Wingate - Perennials for the pacific northwest: 500 best plants for flower gardens

Copyright 2013 by Marty Wingate
All rights reserved. No portion of this book may be reproduced or utilized in any form, or by any electronic, mechanical, or other means, without the prior written permission of the publisher.

Published by Sasquatch Books
Editor: Gary Luke
Project editor: Michelle Hope Anderson
Cover and interior design: Anna Goldstein
Interior composition: Sarah Plein
All cover and interior photographs: Jacqueline Koch except : Jerzy Opiola

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data is available.
ISBN: 978-1-57061-893-2
eBook ISBN: 978-1-57061-894-9
Sasquatch Books
1904 Third Avenue, Suite 710
Seattle, WA 98101
(206) 467-4300
www.sasquatchbooks.com

v3.1

To the memory of my mother, LaVerne, who started me on the garden path

First, there were flowers. Not first in the grand scheme of the world, but certainly first in the hearts of gardeners. As young gardeners, we are enchanted with zinnias and marigolds, spears of salvia and mounds of impatiens. They last only one summer, but that satisfies usuntil we discover that there are other flowers that dont have to be planted out year after year. These flowers appear on their own every year, not just once, but repeatedperennially. As our gardening years increase in number, we may look to even more permanent members of the garden: trees and shrubs. But our hearts never abandon perennials; the affection runs too deep.

Here in the Pacific Northwest, we can grow a wide variety of perennials; in fact, our plant spectrum is limited mostly by a lack of heat in the summer. The English style of perennial border has been embraced wholeheartedly in the Pacific Northwest, and why not? Our climates are similar enough that we, too, can grow just about anything we want (we say boastfully).

The flower border as a one- or two-season event, however, has been altered to fit our own style. In the Northwest, the garden is a year-round show that relies heavily on perennials, with strong support from trees and shrubs. Whether our opportunity to garden year-round has affected the variety of perennials available or vice versa, Pacific Northwest gardeners can now find plants that offer interesting foliage, form, or flower from late autumn through winter.

Flowers are possible in winter: hardy cyclamen (Cyclamen coum) dot the floor of the winter garden with pink, and the Christmas rose (Helleborus niger) opens its pure white flowers in December. But we also have the mounding form of the evergreen hardy geranium (Geranium macrorrhizum), rosettes of silver-leaved rose campion (Lychnis coronaria), and seedheads of purple coneflower (Echinacea purpurea) to decorate the dark months. The winter landscape may be more subtle, but it offers its own delights.

So if we can grow almost anything, and there are thousands of asters, hardy geraniums, and daylilies from which to choose, where do you begin in order to learn about and find the best perennials for your garden? Your daunting homework assignment is done for you in these pages. It may sound like drudgery to cross-check several reference books and plant availability guides, then to check with local sources and experts but, well, someone had to do it.

The purpose of this book is to provide descriptions and growing information for as many perennials and perennial-like plants for Northwest gardens as possible. Our accommodating growing environment can make choosing perennials seem like an overwhelming task, but our mild climate does have its limitations, especially when it comes to how much heat a plant might need to grow well. National and international perennial books are useful to a point, but dont take us into our own Pacific Northwest gardens.

Here, youll find out how to choose and grow perennials as well as learn design ideas and tips. The extensive AZ list of perennials provides you with plant descriptions and suggestions for use in the garden. Whether you dont know a marigold from a Monarda, or you want to add another Epimedium to your growing collections, here youll find plants and information you can use.

golden marguerite (Anthemis Susanna Mitchell)

Gardeners neednt think that the perennials they see on the shelf at the big-box stores are the only game in town. This book shows you that theres more to perennialsmuch more. In addition to having the information here, in your hand, for choosing and taking care of perennials, its sometimes good to get up close and personal with these versatile plants. Fortunately, you dont have to go far. There is a wealth of garden inspiration in our own backyards, so to speak.

For instance, hardy plant organizations throughout the Pacific Northwest (see ) have an active agenda of meetings, symposia, and workshops all about perennials. The Hardy Plant Study Weekend is a lively and well-attended event that rotates each year among Northwest cities including Portland, Eugene, Seattle, Vancouver, and Victoria, BC. International speakers make these meetings worthwhile, and the private garden tours arranged for the events are always a hit. The Washington and Oregon groups also organize Open Garden days, when members gardens are available for touring. This is based on the highly successful Open Garden scheme in England. Your garden doesnt have to be perfect to be included on the tour (otherwise, no ones garden would be on the tour).

Hardy Plant Society of Oregon , 828 NW 19th Avenue, Portland, OR 97209-1504; 503-224-5718; www.hardyplantsociety.org. Membership includes a monthly newsletter, a quarterly journal, the Open Garden Book, and use of the lending library.

Willamette Valley Hardy Plant Group , P.O. Box 5942, Eugene, OR 97405; 541-344-0896; . Eugene is one of the regular venues for the annual Hardy Plant Study Weekend, which rotates around the Northwest.

Avid Gardeners , P.O. Box 50808, Eugene, OR 97405; www.avidgardeners.org. A Eugene-based group of both professional and amateur gardeners who gather regularly for lectures and other events.

. Activities of this regional organization include monthly meetings, plant sales, and an Open Garden program.

Hardy Plant Society of Washington , P.O. Box 77556, Seattle, WA 98177; www.hardyplantsocietywa.org. An educational organization offering lectures, workshops, and field trips.