First, there were flowers. Not first in the grand scheme of the world, but certainly first in the hearts of gardeners. As young gardeners, we are enchanted with zinnias and marigolds, spears of salvia and mounds of impatiens. They last only one summer, but that satisfies us—until we discover that there are other flowers that don’t have to be planted out year after year. These flowers appear on their own every year, not just once, but repeated—perennially. As our gardening years increase in number, we may look to even more permanent members of the garden: trees and shrubs. But our hearts never abandon perennials; the affection runs too deep.
Here in the Pacific Northwest, we can grow a wide variety of perennials; in fact, our plant spectrum is limited mostly by a lack of heat in the summer. The English style of perennial border has been embraced wholeheartedly in the Pacific Northwest, and why not? Our climates are similar enough that we, too, can grow just about anything we want (we say boastfully).
The flower border as a one- or two-season event, however, has been altered to fit our own style. In the Northwest, the garden is a year-round show that relies heavily on perennials, with strong support from trees and shrubs. Whether our opportunity to garden year-round has affected the variety of perennials available or vice versa, Pacific Northwest gardeners can now find plants that offer interesting foliage, form, or flower from late autumn through winter.
Flowers are possible in winter: hardy cyclamen (Cyclamen coum) dot the floor of the winter garden with pink, and the Christmas rose (Helleborus niger) opens its pure white flowers in December. But we also have the mounding form of the evergreen hardy geranium (Geranium macrorrhizum), rosettes of silver-leaved rose campion (Lychnis coronaria), and seedheads of purple coneflower (Echinacea purpurea) to decorate the dark months. The winter landscape may be more subtle, but it offers its own delights.
So if we can grow almost anything, and there are thousands of asters, hardy geraniums, and daylilies from which to choose, where do you begin in order to learn about and find the best perennials for your garden? Your daunting homework assignment is done for you in these pages. It may sound like drudgery to cross-check several reference books and plant availability guides, then to check with local sources and experts but, well, someone had to do it.
The purpose of this book is to provide descriptions and growing information for as many perennials and perennial-like plants for Northwest gardens as possible. Our accommodating growing environment can make choosing perennials seem like an overwhelming task, but our mild climate does have its limitations, especially when it comes to how much heat a plant might need to grow well. National and international perennial books are useful to a point, but don’t take us into our own Pacific Northwest gardens.
Here, you’ll find out how to choose and grow perennials as well as learn design ideas and tips. The extensive A–Z list of perennials provides you with plant descriptions and suggestions for use in the garden. Whether you don’t know a marigold from a Monarda, or you want to add another Epimedium to your growing collections, here you’ll find plants and information you can use.
golden marguerite (Anthemis ‘Susanna Mitchell’)
Gardeners needn’t think that the perennials they see on the shelf at the big-box stores are the only game in town. This book shows you that there’s more to perennials—much more. In addition to having the information here, in your hand, for choosing and taking care of perennials, it’s sometimes good to get up close and personal with these versatile plants. Fortunately, you don’t have to go far. There is a wealth of garden inspiration in our own backyards, so to speak.
For instance, hardy plant organizations throughout the Pacific Northwest (see Local Plant Societies) have an active agenda of meetings, symposia, and workshops all about perennials. The Hardy Plant Study Weekend is a lively and well-attended event that rotates each year among Northwest cities including Portland, Eugene, Seattle, Vancouver, and Victoria, BC. International speakers make these meetings worthwhile, and the private garden tours arranged for the events are always a hit. The Washington and Oregon groups also organize Open Garden days, when members’ gardens are available for touring. This is based on the highly successful Open Garden scheme in England. Your garden doesn’t have to be perfect to be included on the tour (otherwise, no one’s garden would be on the tour).
Hardy Plant Society of Oregon, 828 NW 19th Avenue, Portland, OR 97209-1504; 503-224-5718; www.hardyplantsociety.org. Membership includes a monthly newsletter, a quarterly journal, the Open Garden Book, and use of the lending library.
Willamette Valley Hardy Plant Group, P.O. Box 5942, Eugene, OR 97405; 541-344-0896; www.thehardyplantgroup.org, info@thehardyplantgroup.org. Eugene is one of the regular venues for the annual Hardy Plant Study Weekend, which rotates around the Northwest.
Avid Gardeners, P.O. Box 50808, Eugene, OR 97405; www.avidgardeners.org. A Eugene-based group of both professional and amateur gardeners who gather regularly for lectures and other events.
Salem Hardy Plant, P.O. Box 2027, Salem, OR 97308-2027; www.salemhardyplantsociety.org, shps@earthlink.net. Activities of this regional organization include monthly meetings, plant sales, and an Open Garden program.
Hardy Plant Society of Washington, P.O. Box 77556, Seattle, WA 98177; www.hardyplantsocietywa.org. An educational organization offering lectures, workshops, and field trips.
Northwest Perennial Alliance, 8522 46th Street NW, Seattle, WA 98335; 425-647-6004; www.northwestperennialalliance.org. NPA is responsible for the planting and maintenance of the mixed border at the Bellevue Botanical Garden. Meetings are held throughout the year with top-notch speakers; small study groups meet in various locations; and there’s a monthly newsletter.
Whatcom Horticultural Society, P.O. Box 4443, Bellingham, WA 98227; 360-738-6833; www.whatcomhortsociety.org. The Whatcom society offers excellent lectures and symposia and encourages members to open their gardens during the year. The quarterly publication The Social Gardener contains articles and news about horticultural events.
Vancouver Hardy Plant Society, 1122 Deep Cove Road, North Vancouver, BC V7G 1S3; www.vancouverhardyplant.org. This BC group is one of the rotating hosts of the Hardy Plant Study Weekend.
Victoria Horticultural Society, Box 5081, Station B, Victoria, BC V8R 6N3; www.vichortsociety.org. The Victoria group holds regular meetings and is a host of the Hardy Plant Study Weekend.
Another source of gardening information is the Great Plant Picks program, initiated in 2001. This consortium of professional gardeners, nursery people, and general hort-heads from throughout the maritime Pacific Northwest recommend the best trees, shrubs, perennials, vines, and bulbs for our gardens. To that end, each year they produce a list of their picks for great plants. Find out more about GPP at www.greatplantpicks.org.
Public gardens like those listed here teach us about plants and how to use them. At any time of year, gardeners can be found, cameras and notebooks in hand, at these displays that provide learning experiences as well as moments of gardening contemplation. Regular visits to public gardens are a delightful necessity.
And of course, many fine nurseries also show gardeners how the plants they sell can grow in a garden. Knowledgeable nursery professionals give great advice on your plant choices.
Visit these gardens and nurseries for inspiration and education when it comes to perennial gardening.
Dancing Oaks Nursery, 17900 Priem Road, Monmouth, OR 97361; 503-838-6058; www.dancingoaks.com. Retail nursery in the country with vast yet intimate garden displays and a place to picnic.
Joy Creek Nursery, 20300 NW Watson Road, Scappoose, OR 97056; 503-543-7474; www.joycreek.com. Retail nursery with ideas for all about just where and how to grow their plants.
Northwest Garden Nursery, 86813 Central Rd., Eugene, OR 97402; www.northwestgardennursery.com. A wholesale nursery with extensive mixed borders and displays for shade, sun, dry, moist. Gardens open by appointment.
The Northwest Perennial Alliance border at the Bellevue Botanical Garden, 12001 Main Street, Bellevue, WA 98005; www.bellevuebotanical.org. Open daily from dawn to dusk; no charge. Planted on a slope and encompassing all manner of soil type and exposure. Come any month of the year to see what’s in bloom, in seed, just coming up, or dying off beautifully.
Powellswood Garden, 430 S. Dash Point Road, Federal Way, WA. 98003; 253-529-1620; www.powellswood.org. A three-acre, English-style garden open by appointment.
The Soest Herbaceous Display Garden, Center for Urban Horticulture, University of Washington Botanic Gardens, 3501 NE 41st Street, Seattle, WA 98105; 206-543-8616; www.depts.washington.edu/uwbg. Planted in 1998, the Soest garden display beds incorporate various soil types and sun exposures. Strong on design despite its educational bent, the garden is attractive in all seasons. The Elisabeth C. Miller Library—filled with gardening books, magazines, and more—is only steps away.
University of British Columbia Botanical Garden, 6804 SW Marine Drive, Vancouver, BC V6T 1Z4; 604-822-3928; www.ubcbotanicalgarden.org. Besides an impressive arboretum, the gardens include good displays using perennials.
VanDusen Botanical Garden, 5251 Oak Street, Vancouver, BC V6M 4H1; 604-257-8335; www.vandusengarden.org. This 55-acre garden in the middle of Vancouver has a decidedly British feel to it—certainly due in part to the large and impressive European beeches (Fagus sylvatica) on the property. Set against this are various garden displays that appeal to any style, incorporating perennials in natural and formal settings.
Now that you have some ideas for where to go for garden inspiration, delve into these chapters for some step-by-step instructions in using perennials in your garden. Chapter One, Getting Started with Perennials, covers the basics on choosing, buying, and planting. Chapter Two, Designing with Perennials, explores techniques for designing your garden. Chapter Three, Maintaining the Perennial Garden, details the gardener’s tasks: editing the garden, mulching, saving seeds, and dividing. In Chapter Four, Perennials from A to Z, you’ll find the details on cultivation and garden uses for a comprehensive plant listing that includes not only a wide range of perennials, but also a few exceptional bulbs and a smattering of ornamental grasses. Only the best for you. At the back of the book, there’s an index of common plant names. Now get growing!
goatsbeard (Aruncus aethusifolius)
