Veseys

To a new gardener, the task of creating a perennial masterpiece may seem daunting. Possibly even more so when starting from scratch--- SEED! But just as homemade food has an appeal over highly processed cuisine, growing perennials from seed has limitless advantages. Perennials that are started from seed adjust more readily to the environment that they are grown in. Transplant stress is minimized as plants are moved outdoors in the spring. And while the little seedlings may seem insignificant in the perennial border, it doesn’t take long for most varieties to gain a foothold. Many of my favourites such as Coreopsis ‘Early Sunrise’,‘Foxy’ Foxglove and Foxglove ‘Dwarf Carillon’ bloom the first year from seed. Soon you will be dividing perennials to share with friends.

My favourite perennials have more than a pretty flower. I admire perennials with long seasons of interest such as attractive growth habits, interesting flower buds, and unusual seed heads. These architectural features define and characterize a perennial bed. ‘Husker Red’ Penstemon is the greatest example; the flowers are tiny white bugles, but the seed heads are a striking, rich burgundy, excellent for cutting fresh or in dried bouquets. The leaves have tremendous fall colour, lighting up our autumn gardens with burgundy-red. Consider the coneflower seed head--- prickly, orange to nut brown, standing throughout the autumn and into the winter. Both ‘Melton’s Pastel’ and Scabiosa ‘Fama’ have beautiful pincushion seed heads in chartreuse that add to the appeal of the plant and complement any fresh or dried bouquet. Ever cheerful, Gaillardia ‘Goblin’ ends its season of bloom with orange-red pompon seed heads. Sweet ‘Strawberries & Cream’ Bellis warms up the spring perennial border, while 'Rudbeckia ‘Goldstrum’ and Asters 'September Ruby’ and ‘Pinkie’ wave a boisterous “Fare well!” to summer, at the end of the perennial season.

Stephanie MacDonald, Veseys Horticulturist.