Gardening with Gita
Perennials I Wouldn't Want to Be Without
By
Apr 30, 2008 - 10:32:54 AM

Now that the danger of frost has passed, those of us who have been fighting an uncontrollable urge to dig and plant can finally catch a sigh of relief, hit garden centers, and let ourselves loose, almost like a child in a toy store; and it does sound a little silly, but in all fairness, I think we deserve the reward for toughing the winter out, not to mention the enticing mail-order catalogs we have been browsing through and drooling upon for months.

Nonetheless, while exciting indeed, but making decisions at times can be difficult, with all the choices available, especially if one wants it all: easy care and maintenance, unusual assets, and right plants for the right location. Therefore, when I found myself in a fix as to which perennials would be suitable to add to our part-sun, part-shade perennial bed in the back yard, I wasted no time in calling Kathy Griffin, who not only is the assistant general manager and the perennials buyer of Boulevard Flower Gardens located at Ruffin Mill Rd., but always is very enthusiastic and helpful.

Included in the list of Kathy’s recommendations and hot picks are old-time favorites such as the daylilies, of which the nursery stocks several hundred different varieties, the peonies that are forever in demand, and the Heucheras for those shady spots in the garden. Speaking of shade, she brought to my knowledge a curious hosta called the ‘Blue Mouse ‘Ears,’ which happens to be the 2008 Hosta of the Year; flaunting its blue foliage and growing barely to about 6-7 inches in height, ‘Blue Mouse Ears’ definitely sounds like a must-have for that special cozy corner. In fact, I have already made up my mind on getting one and, because of the petite size, to grow it in a container so that I can move it around if necessary.

Kathy also mentioned that because of the “Go Green” revolution, native plants are getting more attention than ever before due to their adaptability to thrive on their own, thus minimizing the use of any chemicals; the popularity of herbs, she added, is on the rise every year, now grown not just for culinary purposes, but in flower beds as well.

While not new to the arena but one that has been around for a while but still is hot is Echinacea, commonly known as coneflower with which we have fallen in love over the years; once available mostly in purple, now the color of the flower ranges from white to pink to a daring gold as in the variety ‘Harvest Moon,’ which incidentally I found too irresistible to pass up when I recently dropped by at the garden center to collect information to put this column together; splurging once in a while, I guess, is the perk I get for writing a gardening column!  

gitaagrawal@juno.com     


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