Gaura

Invasive Plants or Plants for The Lazy Gardener? It all depends on your point of view! All these perennials are hardy and colorful. and some are prolific reseeders.  Pictured is Erigeron karvinskianus (Santa Barbara daisy).  It will bloom all summer with very little care, but you have to decide if you want it everywhere or if it’s worth it to pull out…

Tulbaghia, or society garlic, is an evergreen perennial with narrow green or green and white variegated leaves.  Clusters of small lavender flowers top stems that are one to two feet tall.  Provide regular water.  Because of the garlicky odor of the leaves, deer tend to leave it alone.

The two most popular varieties are ‘Butterfly Blue’ and ‘Pink Mist’. This perennial is possibly the longest blooming of all.  Removing the spent flowers will encourage the plants to bloom even more and keeps them looking nice.   Height is about one foot and the spread approximately eighteen to twenty-four inches.  They prefer moderate to regular water.

There are so many colors and sizes of penstemon hybrids.  Among the favorites are ‘Firebird’ (red), ‘Midnight’ (purple), ‘Garnet’ (fuchsia pink), ‘Thorn’ (white with a pink blush), ‘Apple Blossom’ (pink), ‘Bev Jensen’ (magenta) and ‘Raven’ (darkest purple).  A very floriferous variety on a smaller plant is ‘Pike’s Peak Purple’.  All these varieties take heat and cold and…

Coreopsis adds a lovely bit of color to the garden.  These are tough plants that need little to moderate water and they seem to bloom almost endlessly, especially if deadheaded.  They also tend to self-sow, so be prepared for either even more color or a bit of weeding.

Perovskia, or Russian sage, is not a true sage, but it has some similarities.  It needs little water, is very tolerant of heat and requires good drainage.  Sprays of purple flowers appear in late spring and summer.