It's been a gloomy, rainy, June however we are being rewarded with plenty of sunshine and flower blooms the past few days. June is perennial gardening month, (according to the Perennial Plant Association ) and driving around visiting several of my clients gardens I can see why! The PPA is a valuable online resource for perennial plants. If you are a beginner gardener the perennial plant of the year list is great selection to start with.Photo to the right is from 1 year old garden in West Chester, PA. The purple flowering perennial is the 2007 plant of the year, Nepeta 'Walker's Low'. A constant plant in my garden design, nepeta, or catmint, is fantastic when used in a sunny location, preferably at the border of the garden. They are drought tolerant once established and after the first wave of flowering occurs, trim back to 6" and watch them perform again! Oh did I mention they are deer resistant and the bees and butterflies love them! Combine with spiraea and ornamental grasses for a winning trio. Other plants in this photo include 'Gold Star' junipers, 'Bailhalo' red stem dogwood shrub, 'Gateway' Joe-Pye weed (not really a weed but a terrific native late summer flowering butterfly magnet), and the large evergreen is 'Yoshino' Japanese cryptomeria, which also is deer resistant.
Visit the PPA for additional perennial plant information and their plant of the year list at http://www.perennialplant.org/index.asp
