Perennial Color

Perennials are no longer the new kid on the block, but they still offer the unexpected, surprising color and astonishing form, simply because there are so many distinctly different varieties. Perennials can transform a bed of more ordinary flowers. Try mixing them with annual bedding plants, herbs, small shrubs or roses. Leave space for them to grow and fill in with annual color.

Quite a few perennials flower off and on all year if the old flowers are promptly cut off. Those that don’t will decorate the garden with handsome foliage for the rest of the summer and fall, and they will be back next spring, bigger and better than ever.

Be sure to do a most thorough job preparing the soil because perennials will be in the garden for a long time and it's hard to do so after they have been planted. Mix plenty of BumperCrop™ and Pre-Plant Fertilizer™ into the soil for best results. The following are some of SHERIDAN GARDEN’S favorites that do unusually well in Southern California. However, remember that the varieties listed are just the tip of the iceberg and you may want to purchase a book on Perennials for more ideas and pictures.

Border Stalwarts

Alstroemeria: World-class cut flower that blooms all summer. The strongest are the pinks and purples, but look for new ones in red and yellows. Most grow 2-3 ft. tall.

Brachycome: As dainty as a wildflower, most are pink and lavender, but they also come in yellow and white. Long blooming, try using them as a filler between taller perennials. Spread is one foot across and about 10” tall.

Centranthus: Also called Valerian, this one is so tough it grows on hillsides. Blue-green leaves make small, slowly spreading thickets 2-3 ft. tall. Rose pink or white flowers bloom for a long season. Deer and rabbits tend to leave this one alone.

Coreopsis: Tough golden-yellow daisies love the heat, some varieties are short and some are taller. Deer and rabbits tend to leave this one alone. 6” to 18”. Late spring and summer bloom.

Candytuft: Also called Iberis, white blooms in winter and spring make all other colors more vibrant. 4”-6” tall and l0” wide.

Armeria: Also known a Sea Pinks or Thrift, pink or white ball–like flowers on 6”-12” stems. The foliage is grassy, grows in a clump.

Penstemon: The border varieties grow 2-3 ft tall, with bells of pink, red, and purple with white centers. Deer and rabbits tend to leave this one alone.

Physostegia: Purple or white spikes 3-4 ft tall emerge from mats of low leaves which can spread quickly but are easy to dig out.

Purple Coneflower: Cousins of the gloriosa daisy, these to grow 3 ft. but only half as wide. Echinacea Purple and White. Both varieties love heat and bloom summer to fall. Deer and rabbits tend to leave this one alone.

Yarrow - Achilleas are tough, spreading plants, some are small at 6” or so, and some are tall up to 3 ft, so select varieties carefully. Many colors include pastels, orange, yellow, white, pink, and lavender. Deer and rabbits tend to leave this one alone.

Spires for the Garden

These are the church steeples in the village of perennials:

Bearded Iris: Blooming spring and fall in blues, purples, white, and yellows. Deer and rabbits usually leave these alone.

Delphiniums: The blue and white spikes bloom a couple times per year if cut back after blooming. Most need staking and grow 3-5’ tall. There are shorter types and types with multi-tones or solid colors.

Liatris: Also known as Gayfeather, these are wonderful for flower arranging. Grown from thick tuberous roots, the plant dies back after blooming only to reappear the following year. Purple and white varieties.

Foxglove: Digitalis is a great spring bloomer with large spikes of lavender, yellow and pink. Deer and rabbits usually avoid these.

The Peacemakers

Use these between other perennials because they have white flowers. White sets off the other colors in the garden and also shows up at night time.

Shasta Daisies: Clean white daisies on plants that can be as tall or as short as you like, bloom April to June. Snow lady is a foot tall variety. Marconi is a double flowering type that grows to 3 ft. All spread and form clumps that are best dug up and replanted every few years.

Agapanthus africanus white: Strap-like green leaves give texture change and white blossoms add brightness to the garden. Peter Pan White blooms 18” tall, with blooms to 3 ft. tall. Deer and rabbits usually leave these alone.

White Marguerete: These rounded 3’- 4’ plants make great background or space fillers between perennials. White daisies with yellow centers. May have trouble during 95-degree days.

A Touch of Gray

These add lightness and the touch of a Mediterranean look to the garden, appearing like pools of sunlight among darker-foliaged perennials.

Lamb’s Ears: Quickly spreads to form a soft gray patch 2-3 feet across. Thin out every 2 years. Fuzzy soft leaves with a white blossom in summer. Deer and rabbits usually leave these alone.

Snow-in-Summer: Cerastium blooms white in late spring and summer, with handsome gray foliage all year. Only a few inches tall, it spreads nicely.

Dianthus or Pinks: Usually low growers with soft pink flowers in spring and summer resembling small Carnations. Blooms over a long period of time.

Artemesia: David’s Choice grows only 1 ft. by 3 ft. wide. Silvery foliage with small yellow flowers. Powis Castle grows a little taller at 2-3 ft. and wider at 3-4 ft. Deer and rabbits usually leave these alone.

Dusty Miller: Grows to 18-24” tall but may be kept shorter with pruning. Most have yellow flowers. Some have lacy foliage and some have stiff leathery foliage. Deer and rabbits usually leave these alone.

Cascading & Trailing Perennials

Great for tumbling down walls, over the sides of pots or in hanging baskets, these help to soften the garden.

Bacopa: These small-leafed plants have masses of small white or lavender flowers, blooms throughout spring. summer and fall. They prefer half-day shade.

Bidens: Sun hardy, golden flowering Bidens make a mat of color during warm weather seasons. 6” tall and 24-30” wide

Ivy geraniums: Try the Balcom series of single, free blooming ivy geraniums for 8 months of non-stop bloom. Deer usually leave these alone, however, word has it that Ivy geraniums are "dessert food" to rabbits.

Santa Barbara Daisy: This easy to grow plant offers multitudes of small daisy flowers, white with a hint of pink. Hardy, can even grow in the crack of a wall or stone. Deer and rabbits usually leave these alone.

Verbena: There are both annual and perennial Verbenas, so choose carefully. All prefer full sun as they get mildew in shade gardens. Bright colors of red, purple, pink and lavender. Proven Winners include Tapian and Temari types. Excellent long season bloomers.

For Shaded Spots

Begonias: Bedding Begonias in red, pink, and white with either green or red leaves make perfect long term color in filtered or dappled sun locations. 6” tall.

Coral Bells: Heuchera Bressingham hybrids have larger flowers and brighter colors. Flowers lift up above rounded leaves all summer long. Deer and Rabbits usually leave these alone.

Cyclamen: These butterfly like flowers on interesting shaped leaves bloom all winter long. Best planted in October to bloom through April. The bulb-like tubers disappear during the summer, so we recommend overplanting with Impatiens for summer color.

Japanese anemone: 2-3 ft tall maple like foliage produce abundant white or pink large flowers in the fall. Cut back low to the ground in winter.

English primroses: These multi-colored flowers grow 4”-8” tall and bloom November through April.

Mix with white Candytuft and Cyclamen for a great combination. Leave the plants in during the summer and overplant with Impatiens.

Rehmannia elata: Rose-purple foxglove like flowers on stems 2-3 ft. tall bloom spring thru summer. Forms clump and spreads throughout the garden, but may be transplanted easily. Deer and Rabbits usually leave these alone.