Spring bloomers continue show with irises, peonies, roses

There has been a frenzy of activity on Facebook with many displaying their favorite roses, irises, peonies and whatever else is blooming now. It’s fun to see what everyone else is growing. The Knock Out roses and other shrub roses seem especially floriferous this year.

Today is Mother’s Day so I hope everyone regaled their moms with a nice floral bouquet, houseplant or outdoor flowering container.

In my last column, we looked at popular annuals or bedding plants, now let’s look at tried-and-true perennials.

• Purple coneflower — Echinacea purpurea is a staple in the sunny garden that attracts butterflies for its nectar and birds for its seeds. The dome-shaped center is surrounded by daisy-like, drooping petals. There have been many new cultivars of late with bright colors and names like ‘Double Scoop Cranberry,’ ‘Meringue,’ ‘Hot Coral,’ ‘Salsa Red’ and ‘Lemon Yellow.’

• Coreopsis — There are all kinds of varieties and colors of the daisy-like Coreopsis lanceolata, c. grandiflora, c. verticillata and c. tinctoria. I’ve had the best luck with the yellow c. verticillata ‘Moonbeam,’ lanceleaf coreopsis and threadleaf coreopsis. It is one of the longest-blooming perennials, if deadheaded, and attracts birds and butterflies. Plant in a sunny area in well-drained soil.

• Daylily — I love the variety in daylillies (Hemerocallis spp.), but if you want a long bloomer you have to go with rebloomers such as ‘Stella de Oro’ (buttery yellow) and ‘Going Bananas’ (light yellow). ‘Black Eyed Stella’ is a bicolor — yellow with an orange to red throat. ‘Apricot Sparkles’ is said to rebloom reliably through the summer. Others touted to have longer bloom periods include ‘Red Razzmatazz,’ ‘Rosy Returns’ and ‘Stephanie Returns (peachy pink).’ Daylilies are tough plants for part sun with straplike, green leaves.

• Lily — The lily family (Lilium hybrids) includes the most popular — Oriental and Asiatic — plus martagon and species lilies, among others. Leaves on true lilies are short, strap like, along a tall, sturdy stem. The Asiatic lilies are the earliest blooming with upfacing, outfacing or pendant flowers in a wide spectrum of colors. Plant in a sunny area. The Oriental lilies prefer a humus rich soil that is acidic, planted in a sunny area. The white ‘Casa Blanca’ lily is an Oriental hybrid as is ‘Stargazer,’ a favorite for its bright raspberry and white coloring.

• Peony — Peonies (Paeonia hybrids) are the old faithful, very long-lived, large, fragrant flowers that tend to flop over if they don’t get enough sun. Be sure to plant them in a full-sun area where they can remain undisturbed. They resent being moved, but if you must, it could be a few years before they reach full bloom again. Experts say to encircle them in early spring with a metal ring or cage to prevent the fall-over. The metal ring hasn’t worked for me; mine shoot up over the ring then fall over.

• Iris — Iris (Iris hybrids) are another old faithful, blooming now in so many gardens. They come in hundreds of color combinations, various heights and styles. The clump increases with time and flowering will diminish when it’s time to divide. Wait till late summer, however, when they are dormant. Plant the rhizomes near the surface of the soil.

• Garden Phlox — The showy garden phlox (Phlox paniculata) is a staple in the garden for its long-blooming, fragrant, large flower heads that range in color from lavender, white, pink, rose, red to bicolor. They prefer full sun to part shade and attract hummingbirds and butterflies.

• Hosta — The staple of the shade garden (Hosta spp.), most hosta do well with a couple of hours of filtered sun each day. Prized for its blue, variegated or chartreuse foliage, the easy-care plant works as a specimen or groundcover.

After weeding in your annual and perennial beds, it’s a good idea to apply about 3 inches of mulch to slow down the weeds and also regulate moisture and temperature for the plants. As an added preventive, try sprinkling a product such as Preen garden weed preventer on top of the mulch; it will create a barrier that prevents weed seeds from germinating for up to three months. It also can be used under trees and shrubs and in groundcovers. Preen also offers a garden weed preventer that includes a 6-8-6 fertilizer. And if you’re covering a large garden, there’s a battery-operated spreader cap for faster and easier application. Always read and follow label directions when using any weed control product.