It is not to late to add some colour to your landscape by planting mid summer blooming perennials. The nice thing about growing perennials is that they come back year after year, the down side would be is that they bloom for only a few weeks each season. A well-planned perennial bed will have something blooming throughout the entire growing season. There is a good selection of perennials that can be seen blooming currently in local landscapes.

Bee Balm, Bergamot (Monarda). Native to North America, this long blooming perennial is a member of the mint family. It has aromatic foliage that can be used to make tea. The brightly coloured fragrant flowers produce a nectar that attracts humming birds, bees and butterflies. It is deer and rabbit resistant.

Coneflower (Echinaceas). Native to North America, coneflowers are drought tolerant and will grow in hot, dry sunny locations and tolerate most soil types. They have long lasting, scented, daisy like flowers where the petals angle down from the centre cone.

Phlox. Native to North America, the garden or tall phlox or well recognized by their large showy fragrant clusters of flowers. They come in a wide range of colours from white, pink, lilac, red etc. They grow best in sun/partial shade in moist soil.

Speedwell (Veronica spicata) is an old time favourite. Tall fragrant flower spikes that rise above the green, glossy foliage. Long lasting flowers can be used for cut flowers and also attract humming birds, bees and butterflies. It is an easy to grow versatile plant that grows well in sun/partial shade.

False sunflower (Heliopsis helianthoides), is one of the longest blooming perennials that will bloom July and August. It is an easy to grow perennial that will tolerate poor conditions, but do better in fertile, moist, well drained soil in a sunny location. The bright yellow flowers look like small sized sunflowers and make nice cutflowers.

Tickseed (Corepsis). The plants are easy to spot right now, as they are full of bright yellow daisy-like flowers. The plants form a tidy, airy mound and are easy to care for and are drought tolerant and rarely bothered by pests or disease.

Coral Bells (Heuchera). There have been a lot of new varities introduced over the past few years. Heuchera is grown not only for their sprays of small flowers but also for their beautiful colourful foliage, that comes in shades of purple, red, pewter, gold, orange, blue, green and variegated. They add colour to the landscape whether they are in bloom or not. Plant in sun/partial shade in a rich, moist soil.

Snakeroot (Cimicifuga) is another perennial that has attractive foliage and flowers. It has long stalks with lobed leaflets and the flower spikes rise above the foliage on tall leafless stems. Plant is a shady area of the garden

Catmint (Nepeta) has a long bloom period. The lilac blue or white, flower spikes can be seen blooming throughout the summer when the old flowers are removed to extend the flowering time. The plant itself has a neat rounded form and is easy to grow and drought tolerant. The foliage has a minty fragrance when handled.

Daylilies (Hemerocallis). There are many different varieties to choose from. Each flower may only last a day but the plant is constantly producing new flowers so there is always a few blooming each day. Daylilies are easy to grow and care for as they are rarely bothered by pests or disease.

-Jos

Jos Van Hage owns and operates two Art Knapp Home and garden Centres in Prince George:

• Highway 16 west at Kimball Road
• Highway 97  North at  Northwood Pulpmill Road