There is something special about early and late blooming perennials here in Northeast Ohio’s zone 6. The Hellebores that bloom in my garden in February are harbingers of the approaching growing season. When I first see them I know that winter’s days are numbered and all my sleeping plants will begin to emerge. We haven’t had a frost yet this fall so many annuals and roses are still blooming nicely. But when I start seeing the toad lilies and October Daphne begin to bloom, I know my garden is sending out its last hurrah. Refusing to yield to the impending cold, these flowers are making a statement. As if to say “not so fast!” to old-man winter, these late bloomers complete my garden’s blooming cycle that began way back in February.

It is not so much the type of flower on February and October bloomers that make them so special. It is more a measure of gratitude that I have for these bookends because they extend my blooming season.

Now I just have to find a way to get through from November to January.

Posted by Bob Rensel

The bottle gentian, Gentiana andrewsii, is a hardy, native perennial that blooms from September into October. The flower never actually opens – that’s where the plant’s other common name, closed gentian, comes from. The bumblebee is the main pollinator for this species, since it’s just about the only insect burly and determined enough to push its way into the tiny opening at the tip of the blossom.

Bottle gentians thrive in part to full sun. The key to their well-being is moist soil and an undisturbed location. They can be found in damp, open fields, floodplains, and even roadside ditches in remote areas of Northeastern Ohio. Deer leave them alone for the most part because most parts of the plant contain an extremely bitter plant chemical called seco-iridiods.

There are species of gentian native to Europe as well. There, the bitter substances found in the roots gave rise to a number of medicinal uses. Here in the U.S. the Native Americans used gentian root to treat snakebite and digestive problems. A patent medicine made from gentian, called “Moxie” was marketed in 1876. It was later sold as a soft drink and is actually still made and sold in New England as a nostalgic specialty.

I’ve never tried “Moxie”, although I mean to one day. Right now, it’s enough of a tonic for me to stroll into the Japanese Garden and be amazed at the brilliant, unearthly blue of gentian flowers.

Posted by Ann McCulloh

A single 4-6 foot  plant of purple angelica (Angelica gigas) provides a striking garden accent. Drifts of three or more can really dominate a space. The deep wine-purple color fits into a lot of color schemes, harmonizing with other reds, purples and pinks while complementing yellows and golds, and creating a pleasing dissonance with greens and blues. The plant provides late-season interest in the C.K. Patrick Perennial border.

This plant is a biennial or sometimes a short-lived perennial. The usual life cycle it follows is to sprout from seed in the early spring and spend the first summer producing foliage. It dies to the ground after the first frost or two, re-emerges the second spring and produces flowers in late summer. After flowering and scattering seed, the plant usually dies. I say usually, because it can sometimes perform counter to type and seems to occasionally survive to flower another year or two. It also re-seeds readily, so it’s hard to tell whether it’s the same plant or a new seedling. Native to Korea, Angelica gigas is hardy in zones 4-9 and thrives in rich, moist, well-drained soil in full sun to part shade.

Purple angelica is a source of nectar for all sorts of flying creatures. Honeybees (which need all the help they can get – under attack by chemical, environmental and disease stresses) frequent angelica blossoms. The botanical family that angelica belongs to, the Apiaceae, is named with the Latin name for bee: Apis. Butterflies, too, can land and sip from the rounded domes of florets without damaging their wings.

Members of the same botanical family as parsley, celery and dill, plants in the genus Angelica, have been used around the world in various medicinal traditions. Chinese medicine, the Ayurvedic medicine of India, and the European herbal practitioners have all found uses for Angelicas of different species. The roots, stems and seeds of Angelica archangelica are also used in flavoring liqueurs and confections and other culinary applications.

Posted by Ann McCulloh

I love fall. The drier air, cooler nighttime temps, and of course the colors, all contribute to what is, in my opinion, the best season in Ohio. I also love fall-blooming perennials such as these:

Cimicifuga: This does best in partial shade. The tall white flower spikes are a serious bee and butterfly magnet - and I think they smell good, too!

Asters: All sorts of colors are available with lavenders being the most popular. Plant a mass of them. They, too, are excellent sources of nectar for bees and butterflies in the fall.

Japanese Anemone: Another partial sun-lover in pinks and whites. It’s a very reliable boomer and easy to maintain.

Sedum: There are so many varieties created each year that it’s difficult to keep up with the newest ones. This is a succulent plant and has fleshy leaves. We have several varieties here throughout the gardens. The variegated ones are really cool (Sedum ‘frosty morn’) and look great in a border. Look for Sedum ‘lidakense’ another neat cultivar that turns a rich burgundy in the fall. Again, these are awesome pollinator magnets, so buy them for your garden!
 

Cimicifuga racemosa

Sedum ‘frosty morn’

Posted by Cynthia Druckenbrod

Sometimes a planting doesn’t quite work and you are not sure why. You can have the right soil conditions and the right sun exposure and still the plant doesn’t seem happy. How long do you put up with that?

 

My annuals get yanked pretty quickly if they don’t look good. I might first try fertilizing or spraying for annoyances such as powdery mildew. But the summer is too short to put up with sick-looking annuals and I’ll swap them out with something else. I will typically give perennials one season to get acclimated. If they don’t perform up to par in the second year, they get yanked. I noticed that some plants just don’t like to be moved and will let you know if you try. I moved some Japanese Painted Ferns one year and complained all season about how weak they were. They browned out a bit and just didn’t get very big. The next season they were great. Shrubs can be the same way. I planted some new Oakleaf Hydrangeas one year next to some established ones. The new ones constantly wilted that year while the older ones were fine. But in year two, all was well with the new ones. Trees can take a bit longer. I have some Japanese Tree Lilacs that were transplanted in 2003. The stress of moving the mature trees took several years to go away. The first picture shows one of the trees in 2006.  The second picture shows the same tree in 2008.  Each year I would get lots of water sprouts and significant die-back at the ends of the branches. Five years later they are finally having a good year and filling out nicely.

Toward the end of the summer, I always look forward to seeing Goldfinches flock to my Purple Coneflowers. This is one plant that I definitely do not dead-head because it continues to attract such great wildlife even after it goes completely out of bloom. In fact, I don’t cut the seed heads until the following spring because they are attractive even in the winter. Being such a relatively low maintenance perennial, it’s no wonder that Coneflowers are so popular with people (and Goldfinches). There are quite a few varieties to choose from and more being created every year. I like ‘Magnus’, ‘Alba’, ‘Bright Star’ and ‘Sunrise’. I’ve had some trouble growing ‘Sunset’ which is unfortunate because I really like the color. Next spring I plan on getting ‘Green Envy’ or ‘Green Jewel’ just because I like green flowers. I am not a huge fan of the double Coneflowers, ‘Pink Double Delight’ or ‘Coconut Lime’. I wonder if those cultivars attract Goldfinches as well as the single flowering Coneflowers?

Posted by Cynthia Druckenbrod