Get more bloom for your buck and entice pollinators to your garden with the long-blooming blanket flower. With such an extensive bloom time, few other perennials can rival what blanket flower brings to the garden. Come fall, small birds also love to pick seeds off of spent blooms. Credit: Denny Schrock The biggest problem with blanket flowers? They bloom too much! These plants thrive in zones 3 to 10 and are well adapted to poor soils and severe drought....
Blazing star is a perennial prairie plant with tall wands of purplish-pink blooms that attract pollinators to the garden. Perennial blazing star makes an eye-catching addition to sunny gardens thanks to its soaring spikes of magenta blooms. Several species and varieties are available, and some have exceptionally long-lasting blooms. Credit: Marty Baldwin Blazing star flowers are a favorite nectar source for butterflies and many other pollinators. Once the blooms are done, the seeds make a nutritious snack for finches and other small birds....
Are bleeding hearts deer resistant? Where do they grow best? Learn the answer to these questions and more with our handy guide on growing bleeding heart. Peter Krumhardt. A classic cottage garden staple, bleeding heart has long been a favorite inperennial shade gardens. The roughly 20 species in theDicentragenus are native to Asia and North America. The most popular known bang out is undoubtedly the old-fashioned bleeding heart,D. Credit: Peter Krumhardt...
Grow this tropical plant with vibrant foliage in your yard or as a houseplant. Bloodleaf is a tropical plant that is usually grown as an annual in northern climates. Its variegated stems and leaves add bold color to garden beds, borders, and containers. This plant is attractive due to its foliage, not its flowers, which are insignificant and not showy. Though bloodleaf resembles coleus, this easy-care plant is in the amaranth family and is closely related tocelosia....
Most lilacs, hardy in Zones 3-7, flower just once a year, usually in the spring. Its flowers are a pale purple that deepens during the second bloom. Where to Plant Bloomerang Lilac Bloomerang lilac thrives in very cold climates. Credit: Denny Schrock Give it a sunny spot with fertile,well-drained soiland apH of no less than 6.5. Lilac does not do well in acidic soil. This lilac tends to grow upright with fountainlike, long branches that arch gracefully near the ends....
Blue fescue, a compact and drought-tolerant ornamental grass, works in many garden controls and looks beautiful year-round. It can be used as an accent plant in mass plantings, containers, and crevices. Blue fescue is also drought tolerant, making it agreat choice for rock gardens. Credit:Martin Tessler Some blue fescue species can be toxic to pets. Non-toxic varieties include fountain grass, blue fescue, tufted hairgrass, and switchgrass. It is drought-tolerant, making it a good choice for home gardeners who live in arid regions....
These blue beauties pair well with bright yellows and oranges. Blue marguerite daisy’s sky-blue flowers with yellow centers pair beautifully with just about anything in the garden. It grows as an annual in colder areas of North America. Credit: Justin Hancock Where to Plant Blue Marguerite Daisy Plant blue marguerite daisy in lightweight,well-draining soilamended with compost. This plant doesn’t grow well in heavy clay. It grows best in a garden bed or border that receives full sun....
Add drama and cool blue-green hues to any sunny garden space with this well-behaved perennial grass. This toughornamental grassis easy to grow and resistant to trouble from deer, drought, and even air pollution. It is also frequently used to add soft texture to rock gardens. Credit: Charles Mann Or, plant it in arock gardenand enjoy the soft blue hue among the browns and grays. You could also nestle it in a contemporary garden to gain its standout color and texture....
Blue-eyed grass is an easy-to-grow perennial with pretty blue flowers from spring into summer. Denny Schrock Star-shaped, blue-purple flowers decorate blue-eyed grass(Sisyrinchiumspp.) in spring and early summer. Credit:Denny Schrock Although “grass” is in its name, blue-eyed grass is actually in the iris family. Its sturdy leaves remain green and upright throughout the growing season. Blue-eyed grass complements a host of perennials. Credit: Ed Gohlich Plant it at the base ofclematisas an easy-care groundcover....
This easy-care shrub blooms later in the season, right when many other plants start winding down. Also called blue mist spirea, this deciduous plant features long, graceful stems covered in tiny leaves. However, there are many other colorful varieties to consider. Credit: Rob Cardillo Light Bluebeard plantsthrive in full sun. If the soil stays wet, the roots of bluebeard plants will likely rot. Young bluebeard plants need regular water to establish a robust root system....
Grow blueberries in your own backyard with these essential tips on how to care for the multitasking plant. There are five different types of blueberries, which are grouped by plant size. It’s hardy in zones 4-7. Credit:Akchamczuk / Getty Images Southern highbush blueberries (such as ONeal) are hybrids betweenV. corymbosumand a native southern species,V. They are hardy in zones 7-10 and typically reach 4 to 8 feet at maturity. Credit:Akchamczuk / Getty Images...
This native perennial with daisy-like flowers blooms in late summer and into fall. Boltonia unfurls more blooms than you might count. The tall, showy plant with long and narrow blue-green foliage is native to central and eastern North America. Credit: Bill Holt It serves as a food source and habitat for wildlife and attracts butterflies. Where to Plant Boltonia Plant boltonia in full sun with a slightly acidic to neutralpH....
Sparkling sky-blue blooms dance atop the fuzzy stems and leaves of annual borage. Harvest this herb’s edible flowers to beautify salads, summer drinks, or desserts. Toss borage blooms onto fanned tomato and mozzarella slices for afestive 4th of July feast. Credit:Rob Cardillo Freeze flowers in ice cubes to decorate drinks with cool color. Use the leaves (which taste somewhat like cucumber) in salads and cold drinks. The noticeable bristly hairs dissolve when borage is cooked....
