5 Spring Beauties to Start the Gardening Season Off Right
For a great garden show, choose tough, multiseason performers for the starring roles
I am addicted to acquiring new plants, perhaps more than most people. If you tell me all the glorious details of a recent introduction, I will buy it by the dozen. Oh, it’s fussy and demanding? That’s OK. I want it, and I want it now.
But sometimes what you want isn’t what you need. Often what you really need is a plant that you can build a garden bed around. It should be tough, undemanding, able to handle some stress, and visually appealing for multiple seasons. After more than 25 years working in a public garden, I have discovered some great plants that don’t let me down. Here are a few that make attractive anchors for great displays.
Reliable Performers for the South
As garden curator Irvin Etienne discusses in his article on reliable performers, we all want the newest, jazziest plants available, but a garden is not complete without a backbone of infallible plants that provide interest whether your new investments flourish or fail.
Find some tough, multiseason stars for the South below. And discover even more reliable performers in
Conditions: Full sun to light shade; prefers moist, well-drained soil but can tolerate some drought
Native range: Central and Southern United States
If you’re looking for a unique coneflower that also supports wildlife, this is the one for you. With bluish-green basal leaves that can grow 2 feet long, and flower stalks that tower 5 to 7 feet tall, it is sure to make any garden visitor stop and stare. This remarkable perennial is native from Texas to Missouri, and Oklahoma to Arkansas. In warmer climates the basal foliage stays green year-round, and goldfinches love to eat the s