Perennials For The Sun

At one time in my career, I took care of many perennials for the sun, as I managed the perennial department of a large nursery.

I was in charge of the care of the perennials, ordering the inventory, and making sure things looked great. Because of this, I was able to monitor the health and beauty of all the perennials we sold. During the long season, I was able to see that certain perennials looked good all the time, while others did not.

Those that were attractive all season, had nice looking foliage. Many had a very long period of bloom, and if they did not, their leaves stayed healthy providing nice greenery. The less desirable perennials, in my opinion, had foliage that looked nice at the start of the season, but then deteriorated. The leaves turned brown, or were just unattractive. The pleasant feature of the plant was the flowers, and after they were gone...well, there was not much left to appreciate.

Because of these observations, I now try to use perennials for the sun that are pretty throughout the season. They are fairly low maintenance perennials, as it is not necessary to remove many dead or brown leaves. Removal of the finished flowers is all that is required, and you do not even have to do this if you don't have the time.

Here are some of my favorite perennials for sun:

• Sedum 'Autumn Joy'
• Coneflower
• Black-Eyed Susan
• Catmint 'Walkers Low'
• Hydrangea(ok, not a perennial!)
• Daylily (give plenty of water and do not use if there is a deer problem)
• Fountain Grass
• Maiden Grass
• Lady's Mantle
• Peony
• Honeysuckle 'Heckrotti'(flowering vine)
• Salvia(great purple flowers)
• Lamb's Ear(nice texture and leaf color)
• Thyme(yes, the herb!)

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