New England & NH Perennials | Gardening Tips


	New England \| NH Perennials \| When & How To Divide Perennials with Long Blooming Periods Perennials with Fabulous Foliage Perennials that Prefer Full Sun A favorite maintenance task in my perennial garden is dividing. There is no set rule as to when to divide perennials. Some need dividing every 3-5 years, some 8-10 years and some would rather you not bother them at all, ever. Fear not you can do this! Dividing perennials is really more traumatic for a new gardener than it is for the perennials. Perennials will usually let you know when they would like to be divided. Look for flowers getting smaller, the growth in the center of the plants die out with growth only around the edges, plant starts to flop open from the center, or it just outgrows it’s boundaries. If you're not sure, bring some close up garden photos of the plants and we'll try to help you. Perennials that flower in spring and early summer generally prefer to be divided in the fall, while late summer and fall perennials prefer to be dived in the spring. A cloudy or rainy day is the best time for this procedure so you don’t expose the roots to hot sun, or drying winds. Prepare the new planting area ahead of time if possible. Add amendments and mix fertilizer well into the soil to be planted. To start dividing, you begin by digging all around the entire plant as if you are digging it up entirely. Then while it is still in the ground use a spade, or sharp knife to carefully cut the large clumps into smaller pieces. Think of it as cutting up a cake, cutting it all into pie shape parts. For a few perennials considerable muscle is needed. Discard any dead center parts and severely damaged roots. Keep the divisions shaded and moist until you plant them. Soaking them in a bucket with Root Stimulator is helpful. Some perennials rarely need dividing. A few perennials really are drama queens that dislike to be divided and will even withhold flowering until they deem that you have been suitably punished. Here are some that do not like to be divided or moved. If you have to, expect them to sulk for quite a spell: Peony Gas Plant Anemone Barrenwort Bluebells Baby’s Breath Sea Holly False Indigo Hellebore Sweet Pea Balloon Flower Poppy Lupine Loosestrife Monkshood
	Perennials that may require somewhat more frequent division Aster Astilbe Bellflower ~ Campanula Bee Balm ~ Monarda Coral Bells ~ Heuchera Coneflower ~ Rudbeckia Delphinium Bleeding Heart ~ Dicentra eximia & D. formosa Purple Coneflower ~ Echinacea purpurea Blanket Flower ~ Gaillardia Geum Iris Phlox False Dragonhead ~ Physostegia Primrose ~ Primula Snow-in-Summer ~ Cerastium Turtlehead ~ Chelone Mum ~ Chrysanthemum Shasta Daisy ~ Leucanthemum Tickseed ~ Coreopsis Pincushion Flower ~ Scabiosa Goldenrod ~ Solidago Lamb's Ear ~ Stachys byzantina Stokes Aster ~ Stokesia laevis Painted Daisy ~ Tanacetum Spiderwort ~ Tradescantia Speedwell ~ Veronica Yarrow ~ Achillea Wormwood ~ Artemisia
	Perennials With Long Blooming Periods Brunnera ~ False Forget-Me-Not Bellflower ~ Campanula Blanket Flower ~ Gailardia Balloon Flower ~ Platycodon grandiflorus Bee Balm ~ Monarda Bleeding Hearts ~ Dicentra eximia Catmint ~ Nepeta Cushion Spurge ~ Euphorbia corollata Cranesbil ~ Geranium Delphinium False Dragonhead ~ Physostegia virginiana Geum Globe Thistle ~ Echinops Goldenrod ~ x Solidaster Ornamental Grasses Helen’s Flower ~ Helenium Hellebore Coneflower ~ Rudbeckia Daylily ~ Hemerocallis Coral Bells ~ Heuchera Lavender ~ Lavandula Russian Sage ~ Perovskia Perennial Hibiscus Phlox Pincushion Flower ~ Scabiosa Stonecrop ~ Sedum Sunflower ~ Helianthus Sage ~ Salvia Speedwell ~ Veronica Spiderwort ~ Tradescantia Tickseed ~ Coreopsis Violet ~ Viola Yarrow ~ Achillea
	Perennials With Fabulous Foliage Astilbe ~ fine textured green foliage Barrenwort Epimedium ~ attractive heart leaves, fall color Blue Oat Grass Helictotrichon sempervirens ~ blue foliage Bugleweed Ajuga ~ foliage of various colors Blue Lyme Grass Leymus arenarius 'Blue Dune' and 'Glaucus' ~ metallic blue foliage Bugbane Cimicifuga ramosa 'Atropurpurea', 'Brunette' and 'Hillside Black Beauty' lovely purplish leaves Beard-tongue Penstemon digitalis 'Husker Red' ~ reddish purple foliage Balloon Flower Platycodon grandiflorus ~ attractive gray-green leaves Bergenia ~ bold evergreen foliage Brunnera macrophylla 'Jack Frost' 'Looking Glass” & 'Variegata' ~ lovely green heart-shaped leaves Coral Bells Heuchera ~ lovely foliage of various colors Creeping Phlox Phlox stolonifera ~ glossy evergreen foliage Cottage Pinks Dianthus ~ a number of types have blue foliage Clematis Clematis recta 'Purpurea ~ purplish foliage Cushion Spurge Euphorbia polychroma ~ mound of green foliage Cranesbill Geranium ~ palmate shaped green leaves Crocosmia ~ tall green swords Coneflower Rudbeckia maxima ~ bold, bluish gray foliage Candytuft Iberis ~ glossy evergreen foliage Dwarf Goatsbeard Aruncus aethusifolius ~ fine textured green foliage European Ginger Asarum europaeum ~ glossy evergreen foliage Ferns ~ fine textured foliage in various shades of green Fern Athyrium 'Ghost' ~ silvery white fronds Fern Japanese Painted Athyrium niponicum 'Pictum' ~ mottled silvery green fronds Fumewort Corydalis finely divided fern-like foliage Foamflower Tiarella ~ deep green leaves of various shapes Goatsbeard Aruncus dioicus ~ handsome foliage similar to Astible Golden Ray Ligularia ~ bold green or purplish foliage Hosta ~ bold foliage of various colors Hellebore Helleborus ~ leathery foliage Jacob's Ladder Polemonium ~ fine textured green foliage Joe-Pye Eupatorium fistulosum and E. maculatum ~ dark green rugose leaves Lady's Mantle Alchemilla ~ green hairy leaves Lilies ~ Lilium Loosestrife Lysimachia ciliata 'Purpurea' ~ chocolate purple foliage Lungwort Pulmonaria ~ mottled to silver foliage Lamb's Ear Stachys byzantina ~ silver foliage Maiden Grass Miscanthus ~ linear foliage of various colors Meadow Rue Thalictrum ~ fine~textured, blue~green foliage Ornamental Grass ~ grassy foliage assorted colors Ornamental Grass Festuca glauca 'Elijah Blue' ~ grassy blue foliage Ornamental Onion Allium tanguticum 'Summer Beauty' ~ shiny, stiff green foliage Plume Poppy Macleaya ~ grayish green lobed leaves Perennial Hibiscus 'Kopper King' ~ copper leaves with orange-red undersides Peony Paeonia ~ handsome green leaves Queen-of-the-Meadow Filipendula ulmaria 'Aurea' ~ golden foliage Rose Campion Lychnis coronaria ~ silver foliage Russian Sage Perovskia ~ fine textured, silvery gray foliage Sea Holly Eryngium ~ architectural green foliage Snakeroot Eupatorium rugosum 'Chocolate' ~ chocolate – purple foliage Stonecrop Sedum cauticola 'Lidakense' ~ small, rounded leaves purple Stonecrop Sedum 'Frosty Morn' ~ variegated foliage Stonecrop Sedum 'Matrona' ~ gray-green foliage shaded maroon Speedwell Veronica spicata ssp. incana ~ silver foliage Speedwell Veronica 'Waterperry' ~ shiny green leaves with bronze tones Spurge Euphorbia dulcis 'Chameleon' ~ gray-purple matures to purple Sweet Woodruff Galium odoratum ~ fine textured green foliage Sweet Iris Iris pallida 'Argentea Variegata' ~ linear foliage striped white Switch Grass Panicum virgatum 'Shenandoah' ~ reddish purple foliage Sweet Iris Iris pallida 'Variegata' ~ linear foliage striped creamy yellow Sundrops Oenothera fruticosa 'Sonnenwende' ~ dark red foliage spring & fall Smooth Phlox Phlox glaberrima ~ shiny, deep green foliage Sweet Flag Acorus ~ green or variegated linear foliage Switch GrassPanicum virgatum 'Cloud Nine', 'Dallas Blues' 'Heavy Metal' ~ blue foliage Siberian hybrids Iris ~ linear green foliage Spotted Dead Nettle Lamium ~ silver variegated or golden foliage Turtlehead Chelone ~ dark green, distinctly veined leaves Umbrella Plant Darmera peltata bold green foliage Variegated Jacob's Ladder Polemonium caeruleum 'Brise d'Anjou' ~ variegated foliage Variegated Solomon's Seal Polygonatum falcatum 'Variegatum' ~ handsome variegated foliage Variegated Ribbon Grass Phalaris arundinacea 'Feesey' ~ variegated foliage Variegated Yellow Loosestrife Lysimachia punctata 'Alexander' ~ variegated foliage Variegated Japanese Forest Grass Hakonechloa macra 'Aureola' ~ variegated foliage Variegated Yellow Flag Iris pseudacorus 'Variegata' ~ yellow variegated foliage in spring Variegated False Dragonhead Physostegia virginiana 'Variegata' ~ variegated foliage Dwarf Solomon's Seal Polygonatum humile ~ small, oval shaped, green leaves Violet Viola labradorica ~ heart shaped leaves with purplish tones Woodland Phlox Phlox divaricata 'Chattahoochee' ~ shiny, dark green foliage Wormwood Artemisia ~ silver foliage of various textures Yarrow Achillea 'Anthea' 'Moonshine' & 'Schwellenburg' ~ fine textured silvery foliage Yellow Waxbells Kirengeshoma palmata ~ green maple~like foliage
	Perennials That Prefer Full Sun Aster Adam's-Needle Yucca Black-Eye-Susan Rudebeckia Balloon Flower Platycodon grandiflorus Blackberry Lily Belamcanda Bee Balm Monarda Basket-of-Gold Aurinia saxatilis Butterfly Milkweed Asclepias tuberosa Bellflower Campanula Blanket Flower Gaillardia Baby's-Breath Gypsophila Blue Oat Grass Helictotrichon sempervirens Blazingstar Liatris aspera Beard-tongue Penstemon Bearded Iris Iris Bergamot Monarda fistulosa Blue Lyme Grass Leymus arenarius Cranesbill Geranium Creeping Phlox Phlox subulata Clematis Crocosmia Coneflower Echinacea Campion Lychnis Cottage Pinks Dianthus Candytuft Iberis sempervirens Catmint Nepeta Delphinium Daisy Leucanthemum Dropwort Filipendula vulgaris Daylily Hemerocallis Flax Linum False Indigo Baptisia Fleabane Erigeron Gas Plant Dictamnus Globeflower Trollius Golden Marguerite Anthemis Goldenrod Solidago Globe Thistle Echinops Hen-and-Chicks Sempervivum Hollyhock Alcea Iris Lily Lillium Lamb's Ear Stachys byzantina Lupine Lupinus Lavender Lavandula Monkshood Mallow Malva Mullein Verbascum Mum Chrysanthemum Ornamental Grasses (most) Oriental Poppy Papaver orientale Orange Coneflower Rudbeckia fulgida var. speciosa Peony Peonia Perennial Hibiscus Prickly-pear Cactus Opuntia Plume Poppy Macleaya Poppy Mallow Callirhoe involucrata Pearly Everlasting Anaphalis Pussy Toes Antennaria Purple Prairie Clover Dalea purpurea Purple Coneflower Echinacea purpurea Prairie Smoke Geum triflorum Rock Cress Aubretia Rock Cress Arabis Russian Sage Perovskia Rock Soapwort Saponaria ocymoides Sage Salvia Stonecrop Sedum Sandwort Arenaria Sea Holly Eryngium Speedwell Veronica Spurge Euphorbia Spiderwort Tradescantia Sundrops Oenothera macrocarpa Switch Grass Panicum virgatum Sunflower Helianthus Sea-lavender Limonium latifolium Snow-in-Summer Cerastium Tall Phlox Phlox paniculata Tree Peony Tickseed Coreopsis Thrift Armeria Tansy Tanacetum vulgare Thyme Thymus Verbena Wormwood Artemisia Yarrow Achillea Yellow Coneflower Ratibida pinnata