New and hot 2014 perennials

Flower Garden/Photo by GerFes/Public Domain/Wikimedia

With the Eyes of March upon us; what gardener is not looking forward to a warm sun and the feel of rich black soil in their hands? Hopefully winter is at its end. This is the time of year that most gardeners really look forward to their planting season and begin to look for new and exciting plants to grow. If you are like me you like to let your imagination go wild during this time and envision your garden in all its splendor.

The 2014 season looks very promising with new shades of color, easier to maintain plants and more varieties of favorite plants. Whether you are planting in solid ground or in pots, the 2014 season will let your creativity shine as bright as the sun.

Let us start off with a native perennial, the Echinacea or Coneflower. This easy to grow native plant is drought tolerant and easy to grow whether its throughout your garden, as a border plant or in containers. The new head turner this season is called “Supreme Cantaloupe,” a double coneflower that is amazingly the color of ripe cantaloupes, plus it is a carefree repeat bloomer for color all season long. Its grows 26-29 inches tall with a spread of about 15 inches, will grow in full sun or partial shade.

For an outstanding blue in your garden the “Black and Blue Salvia” is your ticket if you live in the 7 to 10 Zone area. This full sun to partial shade plant is a midnight to steely blue that shows it glory in summer and fall. It stands 30” to 36” high and is 2” to 3” wide. Although it has no fragrance it attracts Hummingbirds and Butterflies. This hardy plant is resistant to drought, mildew, deer, and foot traffic.

Black and Blue Salvia/Photo by Heather Abounader/CCA 2.0G/Wikimedia

No garden would be complete without one variety of Oriental Poppy growing in it and one with the most color for your buck would be the “Harlem” with it's deep burgundy-red color. A lover of the sun this red beauty is 28” to 30” in height and 18” to 23” wide. It tolerates drought conditions and is a repeat bloomer, summer and fall. “Harlem” grows in zones 3 to 5.

For those interested in a ground-cover, the Chrysogonum “Quinn'sGold” will do you nicely. This drought resistant, full to partial shade plant grows in Zones 5-8 and can be evergreen where winters are mild. It's cute small white to yellow zinnia-like flowers produce from early spring to summer on leafy runners. The plants stands only 6” high and has about a 24” spread and infrequently is bother with pest or disease.

To add a whimsical fairy-like air to your garden or along your border I think you would be happy with Geranium “DragonHeart.” This hardy geranium does best in Zones 4-8 in full sun or partial shade. The two-inch flower color varies from magenta to a ruby-magenta with black centers. It grows 12” high with a 18” spread and blooms from early summer to mid-fall.

Geranium/Photo by Jan Baker/CCA SA 2.0/Wikimedia

Whether you enjoy planting what's trendy or like to try your hand at growing some new perennials, be on the lookout in 2014 for its many offers of new plants for color and shape.

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Drowning in drought

Drought (Photo credit: Bert Kaufmann)

Your garden is beautiful.  Your years of hard work has gotten your garden to where you want it, but at some point in time, every gardener must face the realities of drought.

For your plants to survive a drought, they must be healthy, planted in good soil and have well established roots.  Well established trees and bushes two years or older can go without water for an extended period of time.  Because pruning and fertilizing increases the need for water it is best not to prune or fertilize during this period.

Since every gardener would hate to see their garden whither slowly to nothing, they must identify which plants are worth saving.  In light of this, enjoy your annuals while you can because watering these would just be a waste of limited resources.  Although there are some annuals that do hold up well in a drought, such as celosia, salvia, vinca and lantana to name a few.  To help annuals survive longer, water one last time and laying down a heavy layer of mulch this might help over a short drought period.  Another way would be to dig up your annuals and put in pots that could easily be watered.

Every gardener has a few prized perennials and would do almost anything to save them.  Most perennials can survive on an inch of water weekly.  Those perennials with shallow roots would benefit with a layer of mulch and at least an inch of water every couple weeks.  Of course, if your area is known to go into drought conditions; more than likely you have planted drought tolerant perennials that will survive with little or no water for extended periods of time.

Other ways to counter drought periods is using a drip watering system or soaker hoses which deliver water to the root system of the plants in a more direct way.  Plus water is not lost into the air.

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