W E E K E N D GA R D E N I N G

Easy-Care Perennials:
Add These to Your
Shopping List
I s there really such a thing as a no-fail plant?
Not really. But there are perennials that are
ridiculously easy to grow. I’m talking about those
plants that once you get them established in the
garden, there’s really nothing else to do except
perhaps annual clean-up of the spent plant. No
deadheading, no staking or tying up, no spraying or
Tall sedum
Hylotelephium ‘Autumn Joy’
fertilizing necessary. Do these plants really exist? WHY IT’S SO GREAT  Besides its
Yes! Check out my shopping list of almost no-care year-round good looks, ‘Autumn Joy’
perennials. Start with five sunny favorites, then can be considered among the most
move to six shade-lovers on the next page.  popular perennials of all time because
—James A. Baggett it’s practically indestructible. It’s not
invasive, it rarely needs to be dug up
and divided and it’s not particularly
bothered by pests. ‘Autumn Joy’
always delivers in my garden: It
produces delicate bright-pink flowers
on large heads that age into a deep
rose-red and then a beautiful copper-
rust color in autumn that persists

Hen & chicks through winter. A stout, spreading

Sempervivum tectorum
WHY IT’S SO GREAT  Sometimes called
houseleeks, hen and chicks are attractive
outdoor succulents prized for their charming
foliage and extremely resilient nature. They
resemble an unfurled rose with seasonal
blushes of colors and can form dense mats
that can carpet the front of the border or
along a path. Regardless of drought, deep
freezes and poor soil, hen and chicks grow
easily and will brighten any planting with
eye-catching color, forms and textures.
plant with succulent foliage, it pairs
well with ornamental grasses and
against the deep-green leaves of
summer perennials. Tall sedums
are super easy to care for and very
adaptable. This sedum lasts and lasts
when other plants begin to wane.
Need to Know:  Masses of tiny pink
starlike flowers in late summer; full sun; 18
to 24 in. tall and wide; cold hardy in USDA
zones 3 to 9

Need to Know:  Red-purple flowers rise on

upright stalks in summer from attractive rosette
foliage; full sun; 6 to 12 in. tall, 6 to 18 in. wide;
cold hardy in USDA zones 3 to 8

SUN-LOVING PERENNIALS
1 GA R D EN GATE
 Siberian iris
Iris sibirica
Hardy geranium WHY IT’S SO GREAT Although
Geranium ‘Rozanne’ the flowers are smaller and more
WHY IT’S SO GREAT  Never mind that the delicate than bearded iris, Siberian
flowers of ‘Rozanne’ seem to almost glow in iris is the easiest to grow of all the
the garden, it boasts bigger blooms, greater irises. Its graceful stems, blooms,
heat tolerance and a longer bloom time foliage, and neat appearance makes
than all previous hardy geraniums. Look it super adaptable. The exquisite
closely and you’ll see that the center of each flowers bloom in a wide range of
vibrant violet-blue blossom has a white eye colors and color combinations, the
with darker violet-blue lines along the petals arching standards and undulating
(nectar guides for pollinators). Its strong falls fluttering in the gentlest breeze.
constitution and ability to adapt to a wide The handsome grasslike foliage forms
range of conditions means there’s very little a vase-shaped clump and is attractive
that can go wrong. all year, even when the first frost turns
leaves a rusty red-brown. 
Need to Know:  Violet-blue flowers from late
spring to early fall; full sun to part shade; 12 to 18 in. tall, Need to Know:  Flowers in colors that
12 to 24 in. wide; cold hardy in USDA zones 5 to 8 include blue, lavender, purple, white, yellow,
pink and wine in late spring into early summer;
full sun to part shade; 3 to 4 ft. tall, 2 to 3 ft.
wide; cold hardy in USDA zones 3 to 8

Penstemon
Penstemon digitalis ‘Husker Red’

WHY IT’S SO GREAT  This hybrid of

a Midwestern native has distinctive
SHOPPING TIP:
dark red foliage and tubular white
blossoms blushed in pink. ‘Husker make sure your plant
Red’ (it was bred in Nebraska) adds
a dramatic contrast to a garden’s sea has a tag and read it for
of green, with its elegant burgundy
leaves and deep purple stems.
exposure, hardiness and
‘Husker Red’ is so popular, it was mature size. the right
awarded the Perennial Plant of the
Year in 1996. I especially love how it plant in the right place
politely seeds around my garden, fill-
ing in holes with its delicate blossoms will be less susceptible
and deep maroon leaves.
to insects and disease.
Need to Know:  Pink-white tubular
flowers in late spring and summer; full sun;
28 to 32 in. tall, 15 to 18 in. wide; cold hardy
in USDA zones 3 to 8

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W E E K E N D GA R D E N I N G continued

Lungwort
epimedium
Epimedium spp. and hybrids
Pulmonaria spp. and hybrids WHY IT’S SO GREAT  The perfect
WHY IT’S SO GREAT  This durable early ground cover for moist or dry shade,
spring bloomer boasts attractive and bold- this is a tough and sturdy plant with
textured foliage, often green with silver or sophisticated good looks. Its heart-
white markings, that’s ideal for shady sites. shaped leaves can be evergreen and
This is one of the first plants to appear in emerge on wiry stems in spring tinted
spring. There are a huge variety of leaf and pink or bronze with sprays of dainty
flower colors to choose from. I’m fond of ‘Mrs. blossoms. Newer cultivars have more
Moon’ with its silver spots and magenta-pink and bigger flowers in more brilliant
blossoms that mature to a bright blue. colors. If dry shade is an issue, this is
the plant for you.
Need to Know:  Nodding clusters of bell-shaped
flowers in shades of red, white, pink, purple, and blue Need to Know:  Short-spurred flowers
emerge in early spring above fuzzy deep green leaves in white, yellow, pink, orange or lavender in
that are heavily mottled with striking white spots or spring above handsome foliage tinted red in
splotches; part to full shade; 9 to 18 in. tall 18 to 24 in. spring and bronze in fall; part to full shade;
wide; cold hardy in USDA zones 3 to 8 6 to 12 in. tall, 12 to 18 in. wide; cold hardy in
USDA zones 5 to 9

Virginia SHOPPING TIP:

bluebells
Mertensia virginica although a plant in
WHY IT’S SO GREAT  Spring has full bloom looks good
finally arrived when the pendulous,
trumpet-shaped blossoms of the now, the one in bud
bluebells return. Flower buds start
off pink and slowly transition to a soft will perform better
blue. Because they go dormant in
summer, they’re great with ferns and once it’s planted.
other later-blooming plants. They’re
beautiful when used en masse and IT will not suffer
left undisturbed. I love to use big
bunches in my spring bouquets.
nearly as much
Need to Know:  Sapphire-blue flowers
transplant shock as
rise in early spring above ephemeral smooth the plants in bloom.
green leaves with a blue cast; part to full shade;
18 to 24 in. tall, 12 to 18 in. wide; cold hardy in
USDA zones 3 to 8

3 GA R D EN GATE
SHADE-LOVING PERENNIALS
Brunnera
Brunnera macrophylla

WHY IT’S SO GREAT There’s

something exotic about the luminous
leaves of a variegated brunnera
illuminating the darker parts of the
garden. Elegant, deer-resistant foliage
emerges in spring growing into broad,
heart-shaped silver-splashed leaves.
The popular ‘Jack Frost’ has silver
leaves etched by emerald-green veins
that create a crackled pattern, not to
mention the delicate sprays of bright
Hosta
Hosta spp. and hybrids
blue forget-me-not flowers that
dance about the leaves in spring. WHY IT’S SO GREAT  Full disclosure:
I am an unapologetic hosta junkie. I
Need to Know:  Stalks of tiny intense even dug up a favorite one (‘Sum and
blue flowers bloom in early to midspring above Substance’) from my backyard in
handsome rough-textured green leaves with New York City and drove to my new
variegated hues of gray, silver or white; part home in Iowa, where I planted it in my
shade; 12 to 18 in. tall and wide; cold hardy in front yard. Hostas are the top-selling
USDA zones 3 to 8 perennial in America for good reason:
They are simply the best perennial for
shade. They come in so many differ-
ent forms and in an array of sizes and
shapes. Leaves can be rounded, heart-
shaped, lance-shaped or oval and can
be blue, green, chartreuse or golden
with stripes of yellow, cream or white
Turtlehead and smooth, ribbed or puckered. Not
to mention the often-showy flowers
Chelone spp. and hybrids
in blue, white, purple or lavender that
WHY IT’S SO GREAT  This is a marvelous may be fragrant.
native wildflower with distinctive blossoms
late in the season that are said to resemble Need to Know:  Spikes of blue, white,
a turtle’s head or beak and can be made purple or lavender flowers in spring or late
at home in just about any partially shaded summer into fall with broad leaves; part shade
spots. The blooms are found at the tips of to full sun; 3 to 48 in. tall, 4 to 72 in. wide; cold
each of the stems and mature stands of hardy in USDA zones 3 to 9
these can make for a wonderful display.

Need to Know:  Snapdragonlike flowers ranging

from red to pink to deep rose on short spikes in late
summer into autumn; full sun to part shade; 2 to 3 ft.
tall, 1 to 2 ft. wide; cold hardy in USDA zones 5 to 9

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