Out-of-the-ordinary perennials
By: Garden Gate staff
| 1 of 4
Out-of-the-ordinary perennials
Some perennials just don’t get enough recognition. But that doesn’t mean they’re not great plants. In fact, the perennials ahead are easy to grow, with good-looking flowers and foliage and few pests or diseases. It’s just that not many gardeners have heard of them.
Out-of-the-ordinary perennials can get crowded out of catalogs or off garden center benches. Sometimes it’s because their flowers aren’t as big and showy as other similar plants. Or maybe they’re a challenge to propagate. Whatever the reason is, though, once you discover a lesser-known plant for yourself, it may become a new favorite.
To find out more about 3 unusual perennials, just keep clicking.
| 2 of 4
Large-flowered bellwort Uvularia grandiflora
This native perennial is easy to grow in woodland borders or clustered among hostas (Hosta hybrids). Large-flowered bellwort looks best with consistent moisture, good drainage and some mulch — leaf litter from trees overhead or ones you’ve run through the lawn mower work well.
Type Perennial
Blooms Yellow flowers in spring
Light Part to full shade
Soil Moist, well-drained
Size 18 to 24 in. tall, 12 to 18 in. wide
Cold-hardy USDA zones 4 to 9
Heat-tolerant AHS zones 9 to 1
Source McClure & Zimmerman
| 3 of 4
Giant fleeceflower Persicaria polymorpha
Giant fleeceflower’s fluffy white spikes attract butterflies and last a long time, starting in late spring to early summer and going through summer. By fall, the flowers dry to brown on the stems, but if you don’t like that look, cut them off and the remaining foliage makes a nice green backdrop or screen.
Type Perennial
Blooms White flowers from late spring through summer
Light Full sun to part shade
Soil Well-drained
Size 3 to 5 ft. tall and wide
Cold-hardy USDA zones 4 to 9
Heat-tolerant AHS zones 9 to 1
Source Avant Gardens
| 4 of 4
Trumpet spurflower Plectranthus effusus longitubus
Trumpet spurflower (also sold as Rabdosia longitubus) has multitudes of blue fall flowers — low mounds of foliage send up 2- to 3-foot stems of airy panicles so blooms bob on slender stems. This perennial does best with indirect light — under the high canopy of a mature tree is a good spot. Plants are very frost-sensitive and bloom late in the fall, so keep your eye on the temperatures and an old sheet handy to save the show.
Type Perennial
Blooms Blue flowers in late fall
Light Part to full shade
Soil Moist, well-drained
Size 2 to 3 ft. tall and wide
Cold-hardy USDA zones 6 to 8
Heat-tolerant AHS zones 8 to 1
Source Plant Delights Nursery
- 1
- 2
- 3
- 4
