Sunday, October 28

And the winner is...
Geranium 'Rozanne'

2008 Perennial Plant of the Year

Geranium 'Rozanne'

I love Geranium 'Rozanne.' Of all the plants that I grow -- and I grow a considerable number -- she is the one perennial that does the most to pull all my borders together. Her violet flowers begin in May and are still going strong now, at the end of October. That's a remarkable six months of bloom!

'Rozanne' produces abundant flowers in full sun and in large doses of shade. Her foliage stays fresh and green all season long. And she isn't even bothered by rabbits or deer.

Few, if any, other perennials can do all that.

Yes, 'Rozanne' can sprawl about a bit, but I don't mind. Actually, I rather like to see her weaving her way among the other plants in my garden. And, yes, some of her older flower stems can turn brown with age. But all you really have to do to keep 'Rozanne' looking gorgeous is to grab a handful of those brown stems and give a tug. It's really that simple.

Apparently I'm not alone in my admiration for 'Rozanne.' She was just named the 2008 Perennial Plant of the Year by the Perennial Plant Association. And that puts her in good company. All these named winners are selected for their hardiness, adaptability and multi-seasonal interest. And any or all of them will make easy-care and valuable additions to your landscape.

Here's a list of the five previous winners and a few personal comments on the ones that I've grown myself:

2007 Nepeta 'Walker's Low'
Don't let the name fool you. 'Walker's Low' refers to a location in England, not to the height of this plant. It can easily reach three feet tall and wide. Like all catmints, 'Walker's Low' has lovely little blue-violet flowers up and down its gray-green stems and, if you rub them, they'll produce that familiar 'catnip' scent. Blooms come for several weeks on their own and the plant will rebloom if you sheer it back after first flower. (I usually don't bother.) I grow mine in part sun, so they flop a bit. Put them in full sun to prevent that. Like all nepetas, 'Walkers Low' is disease and pest resistant -- I've never had any problems with mine -- and it adds a lovely open, ethereal feel to the garden.

I love nepeta planted around roses. Other suggestions include combining it with lamb's ears, blue ornamental grasses, daylilies, coreopsis, peonies, dianthus, foxgloves and bearded iris.

2006 Dianthus gratianopolitanus 'Feuerhexe' (Firewitch)
I can't grow dianthus. I've tried, because it's a powerhouse little plant. But my soil is too heavy and the roots of this alpine native just rot over the winter. If you have excellent drainage, though, it is a lovely little evergreen perennial. Growing just three to four inches high (with flower stems reaching eight inches), 'Firewitch' is covered in brilliant purplish-pink blooms in midspring. If deadheaded, it's said to have sporadic rebloom in summer and fall. And, if that isn't enough to make you want this plant, you can add its spicy, clove-like fragrance to the equation.

The Perennial Plant Association suggests combining 'Firewitch' with other sun-lovers like Siberian iris (Iris sibirica), threadleaf coreopsis (Coreopsis verticillata 'Moonbeam' or 'Zagreb') or plumbago (Ceratostigma plumbaginoides). I can see how plumbago's fall-blooming gentian blue flowers would make a great compliment to the dianthus' magenta ones and its silvery blue foliage.

2005 Helleborus x hybridus
The Lenten rose has been 'hot' the past few years, but I have to admit that I've been slow to warm to these plants: First, I think, because they bloom at a time when I'm not in my garden; second because their foliage gets pretty ratty looking; and third because their flowers hang down -- and I don't fancy lying on the ground to see them to their best advantage. (The PPA suggests planting them on a hillside next to a path for best viewing.)

Still, many of my favorite gardeners adore them and if you have the right spot you may want to give them a try.

Hellebores bloom during the late winter or early spring and come in a range of colors in both single and double forms. For the best performance, plant them in part to full shade and well-drained, humus-rich soil. Once they're established, plants require only occasional watering, even in the driest seasons. And, if the leaves do get tattered looking after the winter, you can simply cut them off as the new foliage emerges in the spring.

The PPA says that spring-blooming epimedium (barrenwort), anemone nemorosa (wood anemone) and hepatica (liverleaf) all make excellent companions for Lenten roses.

2004 Athyrium niponicum 'Pictum'
I really like the Japanese painted fern. Its long, soft fronds come in shades of metallic silver-gray and maroon and the only thing it really needs to stay looking good all season is regular moisture. 'Pictum' prefers partial to full shade. It makes an outstanding combination plant for adding color and texture to beds and containers.

The PPA recommends combining it with Hosta 'Patriot,' 'Ginko Craig' and/or H. sieboldiana 'Elegans.' Or you can try Carex morrowii 'Variegata' or Carex siderosticha 'Silver Sceptre.' Other possible bedfellows include Brunnera macrophylla 'Langtrees,' 'Silver Wings,' or 'Jack Frost;' Lamium maculatum 'Orchid Frost' and 'Purple Dragon;' Astilbe 'Snowdrift;' Astilbe simplicifolia 'Sprite' and Dicentra 'King of Hearts.'

I have mine planted with Heuchera 'Plum Pudding' to pick up its purple tones.

2003 Leucanthemum 'Becky'
'Becky' is a workhorse. Her sturdy, upright stems grow 40 inches tall and produce single white flowers during the end of June and early July, just when other Shastas are finishing. If you are good about deadheading, flowers can continue coming throughout August and into September.

In my experience, deadheading is a MUST for this plant -- especially if you are growing a large stand of it. 'Becky' hangs on to her spent flowerheads and if you leave all those brown daisies standing the overall effect is less than pleasing. She grows best in full sun and well-drained soil, but isn't at all fussy.

Planting 'Becky' with Perovskia atriplicifolia (Russian sage) will give you a nice long show later in the summer. Or the PPA suggests planting her with Scabiosa columbaria 'Butterfly Blue' (another Perennial Plant of the Year) and Veronica 'Royal Candles' for a white, blue and blue-lavender combination. To add some extra pizzazz, they suggest adding Crocosmia 'Lucifer,' a brilliant scarlet red, summer-flowering bulb, to the mix.

An award winning writer and features editor, Mary Ellen Smith counts it a joy to be able to blend her 15-year-long career in journalism with a life-long love of gardening. A Master Gardener in her own right, the O&E editor has tried her hand at growing everything from coreopsis and calycanthus to peanuts and pears.