Add Some Color With A New Batch Of Perennials

A ribbon of color weaves along the border of the garden, darting in and out between shrubs and tall mounds of flowing grasses. This tapestry of painted textures and shapes is as changing as a twisting kaleidoscope. The ribbon masterpiece is created with flowers specifically, perennials. They open their show in early spring and close by late fall.

You would think this glorious display of flora was carefully planned. True, in some cases. But in most, perennial gardens seem to simply evolve. Flower procurement and planting are usually not very scientific.

My most common method of acquiring plants is through impulse buying. This disease is commonly referred to as green thumbus overdosus. In other words, if it’s healthy, blooming or has interesting foliage, somehow it will find a place in my garden. The spot chosen may not be its permanent home. Most of my plants have a way of traveling about the yard. But alas, that’s half the fun of a perennial garden.

Second to impulse buying comes collecting by way of friends and/or neighbors. Fall is a great time for dividing existing plants and sharing them instead of throwing them into the compost pile.

Memories also play a major role in the collection of perennials. That special plant from Mom and Dad’s or Gramdma’s garden can create some very special moments in the yard. Even a few plants collected from your first home add a bushel of memories to grow on.

But when it comes right down to gathering a number of unusual, exquisite plants, we need only attend the upcoming Friends of Manito annual perennial and houseplant sale, on Sept. 6.

This year, the Friends of Manito will offer more than 16,000 perennials and more than 1,500 houseplants. Because of the popularity of this sale, the plants usually sell out in one day. For this reason, this year the sale be held only one day (usually it runs through the weekend). Hours a week from Saturday will be 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. at Manito Park. If it rains the day of the sale, it will carry over to Sunday.

According to plant sale chairwoman Diane Notske, some of the featured varieties this year are:

Sedum - a drought-tolerant, sun-loving plant which usually blooms in the fall, but whose foliage is beautiful all season. Though Autumn Joy is probably the most popular of the sedums, don’t overlook Matrona with its beautiful blue and pink tinged foliage or Mohrchen with its purple leaves and pink flowers.

Asters are truly one of the most spectacular fall flowers, especially when grown in combination with ornamental grasses. This year, make sure you look for Purple Dome. This compact aster is touted as being mildew-resistant. Since we’ve dealt with this disease problem most of the summer, this plant may be gobbled up very quickly at the sale. One other choice selection of aster is the star-like flowering of Divaricatus White Wood Aster. It enjoys the comforts of a partially shaded area or nestled in a woodland setting.

Though they may seem like just a pile of large leaves at the time of the sale, the primroses are a plant that shouldn’t be overlooked. I am speaking of the hardy primrose, not those tender little store-bought fellows that brighten our kitchen windowsills in the late winter.

Hardy primrose can usually develop into sizable plants, anywhere from one to two feet in diameter and up to a foot tall. Primula vulgaris, denticulata and bullesiana all send up flower stalks above the plant with various shapes, colors and configurations of flowers. All are spectacular in the early spring, especially when flanked by tulips. These primroses are a must for any northern garden.

Ornamental grasses are the real attention grabbers this year. Their light yet stately disposition creates a finished appearance in any garden. This is only a smattering of the more than 200 varieties of plants that will be available. What an opportunity to start weaving a ribbon of color through your garden. Though a plan is best, don’t ever let the lack of one stop you from indulging in the pleasure of a few misplaced beauties.

All proceeds from the Friends of Manito sale go for horticulture improvements at Manito Park.

Phyllis Stephens is a horticultural consultant and landscape designer in Spokane.

, DataTimes The following fields overflowed: CREDIT = Phyllis Stephens The Spokesman-Review