Extend the colours in your garden

By Melanie Mathieson
Gardening Guru

At first glance, you may think that the words ever-blooming and perennials would not occur in the same sentence. I assure you that there are some perennials that are considered ever-blooming, many of which will grow in Zone 4.
For those who garden because they love flowers, they want their gardens to spill over with blossoms from early spring until the snow flies. In order to achieve this, many gardeners will resort to planting only annual flowers or interspersing annuals with perennials.
There are some perennials available on the market that guarantee continuous blooms for at least a month, while some will bloom for a few months. By perennial definition, an ever-bloomer is a plant that blooms for a minimum of eight weeks. From a flowering aspect, two months is a long time and covers most of the summer in our zone.
Whether an annual or perennial plant, the process of flowering takes a tremendous amount of energy from the plant because the flower houses the seed. The flower develops first and then the seeds develop within the flower head. Because a perennial blooms from year to year, unlike an annual, energy must also be reserved for the growth and survival of the plant. This is why perennials for the most part have such short bloom times.
A Gardening Guru tip: I always trim flowers spikes as soon as they start to develop (before the flowers bloom) from perennials that are grown for their foliage like Hostas, lambs ear, Ajuga, ferns and Brunerra. By doing so, this ensures that the energy is redirected into the plant to encourage growth and strength for winter survival, the plants grow larger and spread faster than if you leave the flowers on. In addition, I trim all spent flowers from all perennials as soon as the blooms fade or droop, this ensures that energy is not wasted in producing seeds that are not needed.
Once an ever-blooming perennial starts to bloom, for the most part it just keeps on going but there are some species that do require removal of the spent flowers. This is called deadheading. The reason for deadheading, to encourage continued blooms, is that once a plant starts to produce seeds, a hormone is released within the plant that tells the plant to stop flowering. Removing flowers immediately after they decline prevents the release of this hormone.
The following is a list of basic, widely available ever-blooming perennials suitable for Zone 4. Keep in mind as the demand for ever-blooming perennials increases, new varieties are being developed and released each year so read the tags when you are at the nursery.
Baby’s Breath – available in pink or white; flowers are sterile so doesn’t need deadheading.
Bell Flower- many varieties and heights available; bluish purple, pink or white blooms; make great border plants (front or back borders depending on height).
Catmint – not to be confused with catnip; available in purple and is similar looking to lavender; doesn’t need deadheading.
Corydalis – available in blue, purple or yellow; starts blooming in spring; looks similar to Columbine.
Dianthus – from the carnation family; blooms in masses; varies from 4 to 18 inches high; available in red, pink and white; great for rock gardens or borders.
Perennial geranium – very versatile in soil preference; can be planted in full sun to partial shade; available in colours ranging from blue, purple to white.
Rudbeckia (Yellow Coneflower) – blooms summer to mid-fall; attracts butterflies; other Rudbeckia species available, so check the nursery.
Salvia – hardy perennials that are available in a large section of varieties and colours; very versatile to soil and light conditions; highly recommended.
Scabiosa (Pincushion flower) - many varieties available; likes full sun; once you have one variety you’ll want more; can be challenging to find the other varieties in local nurseries.
Spiderwort – likes moist soils; mine are planted in the bog garden; available in blue, pink and purple; other varieties may be hard to find in local nurseries, I found my varieties through plant trading with fellow gardeners.
Speedwell (Veronica) - attracts butterflies; many varieties available; blooms for two months; read the tags because different varieties start blooming at different times of the season; consider bloom times when planning; dwarf varieties make great border plants.
Tansy – usually found in herb section but is a perennial; can be very invasive so plant with a barrier surrounding the roots.
Tickseed – yellow daisy like flowers; also less commonly available in a pink variety; multiple heights available so check the tags.
Valerian – attracts butterflies; somewhat drought tolerant; pink, rosy red or white. I had the white variety in my Fort Frances garden it bloomed all summer and acted as a great mini-hedge.
Verbena – many varieties available, ranging in plant formation (mat-like to upright) and colours (pinks, purple and white); attracts butterflies; can have many varieties in same garden and will look like different plants.
Yarrow- many colours available; tall great for cut flowers; can be invasive in fertile conditions.