Full Sun Drought Tolerant Perennials

Tropical Flair in a Cold Hardy Perennial The Crocosmia Lucifer, 'Crocosmia x crocosmiiflora', a spring planted corm, produces beautiful red flowers. Even when not in bloom, Crocosmia Lucifer has attractive, tropical looking foliage.

It is also utilized by monarch butterflies for egg-laying. Excellent for use in dried flower arrangements. This plant is one of the most attractive plants for butterfly gardens; as a nectar source.

Purple Plumes All Summer Karley Rose Grass, Pennisetum orientale 'Karley Rose' (PP#12,909), displays clouds of smoky rose-purple flowers which burst into color in June. This plant thrives in well-drained soil.

The foliage tips sometimes develop an orangey hue. In cold winter climates, the leaves usually turn reddish-orange in autumn. It is superlative as a groundcover, spilling over rock walls, and in containers.

Salvia Caradonna is a unique cultivar of the reliable genus and species Salvia nemorosa. It typically forms a foliage mound to 12” tall. Easily grown in average, dry to medium, well-drained soil in full sun.

Attracts pollinators and hummingbirds. Apply an early spring fertilizer with a product such as at the recommended rate this will give the plant a boost of nitrogen potash that will be needed for healthy foliage and stem growth.

Salvia Blue Hills is a sun perennial with sky blue spikes of flowers rise above a mound of aromatic gray-green foliage and blooms June – September. Blue Hill's smaller size makes it perfect for a border garden or container.

Adding compost or topsoil will help the young feeder roots to spread through the loose, nutrient rich soil, much easier than if you used solely the existing soil which more times than not will be hard and compacted.

Easily grown in moist, fertile, humusy, organically rich, neutral to slightly acidic, medium moisture, well-drained soils in full sun to part shade. In cold winter regions, plant the rhizomes in early spring or late summer.

We do not recommend using straight topsoil or compost as a back-fill soil because more times than not these products will retain entirely to much moisture and will cause the root system to rot.

Flat-topped clusters of 5-petaled, rose-pink to rose-purple flowers appear atop ascending stems in a long, late spring to late summer bloom. The revised edition of Steyermark's Flora of Missouri (Yatskievych and Turner) now lists the plant as based upon...

Remove the old flowers of Geranium Biokovo as they become brown and unattractive. Dwarf, ground-hugging form spreads gently by underground stems making this a perfect groundcover. Cut back Geranium Biokovo to within 2 to 3 inches of the ground in the...

A general rule of thumb is to count to 5 for every one gallon of pot size. Plants go from light rose to bright red to deep bronze red in color as fall turns into winter. Slow-release fertilizer can help prevent rapid soft growth that is vulnerable to...

Espoma products are easy to use, just sprinkle around the base of the plant and water it in. We do not recommend using straight topsoil or compost as a back-fill soil because more times than not these products will retain entirely to much moisture and...

Meaning to save or heal in reference to the purported medically curative properties attributed to some plants in the genus. Plants may become somewhat floppy and open up as the summer progresses, particularly in hot and humid climates.

Choose a location with excellent drainage. , commonly called English lavender, has been a mainstay of herb gardens for many years. They generally flower in midsummer, a little later than the English types.

After back filling and lightly compacting the 50/50 mix of existing soil and compost give the Nepeta Walker's Low a good deep watering. Starter fertilizer is the best product to use at the time of planting.

Plants may repeat bloom throughout the summer, but need regular moisture to encourage this. Flowers are attractive to bees and butterflies. In any event, cut plants back after flowering has concluded.

Flowers and foliage are heavily scented. Well-drained soils are required, particularly in winter. Leaves are evergreen in warm winter climates. Remove faded flowers to promote continued bloom.

Water using the counting method for the first few weeks. Depending on the quality of your existing soil you may need to add a locally sourced compost or topsoil to the back-fill soil.

It creates a barrier between the roots of the plant and fungus and pathogens that can cause root rot. Prune the central stems of the yarrow if they begin to die back. Cut back yarrow to within 6 inches of the ground after it has finished flowering.

They generally flower in midsummer, a little later than the English types. Often repeat blooms in late summer or fall. In the north, this variety blooms from mid through late summer, but it blooms earlier in the south.

Leaves are evergreen in warm climates, but will depreciate considerably in harsh winters. This cultivar is synonymous with ‘Helene von Stein'. Evergreen in mild winter regions. Plants form a low mound of large, velvety silver or grey-green leaves.

A good rule is that you should still be able to see the soil the plant was grown in after back-filling the hole. Feeding your plants is probably the single most forgotten part of growing healthy long lasting plants.

Bio-tone Starter Plus is an all-natural plant food that is combined with a stronger concentration of Espoma's beneficial bacteria along with both endo and ecto mycorrhizae. Perennial Plant Association 1998 Plant of the Year.

Each article in the series will feature one sun-loving and one shade-loving plant. Adventurous gardeners love to experiment, and what better way than to explore some of the lesser-known perennials that don't usually inhabit the local greenhouse.

Grows 6-12'' tall and 6-9'' wide. This superb perennial produces beautiful cream colored star-shaped flowers and silvery green foliage. It is bound to be a subject of conversation in your garden.