Gardening is said to add years to your life and life to your years. In order for those years to pass more beautifully and easily for gardeners, the Perennial Plant Association has developed a Perennial Plant of the Year (PPOY) program. For the past 29 years, members of this non for profit organization have met each summer and voted on which perennial flower they best exemplifies certain characteristics. Characteristics of past PPOYs include low maintenance, disease and insect resistant, have interest over several seasons and are hardy. Here is a summary of the past 10 years’ worth of what could be considered the best of the best perennial flowers.
2020 Aralia cordata ‘Sun King’(Golden Japanese Spikenard)
This large leaf perennial does best in part to full shade. Make sure to give this chartreuse leaved beauty plenty of room. It can grow to 32” by 32” and works as a wonderful specimen plant in any shade garden. It produces tiny white flowers followed by black berries.
2019 Stachys monieri ‘Humelo’ (Betony)
This dense mound shaped perennial has gorgeous spikes of light purple flowers throughout the summer. The flowers are very upright and grow to about 18” tall. It does best in full to part sun. Its compact habit makes it a great plant to use along the border of a garden.
2018 Allium ‘Millenium’ (Millenium Ornamental Onion)
The purple globe flowers of ornamental onion can reach 2” in diameter and make a wonderful midsummer show. The thick glossy green leaves are attractive as well. Millenium Allium does best in full sun. It is tolerant of clay soil and is deer and rabbit resistant.
2017 Asclepias tuberosa (Butterfly Weed or Milkweed)
As the name implies this plant attracts butterflies as well as hummingbirds. The deep orange flowers are present from early to late summer. Although the plant is low maintenance, deadheading (cutting off the old flowers) will encourage Butterfly Weed to bloom again. It grows about 2’ tall and does best in full sun. The leaves on this plant are a food source for Monarch Butterflies. It at all possible, please consider making room for one of these in your yard.
2016 Anemone ‘Honorine Jobert’(Windflower)
The fall is when this flower looks its best. The pure white flowers bloom from August to September. Honorine Jobert can grow up to 3’ tall and does best in part shade. Anemones can be slow to grow in the spring, so don’t give up hope if you don’t see them growing until mid to late May.
2015 Geranium cantabrigiense ‘Biokova’ (Biokova Cranesbill)
This perennial flower makes an excellent groundcover. It grows about 8-10” tall and can spread to 18”. Biokova has white flowers primarily in May and tends to bloom sporadically throughout the summer. It grows best in full sun to part shade. The foliage on this semi evergreen perennial flower looks great most of the year.
2014 Panicum virgatum ‘Northwind’(Switchgrass)
This narrow, erect ornamental grass grows to 4-5’. It is a clump forming grass that tolerates wet areas. Like most grasses it develops seed heads in the fall and provides interest through the foliage in the winter. Once established this can be used as an effective screening plant.
2013 Polygonatum odoratum ‘Variegatum’ (Solomon’s Seal)
The graceful arching leaves on Solomon’s Seal almost overshadow the dangling white flowers. This perennial flower does best in a shade garden and can be used as a cut flower. The flowers have a light fragrance.
2012 Brunnera macrophylla ‘Jack Frost’ (Siberian Bugloss)
The large heart shaped leaves on Brunnera are white with a green vein like appearance. The dainty blue flowers appear in the spring. These plants grow 15” by 15” and do best in a part shade area. Jack Frost also makes a nice accent plant in flower containers.
2011 Amsonia hubrichtii(Blue Star)
This unusual perennial flower is native to Arkansas. The needle-like leaves are soft to the touch. It attracts butterflies and grows to 2 ½’ tall and wide. The blue star-like flowers appear in April through May. Amsonia often looks best when planted in mass due to its open habit.
2010 Baptisia australis (Blue False Indigo)
This eye catching, very unique perennial flower is a must have. The purple flowers are routinely 12” long and are present May and June. This butterfly attracting plant grows to about 3 ½’ by 3 ½’. It is drought and rabbit resistant and tolerates clay soils. Quite possibly the perfect plant for our area.
Kathleen Carr is the owner of The Growing Scene, Inc., a garden center and landscaping company. She can be reached by calling 815-923-7322 or emailing her at Kathleen@thegrowingscene.com.. Have a gardening question? Please contact her. She may address it in an upcoming column.
