Written by Andrelyn Izquierdo.
Common names of perennial plants suitable for Spring Climate and their growing habits.
It's the middle of Spring and here in Washington State, it still feels like winter is still around. While I don't mind, this has changed the growing conditions for outdoor plants having them bloom later than usual and, also growing at shorter lengths with less sun available. These conditions pertain to perennials and annuals of all sorts. Established mature trees are a lot more resilient as they've been acclimated to their space for a lengthy amount of time. Here are five low-maintenance, easy-to-grow plants that are blooming for me now in my container garden.
1. Columbine
There are two double color Columbines inside of my urn planters in my front yard - lavender with white and hot pink with blush. As an upright perennial with many small leaves, it's easy to attract unwanted pests and diseases. So be sure to keep an eye at the base and prune some leaves out to ensure enough air is circulating at the bottom. This is also another effective way to ensure your plant is receiving the nutrients instead of being washed over to another plant. There are four containers in total positioned in full to partial sunlight.
2. Coral Bells
These are currently in the shaded area in their original nursery container. I haven't repotted them, and they are loving that location to where they can be propagated into more containers now. That will be a project for another day. These beauties are known yearlong for their leaves especially when they change color to a deep red in the fall. Their flowers grow on exceptionally long stems. The specific cultivar that I own has another dark shade of pink flowers that look like tiny speckles at the very top.
3. Fritillaria
While doing some volunteer work in the Children's Garden of the PCMG (Pierce County Master Gardener) Puyallup Demonstration Garden last year, one of the leaders gifted me this plant. The way it was growing so much made it become a weed for us there as it was interfering with the growth of one of our small trees. There was so much! Now it is blooming for the second time around in the container I transplanted it to. The shape of the leaves is pretty with the whole plant having a nice contrast to my other plants as it's in a lighter green color. Along the tall yellow-green stems are small white and pale pink bell-shaped flowers. If you're familiar with Lily of the Valley, these are remarkably like the shape and size of those flowers.
4. Snow-in-Summer
These keep growing so much spilling over the large barrel container that I must keep cutting it back except for last year, I just let it go to cover more mulch area. You may have also heard about this plant nicknamed silvery carpet. It spreads wonderfully to fill along the sides as well without having to do anything to shape it. The plant looks like it has a silver tinted layer of color on top of the green to match its common name. The small white flowers have a mild sweet scent. Snow-in-Summer is suitable to grow in baskets, any container with some height, or on rock walls to drape along.
5. Harlequin Honeysuckle
This one is my pride and joy as I purchased the Honeysuckle vine from a local organic nursery at the beginning of spring in 2016. It was planted by a lattice and comfortably made itself cozy growing through it. The flowers have a strong scent enough to carry in the wind when you're nearby. Sometimes I find myself passing by it multiple times after it blooms to get a doubletake on sniffing it. Compared to other flowers you'll find in the nursery; these are one of the most unique types and remind me of the shape of a claw with how the stamens and petals are angled.
If you ever spot one of these plants and are looking for something easy to grow or keep around for a long time, feel free to look out for these types. Keep in mind to check the details listed on the plant tags as each cultivar does not have the same growing requirements for all plants even while being in the same plant family. With summer right around the corner, you may snag these for a sale price soon. Although it will not be as pretty towards the end of their growing season, they'll be larger and have more blooms for you next year. That's one of the many joys about owning perennial plants. Every year their flowers come back, they grow bigger and better.
Happy Gardening!
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Thank you for reading.
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This article is written by:
Andrelyn Izquierdo
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