Top 10 Perennials for 2020

Ready, set, grow…..At the end of a long winter, who isn’t chomping at the bit to add beautiful and fun perennials to their garden.  Once you have structure in your garden (garden design blog)  splurging on fun and interesting plants will add seasonal color and texture to your landscape.  Prevent a hodge-podge look by first creating a solid plan for your landscape.  When perusing this list consider the following before making your purchase:

• Gaps in bloom time.  Choose a plant or two that might fill in a week or two when you have a lull in your garden color.  For example, planting a constantly blooming perennial next to a plant that only blooms once or twice will fill a gap nicely.  This is where a garden journal comes in handy; you can takes notes and photos to record bloom times.
• If you plan to fill a wide gap with a new perennial that’s caught your eye, plant a grouping of three of the same variety. This way, the flowers create a swath of color. This won’t apply if the addition is shrublike, such as baptisia or Russian sage. 
• Consider when you will see the plant.  If you spend most of your time outside in the evening after work, consider a vibrant color that will reflect the dusk lighting.  An array of white-flowering and silver-leafed plants will reflect moonlight.
• Don’t waste your money.  Focus on a spot you are trying to fill.  Plant the right plant in the right spot. Make your new plant feel at home by knowing the light and soil conditions.  For example, don’t plant a shade loving plant that likes wet feet in a hot, sunny, dry area.

Below are some of our favorites with links to their websites for more pics and growing information.

Kniphofia Poco™ Sunset Poco™ Series

Add a tropical splash and whimsy to your border with Red Hot Poker.  The bonus is that this plant is deer resistant and loves hot, dry, sunny sites. This plant torches to a height of 18”-24” and is best planted in the mid border.

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Bluestone Perennials Catalog Description:
Shorter bicolor spikes bear many flowers even in its first season. Mango-colored wands capped with luscious deep red-orange rise above narrow, grass-like foliage. Hummingbirds can’t stay away from the vibrant blossoms. Kniphofia Poco™ Sunset with its long bloom time can be enjoyed from July into fall. Red Hot Poker is a gorgeous sight in the late summer perennial border. Kniphofia is a good companion plant for daylilies. Enjoy a tropical sunset of vibrant color when planted in drifts.

​Iris Ice and Indigo
Germanica Miniature, Dwarf Bearded Iris

This lovely deer and rabbit resistant gem deserves a spot at the front of a border.  It also is drought tolerant and requires minimal care.

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Bluestone Perennials Catalog Description:
Multiple awards winner with jaw-dropping color! The three elegant falls stamped with a sizable ink blue-violet blaze surround cool icy blue-blushed ruffled upright petals. Dwarf Bearded Iris bloom with the first whisper of spring’s warmth – perfectly formed in miniature. An excellent choice for the rock garden or borders. Bearded Iris require minimum care and readily multiply. Dwarf varieties are great edgers.

Veronica repens Sunshine

If you want to accentuate a focal point or draw attention to your front door, consider this splash of sunshine.  This deer and rabbit resistant ground cover tolerates foot traffic too and will grow in part sun.

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Bluestone Perennials Catalog Description:
A ray of sunshine anywhere it is planted! Its wide creeping carpet of golden yellow leaves contrasts beautifully with blue or purple flowering neighbors. Great between stepping stones or in a rock garden or trough. Evergreen in southern gardens. Divides easily. Veronica Sunshine is primarily grown for his stunning cheery foliage but will sometimes briefly bloom with clusters of pearl-white flowers in spring. This creeping Speedwell with its petite foliage closely resembles Baby’s Tears. A lovely mat-forming, ground-hugging perennial.

Allium 'Serendipity' ​

Serendipity is a new twist on an old favorite by Proven Winners.  This pollinator adds whimsy and late summer color to your middle border.  It has low water needs and rabbits / deer stay clear.

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Proven Winners Catalog Description:
The word "serendipity" means an unexpected occurrence, and what a fitting name for this sport of the popular 'Millenium'! The sport shares all of the qualities that made 'Millenium' great, but with attractive blue foliage. Globe-like, rosy-purple flowers match the parent and are produced profusely in mid to late summer. When crushed, the leaves will emit a smell of onion.  Long-blooming and drought tolerant.

Brunnera macrophylla 'Queen of Hearts'

This deer resistant plant brightens the darkest corners with splashes of silver.  After its beautiful blue blooms fade in early spring, you are left with a lovely ground cover.  Though not suited for dry shade, I’m sure you’ll find a spot for this plant.

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Proven Winners Catalog Description:
This stunning foliage perennial will be the queen of the shade (and your heart). Compared to its companion plant 'Jack of Diamonds', 'Queen of Hearts' has more heart-shaped leaves and more pronounced silver overlay with narrower bands of dark green veining. From mid to late spring, baby blue, forget-me-not type blossoms are held in clusters above the foliage.
Brunneras are classic perennials that are treasured for their shade tolerance and lovely blooms. They make a fantastic groundcover, though the variegated forms may be slower to spread than the species. Try growing them in containers too so they will be close at hand when you want to snip a few blooms for a spring bouquet.

Sedum 'Pride and Joy'
​ROCK 'N GROW® Collection

Proven Winners Pride and Joy, Rock ‘n Grow collection offers yellow and pink/purple varieties.  The fall bloomer for the front of your border attracts butterflies and has dried seed heads that you’ll enjoy late into the growing season.  An extra bonus is that it grows in poor soil and rarely gets thirsty.

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Proven Winners Catalog Description:
If you love 'Pure Joy' for its fantastic can't-be-beat habit and short stature, you'll love 'Bundle of Joy'. This is a white flowering sport of 'Pure Joy', the same exemplary performance, as well as an explosion of blooms that cover the dome-like habit. Plant with other late season interest plants like PRAIRIE WIND® Grasses, SUMMERIFIC® Hibiscus, hardy garden mums, asters, and Black-Eyed Susans. Try a few in containers and at the front of the border.

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Salvia nemorosa 'White Profusion'

If you need to add a splash of white to your garden, this full sun pollinator will rebloom throughout the summer.  It is low maintenance and critter resistant. Plant this workhorse in the front or middle border. The Profusion series also comes in shades of pink and purple.

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Proven Winners Catalog Description:
Last year, we introduced three new Salvia nemorosa whose claim to fame was fantastic rebloom throughout the summer. New for 19-20 comes a brand new color to the series, 'White Profusion'! Just like its counterparts, this Salvia will reflush with flowers if sheared back and will do so many times. A full, round habit that's unbothered by deer and rabbits make it a perfect choice for the early summer garden.
Salvia is a staple item for every sunny garden. It asks little more than sunshine and a little drink every once in a while in return for producing a bountiful mass of colorful flower spires from late spring into early summer. It forms a uniform, rounded clump of aromatic, rugose green foliage that looks nice all season long and is ignored by rabbits and deer.

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Echinacea 'Orange You Awesome' ​

The name alone requires some consideration for this deer resistant coneflower.  As a pollinator, it feeds the birds if left to seed in the late summer. The low water needs and part shade tolerance makes this coneflower a perfect choice for your border.  If orange is not your favorite color, the Color Coded collection includes red, white and yellow varieties.

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Proven Winners Catalog Description:
Join the craze with this new collection of single Coneflowers for Proven Winners. These varieties are produced clonally from tissue culture, so all plants will be uniform in color and habit. These varieties were selected for their excellent basal branching, flower performance, large flower size, and horizontally held petals. Enjoy these as late summer interest for your garden. These are perfect varieties as pollinator magnets and during late fall to winter, the seed heads will serve as food for birds. Two varieties are available the first year.  Stayed tuned for more colors in the future!
Tangerine orange flowers are produced with dark cones. Near the cones, there is a faint reddish halo. Earlier to bloom.

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Campanula carpatica Delft Teacups
Teacup Series

Carpet Campanula is a long-blooming perennial that feels at home in sun or part shade.  This unique shade of blue is hard to find in any other plant. Planting this along a path or sidewalk won’t disappoint you.

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Bluestone Perennials:
One clump or two? The color of Delftware pottery, bicolor lilac-blue and white 1 ½” teacup-shaped blossoms sweetly brighten a pathway or a rock garden. Abundant larger flowers belie its smaller stature.  Carpathian Bellflowers form low cushion-shaped mounds of attractive dark green, toothed foliage.

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Clematis Nubia
​ Boulevard® Series

Consider adding a vertical element to your landscape with a vine.  This pollinator attracts butterflies and blooms from June until September.  Be attentive to this plant’s rich, saturated color and plant against a light background.  A dark trellis or red brick house won’t showcase the deep red--- so mix in some white clematis or plant against a lighter background.  Most clematis like their feet in the shade and face in the sun. They especially like morning sun.

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Bluestone Perennial Catalog Description:
Add a red flower to your garden and eyes are drawn right to it. Regal velvet red flowers smother the foliage from the ground up from June into August and again in September! Compact habit and great rebloom. Clematis Nubia™ is ideal for a small garden balcony, deck garden or patio. Clematis supply vertical interest. Every perennial garden should have at least one of these incredible vines. From the Boulevard® Series renowned for its easy care, bushy long-blooming compact habit.

Of course, your favorite nurseries and catalogs will also feature new, outstanding cultivars to consider.  Do yourself and the new plants a favor by carefully researching ideal location, light and water requirements, and neighboring plants.  Strong-performing perennials are a gift that keeps on giving!