Uncommon Perennials
Passionate gardeners are always on the lookout for rare perennials, and over the years, I found a few gems, as reliable as they are beautiful.
First, the plant in the picture is a classic penstemon, whose fancier cousins, the beardtongues, demand a place in any cottage garden. Plant them in the back or center of borders, they grow stately tall, and are bound to get you compliments.
Maltese Cross used to be a very popular cottage garden flower which fell out of favor for reasons unknown, despite its wonderful qualities: reliability, heavy bloom, shade and cold tolerance and well-behaved growing habit.
For the lovers of red flowers, it’s the reddest flower in existence.
Snakeroots, which make excellent specimen plantings. Their dramatic, dark and textured foliage would be enough, but they also bloom a profusion of delectable fuzzy wands, in pink or white, and have a heavenly scent of honey, vanilla and grape soda.
Pincushion flowers, many of which are perennial, display spectacular long-lived flowers and are a magnet for bees and butterflies.
Bee balms, which bloom abundantly in June in shades of red, pink and purple. Both the flowers and the leaves exude a powerful scent that earned them the name false bergamot. They are medicinal plants.
The list is very long, but I have to end it somewhere, so I’ll list one last favorite, the hot poker plant. If you haven’t yet, try it, you won’t regret it.
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