New plants for the garden are always SO much fun! Especially when an order from Annie’s Annuals & Perennials arrives! Annie’s is known for rare and unusual annual & perennial plants. They specialize in cottage garden heirlooms & hard to find California natives.
I have a few open spots in my main mixed border just waiting for new specimens so I decided to try Annie’s Annuals & Perennials. Annie’s has many, many, fun plants to choose from and I carefully selected a couple of perennials for zone 6 and a few annuals that are known as self-seeders so they have a good chance of reappearing in next year’s garden. This is my first order from Annie’s and I am very happy with the quality of the plants and timeliness of delivery. Always good traits when purchasing via mail-order.
I like to support my local nurseries and propagate my own cuttings but it’s also fun to go beyond the local borders and add a little unusual variety to your garden every now and again. Otherwise how are you to keep an ‘edge’ amongst your fellow gardening gurus!
Here are my selections. I’ll provide a growing update on these choices throughout the season and some of my own pictures when they begin to flower. Plant photos are compliments of Annie’s.
Salvia argentea ‘Silver Sage’ – Drought tolerant perennial, US hardiness zones 5-10
Salvia horminum ‘Blue’ – Annual, all zones
Verbascum hybrid ‘Southern Charm’ – Drought tolerant, deer resistant, US hardiness zones 5-10
Cosmos bipinnatus ‘Prom Dress’ – Annual, all zones
Cerenthe major purpurascens ‘Blue Honeywart’ – Annual, all zones
Have you purchased any new plants recently? Who are some of your favorite mail-order suppliers? Are you willing to share how you keep your ‘edge?’
Don’t forget about igardendaily’s fun giveaway running until June 5th. Click here to see details.
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I haven’t tried Annie’s yet though I have a catalog and must say I’ve been tempted. I have used Bluestone Perennials a few times and I like the way they offer many of their selections in groups of three.
Love the varieties! Question. The west border of my yard is lined with 10 large pine trees. I have cleared the ground underneath and wonder what would be a good ground cover to add some color. Vines would be problematic since we need to rake the never ending drop of pine needles. I was thinking hostas and ferns would be good for green. Also, lots of my friends are harvesting pansies from their pots and beds for more heat tolerant plants. Ideas?
Hi Mary! Great question. One question I have for you is whether this area receives some hot afternoon sun as the sun is setting in the west . Sometimes the angle of the sun (as it is setting) can hit mostly shade areas. Because the sun is very intense here and we have very long days, some shade plants may not be happy if they are exposed to the 5:00-7:00 summer sun as it sets. If this is an all shade area, I think you have the right ideas and hostas and ferns would be lovely. A few other suggestions are heucheras, pulmonarias, Sweet Woodruff – Galium odoratom (will spread so needs room, but beautiful with lovely scent) and many plants sold as Stepables. Stepables (www.stepables.com) are easy maintenance and here are some that are well-suited for full shade as an understory to shrubs or trees – Dwarf Bugleweed/Ajuga ‘Chocolate Chip’, Armeria maritima/Sea thrift, Isotoma fluviatilis/Blue star creeper, Lysimachia golden moneywort/Creeping Jenny, Veronica repens creeping speedwell, and Potentilla pleniflora royal cinquefoil. I have had some experience with most of these plants and they can be beautiful when combined with hostas, ferns and heucheras. I have seen Stepables for sale at Zamzows and FarWest Garden Center in our area. Old Valley Farm also has a very nice selection of hostas and some miniature hostas as well. Keep in mind you will want to amend your soil with compost yearly and water whatever you plant under the trees because the trees will take up a lot of the moisture and nutrients so you need to keep it coming so there is enough for the plants as well. Hope that helps! P.S. Pansies would be fine to put into the bed as well if all shade. They will self seed and you would have a pretty spring display of them mixed with the other plants next spring.
Great information. I am so bad at amending soil, I usually just dig a hole and hope for the best. The yard also has a privacy fence along the west side so it’s shady 90% of the time. Having plants that die off and come back would make it great for spring/fall clean up. We rent and I don’t want to spend a fortune. If you know of anyone thinning out plants I would love to come and help in order to gain some plants.
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