in-the-pulpit, Arisaema
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