Perennials: You can depend on plants
It's always great to see gardening books written especially for our area.
Anthony W. Kahtz, author of "Perennials for Midwestern Gardens," (Timber Press, $29.95) lives in Mount Vernon in southern Illinois where it's a bit warmer than our climate.
But he has experience growing plants in many areas -- including the suburbs.
His gardening and landscaping resume stretches from Brookfield Zoo to the National Cathedral Bishop's Garden in Washington, D.C., Harvard University, Wisley garden in England and several projects in Copenhagen, Denmark.
And he obtained a doctorate in horticulture from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.
We asked Kahtz -- who grows more than 100 different perennial species and cultivars in his garden -- to recommend 15 perennials for us.
He selected:
• Five easy-to-find plants
• Five worth hunting for
• Five for the shade
Easy to find
Purple coneflower -- echinea purpurea. Native with great color puts up with heat, humidity and even some drought. Attracts butterflies and goldfinches. Magnus is a cultivar with large flowers.
Spike gayfeather -- liatris spicata. Bottlebrush-shaped mauve flowers open from the top down. Grows 2 to 4 feet tall and attracts butterflies and bees. Contributes to winter landscape. Kobold is a little shorter cultivar.
Black-eyed Susan -- rudbeckia fulgida. Mounds nicely, yellow-orange flowers bloom from midsummer till frost. Will tolerate some shade.
Geranium -- cranesbill. Not what we typically call a geranium. The flowers are smaller and bloom blue, lavender, pink or white. Grows 12 inches tall. More appreciated in Europe.
Salvia X supera. Blooms throughout the summer.ȯˆ¿Ã‚ˆ½ Relatively cool evenings enhance the purple-blue flower color. Mainacht is a popular cultivar.
Hunt for these
Plume poppy -- macleaya cordata. Grows 10 feet tall with white flowers up to 1 foot long. Leaves are bluish silver. Said to spread aggressively. Architectural specimen great in center of an island bed.
Maximilian sunflower -- helianthus maximiliani.ȯˆ¿Ã‚ˆ½ Grows 10 feet tall, blooms late, needs a wall or fence for support. Prefers dry sites and withstands drought. Cut back by one-third in early June to keep more compact.
Mexican hat -- ratibida columnifer. Red and yellow flowers bloom longer than most perennials. Tolerates light shade and drought. Wild, unkempt appearance. Might need staking.
Fennel -- foeniculum vulgare. Provides height and unusual texture, and children like the smell and taste of licorice. Grows 5 feet without staking. Attracts swallowtail butterfly caterpillars. Cultivar purpureum's foliage tends toward mahogany and purple.
Mountain fleeceflower -- persicaria amplexicaulis. Red, purple, pink or white spikes bloom midsummer to fall. Withstands partial shade.ȯˆ¿Ã‚ˆ½ Try in moist to wet areas.
Shady characters
Lady's mantle -- alchemilla mollis. Grown for lime green leaves with hairs that catch dew in glistening beads. Reputation for self sowing.
Goat's beard -- aruncus dioicus. Looks like a larger version of astilbe and grows 4 to 6 feet tall and wide. Needs moist soil and likes to be near ponds or streams.
Canadian wild ginger -- asarum canadense. Smells like ginger, but not considered edible. Leaves can be up to 6 inches wide, but spring flowers are inconspicuous. Great ground cover. Likes acidic soil.
Cardinal flower -- lobelia cardinalis. Scarlet flowers bloom late summer and attract butterflies and hummingbirds. Likes moist to wet soil and will perform in full sun during a cool summer. Only lives two or three years. Some cultivars bloom white or pink.
Hosta. Once you get into hostas, watch out. Grown for their leaves, but some have aromatic blooms. Foliage can be green, blue-green, yellow, gold or white in solids and variegations.
Spike gayfeather -- liatris spicata. Bottlebrush-shaped mauve flowers open from the top down. Grows 2 to 4 feet tall and attracts butterflies and bees. Contributes to winter landscape. Kobold is a little shorter cultivar.
Black-eyed Susan -- rudbeckia fulgida. Mounds nicely, yellow-orange flowers bloom from midsummer till frost. Will tolerate some shade.
Geranium -- cranesbill. Not what we typically call a geranium. The flowers are smaller and bloom blue, lavender, pink or white. Grows 12 inches tall. More appreciated in Europe.
Salvia X supera. Blooms throughout the summer.ȯˆ¿Ãƒâ€šÃ‚ˆ½ Relatively cool evenings enhance the purple-blue flower color. Mainacht is a popular cultivar.
Hunt for these
Plume poppy -- macleaya cordata. Grows 10 feet tall with white flowers up to 1 foot long. Leaves are bluish silver. Said to spread aggressively. Architectural specimen great in center of an island bed.
Maximilian sunflower -- helianthus maximiliani.ȯˆ¿Ãƒâ€šÃ‚ˆ½ Grows 10 feet tall, blooms late, needs a wall or fence for support. Prefers dry sites and withstands drought. Cut back by one-third in early June to keep more compact.
Mexican hat -- ratibida columnifer. Red and yellow flowers bloom longer than most perennials. Tolerates light shade and drought. Wild, unkempt appearance. Might need staking.
Fennel -- foeniculum vulgare. Provides height and unusual texture, and children like the smell and taste of licorice. Grows 5 feet without staking. Attracts swallowtail butterfly caterpillars. Cultivar purpureum's foliage tends toward mahogany and purple.
Mountain fleeceflower -- persicaria amplexicaulis. Red, purple, pink or white spikes bloom midsummer to fall. Withstands partial shade.ȯˆ¿Ãƒâ€šÃ‚ˆ½ Try in moist to wet areas.
Shady characters
Lady's mantle -- alchemilla mollis. Grown for lime green leaves with hairs that catch dew in glistening beads. Reputation for self sowing.
Goat's beard -- aruncus dioicus. Looks like a larger version of astilbe and grows 4 to 6 feet tall and wide. Needs moist soil and likes to be near ponds or streams.
Canadian wild ginger -- asarum canadense. Smells like ginger, but not considered edible. Leaves can be up to 6 inches wide, but spring flowers are inconspicuous. Great ground cover. Likes acidic soil.
Cardinal flower -- lobelia cardinalis. Scarlet flowers bloom late summer and attract butterflies and hummingbirds. Likes moist to wet soil and will perform in full sun during a cool summer. Only lives two or three years. Some cultivars bloom white or pink.
Hosta. Once you get into hostas, watch out. Grown for their leaves, but some have aromatic blooms. Foliage can be green, blue-green, yellow, gold or white in solids and variegations.