Add Colour to Your Beautiful Garden
Add a pop of colour to your garden with these easy-to-grow flowering perennials:
Georgia aster
Blanket flowers
Paprika Yarrow
Bearded Iris
Catmint faassen nepeta
1. Georgia Aster
Georgia aster (Symphyotrichum georgianum) is an easy-to-grow perennial herbaceous plant belonging to the Asteraceae family. This plant grows 1-3 feet tall and spreads via underground rhizomes.
The leaves grow on woody stems. They are dark green, elongated to lanceolate, thick and have entire or serrated edges with a rough surface.
Georgia Aster flowers consist of up to twenty blue-purple rays surrounding a dense center of white to lavender disc florets that turn reddish-purple as they mature. They attract bees and butterflies.
These plants prefer full sun to partial shade with fairly moist, well-drained, slightly acidic soil.
Georgia Aster is an excellent choice for a perennial border plant or native herb garden. Asters are often purchased as potted plants. The best time to plant asters is mid to late spring. Leave 3-4 feet between plants when planting asters.
Apply a thin layer of compost with a two-inch layer of mulch around the plant in spring to encourage vigorous growth. Pinch or cut asters in early summer to encourage more blooms. Divide this plant every 2-3 years in the spring.
2. Paprika Yarrow
Paprika yarrow (Achillea Millefolium “Paprika”) is an easy-to-grow perennial plant that belongs to the Asteraceae family. This plant grows 1-2 feet tall with leaves that have a strong spicy scent that lingers when used in dry arrangements.
The flowers are cherry red with yellow centers that fade to light pink and then creamy yellow. This plant blooms in early and late summer and continues until early fall. The flowers attract butterflies and are great as cut flowers in bouquets or dried flower arrangements.
Paprika Yarrow thrives in full sun to average, dry, moderately moist, well-drained soil. Yarrow is floppy or leggy when the soil is rich and moist.
Yarrow paprika is drought tolerant once the plant is established. It is excellent in perennial borders, in perennial beds and in home gardens. Deadheading the plant will extend the blooming season. This plant is propagated by division.
When planting this yarrow plant, space them 12-24 inches apart. Start seeds indoors about eight to ten weeks before the last frost date and sow the seeds in moist potting medium.
Cover the seeds with a thin layer of potting soil and place the pot in a warm, sunny location. Once the seeds germinate, plant them in full sun. Yarrow paprika can grow in dry, poor soil with low fertility.
3. Blanket Flowers
Blanket flowers (Gaillardia aristata) are easy-to-grow perennials that belong to the Asteraceae family. It is a wildflower with spear-shaped leaves near the base and many straight, bare stems that bear the flowers. These plants grow 1-3 feet tall and have fuzzy hairs.
Each flower has an orange-red disc surrounded by one-inch-long petals that are yellow at the tips with a deep red base. The flowers bloom from May to September. The flowers attract bees and butterflies, and the seeds attract birds.
Overall flowers thrive in full sun and can be easily started from seed or can be purchased as seeds from a nursery. Sow the seeds in well-drained soil and cover them with a thin layer of soil.
Keep the seeds moist until they germinate. Once these plants become established, they should be watered occasionally. Blanket flowers are a great addition to flower beds. Divide plants every two to three years to prevent them from drying out.
4. Bearded Iris
Bearded iris (Iris germanica) is a perennial herbaceous plant belonging to the Iridaceae family. These perennial rhizomatous plants grow 12-40 inches tall, with flowers 2-3 inches wide. The flowers bloom in beautiful colors including red, orange, yellow, blue, purple, white and pink depending on the variety.
These plants thrive in full sun and well-drained soil. Fertilize the plant with low-nitrogen foods in early spring and after flowering. Do not cover the soil with mulch. Bearded irises do not thrive in mulching because the roots rot in mulching.
Water these plants when the top 2 inches of soil feel dry. Once established, bearded iris is drought tolerant.
Bearded irises reproduce by rhizomes. Plant the rhizomes 12 inches apart to avoid dividing the plants for about two years. Some common bearded iris cultivars include ‘Celebration Song’, ‘Abiquit Falls’, ‘Over and Over Again’, ‘American Classic’ and ‘Dusky Challenger’.
5. Catmint Faassen Nepeta
Catmint faassen nepeta plants (Nepeta x faassenii) are easy-to-grow perennials. It is a herbaceous plant that tolerates heat and drought and belongs to the Lamiaceae family. This type of mint does not attract cats. The variety that attracts cats is the Nepeta cataria plant.
This mint plant has gray-green leaves and grows 12-24 inches tall. It produces inch-sized spikes of blue lavender flowers that bloom from late spring into fall. The flowers grow on mounds of silvery-gray leaves. The fragrant flowers of the mint plant attract bees, butterflies and hummingbirds.
Mint thrives in sunny locations in well-drained soil. These plants grow at a low height and are ideal for planting at the front of a border, near a path or in a raised bed.
The best time to plant mint is fall or spring. These plants can be grown in pots that contain enough water in summer. Once established, mint is easy to grow and requires minimal maintenance.
The Catmint Faassen Nepeta variety spreads vigorously and should be divided to prevent the formation of large clumps. It can be distributed during the fall or early spring. These plants should only be propagated by cuttings because the seeds of these plants are sterile.
