Van Bourgondien

Using Tough Plants in the Garden

Some plants are prima donnas, demanding constant pampering and attention, a special diet and sometimes even special water. And there are plant fanatics out there who are willing to put up with these prima donnas, because they somehow become totally infatuated with them.

Personally, I'd rather fall in love with a tough plant - one that can take whatever I dish out (or fail to) and still thrive. It makes the entire experience of gardening much more rewarding, and inevitably gives better results.

Some of my gardening friends are plant people and others are garden design fanatics. The plant people don't worry too much about things like color, form and texture - only about giving each plant the right growing conditions. They fall in love with plants easily and may have a lot of "drifts" of single plants, because to plant two would eliminate space for them to try something else.

The design people are obsessed with color, form and texture, planting in drifts to create a pleasing picture to the eye. But they also care that their plants are growing in ideal conditions because no garden design is pleasing if the plants don't' look healthy and vigorous.

Most of us - and I am one of the design types - find that we come to depend more and more on certain plants to form the backbone of our designs. Tough plants. Plants that can tolerate a wide variety of growing conditions, and are undemanding when it comes to care. Plant those as your main design element and you can afford to put in a few finickier plants that take time and pampering. You'll have the time to do that because the tough plants take up so little of your attention. With many you don't even have to spend time wondering if they prefer sun or shade. And plants that tolerate both also save you work down the line when your garden matures and formerly sunny spots become shady. You won't need to move them.

One of my favorite tough plants is the hardy geranium. Don't confuse this with the gaudily flowered annual geraniums (which are actually pelargoniums.) Those are tender and either must be dug and stored every fall or replaced annually. Perennial geraniums are hardy from zones 3-8 and thrive in sun or shade and almost any kind of soil. I have some growing in a moist area of woodland, but also have one growing in a rock garden in sun.

Hardy geraniums come in many colors, from the true blue of 'Johnson's Blue to the vivid red of 'Patricia' or the pristine white of G. sanguineum 'Album'. (Patriotic garden, anyone?) But if you prefer pastels there is the soft pink and white G. sanguineum 'Striatum', the lilac pink of G. cinereum 'Ballerina' or the streaked blue and white blooms of G. pratense 'Splish Splash', which looks as if it had been spattered in milk. If you are a fan of variegated foliage then you will like the lightly marbled foliage and violet veined flowers of 'Salome'.

Dark foliage seems to be getting more and more popular in garden design - and there is even a geranium for fans of that - the deep purple leafed 'Okey Dokey' which looks spectacular when its steel blue flowers are open.

And that is one other great thing about perennial geraniums - they have extremely long bloom periods. And if they start to slow down, give them a shearing and they will soon be back in business. What's more - many varieties of geraniums, notably the sanguineum types as well as 'Johnson's Blue, turn interesting colors in the fall - and some are semi-evergreen or evergreen, particularly in milder climates.

What's more, these plants work well not only as specimen plants in the beds and borders, but also as groundcovers. What I find toughest about hardy geraniums is saying "enough" when choosing some to plant.

You will find that most of our best, toughest plants are natives - or hybrids of native plants. Asclepias is one of these. There is Asclepias tuberosa with its bright orange flowers that attracts both butterflies and hummingbirds. And there is also A. incarnata with rosy pink flowers and pure white A. incarnata 'Ice Ballet' for those who prefer something more subdued in the garden. These plants are famed for attracting butterflies and will grow in sun or shade. They are extremely drought tolerant - in fact the actually prefer their soil on the dry side - which relieves the gardener of the sometimes arduous (and in times of drought, impossible) job of watering. Asclepias are good in borders, but can also work as a tall groundcover. They make good cut flowers and are especially nice for this because they have a lovely but subtle fragrance.

Another drought tolerant non-fussy native is Liatris, sometimes called "Blazing Star". Most Americans are only familiar with this plant because it is a favorite with the florists' trade as cut flowers. The Europeans were quicker to appreciate it than we in the US, and started cultivating it on a large scale just for that purpose. One nice thing about the flowers - fluffy spikes of purple or white - is that they bloom from top to bottom, so you can simply cut off the faded tops and still have fresh looking flowers atop the stems. Liatris are great for a tall border, since they can reach 3-4' high. They grow tall and thin and every erect - so even a tiny garden can find room for a dozen of more of these.

Another plant that is at home anywhere in the garden (although logically somewhere at the back of the border, since it can reach 4-5' even before it sends up its feathery white plumes in June and July is aruncis popularly known as Goat's Beard. A warning though - this plant likes it moist. But if you have a spot that answers that description naturally, then this is a no-brainer for you. It will fill a lot of space quickly for you and is ideal if you are creating a shady, naturalized area.

My favorite tough plants are the coneflowers, both Echinacea and Rudbeckia (Black Eyed Susan). Of the two, the Rudbeckia is the most no brained, since it likes sun or shade where echinaceas prefer sunlight. Both plants have at one time been named Perennial Plant of the Year, because they are easy to grow, tolerant of most conditions, drought tolerant and insect and disease resistant. I like to grow these two together, along with an ornamental grass or two for a real "native prairie" look that also provides me with tons of cut flowers. And you don't' need to worry about fall clean up with these daisy-like beauties. Leave those seed heads alone and they provide both some winter interest (imagine a drift of tiny porcupines on a stick). Plant where you can see them from the window and watch the birds feast on the seeds all winter.

If you prefer cooler colors, then give Tradescantia a try. Mine are so easy to grow that they have even shown up in the mulch surrounding an island of pines where they managed to escape my watchful eye. . Those babies got no care at all (since I didn't know they were there) and still looked great. Tall and slender, they have flowers if blues, lilac, white and purple. Each bloom lasts only a day - but they keep on coming from June through August. Once again these plants are happy anywhere so only your design sense will limit your choices. If you like light blue you'll want T. 'Little Doll'. T. 'Blushing Bride' starts out pink and fades to white - like having two flowers in one.

Another dead-easy plant is Potentilla 'Fire Flames', a fiery red long-blooming (June through September) perennial that has a creeping habit even though it can reach 15-24". It can be used in the flowerbeds and borders but also is lovely as an evergreen groundcover. And don't forget how useful good groundcovers are in cutting down garden maintenance. They cover large areas of ground so that they don't need mowing - and if the cover is thick enough it also eliminates a ton of weeding. A good groundcover also helps control soil erosion if you garden on sloping land.

If you prefer softer colors, another tough and easy groundcover is Saponaria, better known as soapwort (because a handful of it used like a scrub brush on a soiled garment produces cleansing suds) or Cote d'Azur pinks. I have grown these in a rock wall, with only a bit of dirt covering its roots, and where it received little or no water. It trailed beautifully down the rocks and bloomed bountifully. More traditionally this is a no-fuss groundcover, low maintenance, undemanding as to where it grows and semi-evergreen in mild climates.

Periwinkle minor. is so undemanding that it will cover the ground even in deep shade where little else will grow. Covered with blue flowers in May and June, this plant grows fairly low to the ground and will stay semi-evergreen in mild climates. Like Saponaria, it spread fast, covering your blank areas in no time.

There are many other low-maintenance plants, including peonies and hostas, but I have tried to highlight some of the lesser known ones here, in case you have been reluctant to try them because you aren't familiar with them. Most of the plants I have mentioned here will grow happily anywhere in your yard - taking the guesswork out of insuring that you have the right place for the right plant. Get acquainted with some of these tough plants and you'll find that your garden chores become easier and easier as they grow.