Landscape Perennials Reference Chart

25 Popular Perennials

When designing an outdoor space perennials are an important component in providing color and interest to your landscape.  The possibilities are countless and there are many varieties to choose from.  For your convenience I have composed this handy reference chart organizing some of the more popular and preferred perennials.   A brief description showing bloom/foliage color, height and bloom time is supplied for each and the numbered descriptions match the photos in a left to right fashion.  Hope you find this information to be useful.

	PERENNIAL	BLOOMS/FOLIAGE	HEIGHT	BLOOM TIME
1	Ajuga ‘Burgundy Glow’	Purple	6-8"	May-June
2	Aruncus (Goatsbeard)	Creamy-White	4-5'	June-July
3	Aster ‘Woods’	Purple	12 "	August-October
4	Astilbe ‘Sprite’	Pale Pink	12 "	July-August
5	Astilbe ‘Puple Visions’	Purple	14-16"	May-July
6	Coreopsis ‘Zagreb’	Yellow	15"	June-September
7	Echinacea (Coneflower)	Deep Pink	18-24"	June-September
8	Hemerocallis ‘Sammy Russell’	Orange-Red	28-32 "	July-September
9	Hemerocalis ‘Stella D Oro’ (Daylilly)	Yellow	15"	June-October
10	Gaillardia ‘ Goblin’ (Blanket Flower)	Orange-Yellow	12"	June-August
11	Heuchera ‘Palace Purple’ (Coral Bells)	Deep Burgundy Foliage White Blooms	12-15"	August-September
12	Heuchera ‘Caramel’ (Coral Bells)	Caramel-Colored Foliage, Cream Blooms	10-15"	July-August
13	Geranium ‘Rozanne’	Violet-Blue	20"	June-Frost
14	Hosta ‘Francee Williams’	Green-Yellow Foliage, Lavender Blooms	2-3'	July-August
15	Hosta ‘Patriot’	Green-White Foliage, White Blooms	15-18"	July-August
16	Lilliuim ‘Stargazer’	Pink-White	4'	July-August
17	Lillium ‘Cassablanca’	Pure White	30"	June-July
18	Iris Germanica (Bearded Iris)	Assorted	30-36"	May-September
19	Achillea ‘Moonshine’ (Yarrow)	Sulfur Yellow	18-24"	June-September
20	Liriope ‘Variegata’	Green -Yellow Foliage, Purple Blooms	10-12"	August-September
21	Salvia ‘May Night’	Deep Purple	18"	Late May-July
22	Sedum ‘Brilliant’	Rose Pink	18"	August-September
23	Rudbeckia ‘Goldstrum’	Golden Yellow	24"	July-September
24	Nepeta ‘Walkers Low’	Lavender-Blue	18-24"	June-July
25	Peony ‘Karl Rosenfeld’ © Lee@A Guide to Northeastern Gardening	Magenta	30-36"	May-June

For further information on perennials also visit:

 Best Long Blooming Perennials    

Late Summer & Fall Blooming Perennials     

Spring Color in the Garden: Perennials

As Always...Happy Gardening! 

 Author: Lee@A Guide To Northeastern Gardening, Copyright 2014. All rights reserved.

3 Ways to Make Your Garden a Paradise for Wildlife: Guest Post

This is a guest post contributed by Ricky Peterson from www.swallowaquatics.co.uk. Thanks for reading and please enjoy the post!

One of the greatest gifts of our planet is the abundance of life that surrounds us, from the smallest insect to the mighty blue whale. While you're unlikely to see the latter in your back garden, there are lots of things you can do to make your yard more attractive to our feathered,furry and many-legged friends. Here are the essentials that every nature lover should offer in their garden!

Gimme shelter

Firstly, if you want to attract animals to your garden, you should really offer them somewhere to stay. If you put up a birdhouse in springtime you may see it inhabited by the summer months, and bee houses are a great way to encourage our stripy friends to give your garden some loving. Feeling crafty? Check out this tutorial on how to build your own birdhouse.

Image credit: See-ming Lee

However, there are animal shelters that require even less effort. Simply letting a patch of your lawn grow long, and laying some logs in a corner of your yard will attract insects and provide them with a suitable habitat. We can't think of a better excuse not to rake up those leaves...

Dining companions

Image credit: Marcus Ward

As well as a roof over their heads, your feathered and furry friends are going to need some sustenance, so offering a bite to eat will work wonders in attracting them to your garden. Here are a few types of food that will serve as a treat in attracting certain birds and animals:

• Mealworms – house sparrow and shrews
• Peanuts – great spotted woodpecker and badger
• Fat balls – blue tit and great tit
• Nyjer seed – siskin and goldfinch
• Sunflower hearts – bullfinch
• Dog food – hedgehog
• Root vegetables – deer

Check out some more ideas on suitable foods here. 

Bath time!

Installing a pond will wildly expand the range of wildlife you'll attract. As well as the amphibians and insects who will find the perfect home in its watery depths, and of course the fish you may want to introduce, birds will be able to drink the water and use it to bathe. This is a great tutorial on how to install your own pond.

Image credit: Andrew Rollinger

However, bumblebees will also need your help in getting a drink, as bird baths and ponds are too deep for them. A saucer of water with some rocks that the bees can use as a drinking platform should do the trick. Find out more about how to help bees here.

While gardens can naturally provide an abundance of seeds, insects and fruiting plants for sustaining wildlife, nature lovers can also provide additional nutritional resources for in times of stress when food and water are scarce.  Creating a wildlife friendly garden can be as simple as providing the basic essentials of shelter, food and water for your feathered and furry friends.  Doing so will encourage local wildlife to visit and frequent your gardens. 

Much thanks to our guest poster Ricky Peterson.

As Always...Happy Gardening!

Copyright 2014, Lee@A Guide to Northeastern Gardening.  All Rights reserved.