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Show ! The Gftfew ! by Maria IMooh and Pace Eriekson Perennials offer all-season color Every gardener's dream is to have a garden that looks like the Botanical Gardens in British Columbia with little or no effort. It is possible to have a perennial, or low-maintenance, garden, but you'll have to commit yourself to some hard work to get it started. With a perennial garden you'll , have color all season. You'll need to weed, but once your garden is weed-free, the plants will reseed themselves and produce more plants. Your garden will be thicker next season. Eventually you'll be thinning out your flower garden. Before you plant, consider the space. How much sun do you have? How much shade? Most nurseries place an identification tag on the plant that gives the specifics on planting. For a perennial garden you should choose plants that have a long flowering season or ones that bloom at different times. Decide which colors you want and whether you want low-growing ground huggers, climbers or tall plants to give background color. If you use plants that reseed themselves, you'll save money. Use low-growing evergreens to fill gaps in your plantings. And save some space for herbs or tomato plants. Herbs need little maintenance. Tomatoes should be staked. A drive around town will give you an idea of what you might want in your own garden. You'll notice many attractive plants, many of which are . perennials.; If you give your perennial garden a little time and care in the beginning, in a few years it will be full of color and require little maintenance. Listed below are some perennials that grow well in Park City. Lupine Lupine's leaves are divided like fingers into leaflets and the flowers are purple, pink, red or yellow and are available in bi-colors. The plants flower from July through September. They shoud be planted in full sun or partial shade. This plant is ' part of the landscaping on the west side of the Miners Hospital Library. Columbine This all-time favorite spring-and-summer bloomer reseeds itself (asv do lupine, delphinium and daisies). The plant is available in a variety of pastel colors. Its foliage is lacey. Plant it in full sun or partial shade. It should be watered moderately. Delphinium Although blue delphinium is well known, it also comes in red, pink and lavender. It's very effective for border planting. Plant it in full sun, in rich soil and water regularly. Stake the plant early in the spring when the flower head appears. Shasta daisy This very hardy two-foot plant produces two-to-four-inch white single or double flowers in summer and fall. The plant is attractive in borders. Daisies bloom at the west entrance to the Miners Hospital Library. California poppy This low-growing perennial has orange flower heads that close at night or on a cloudy day. It's a good perennial to use along driveways or in front of your perennial garden. It reseeds itself freely if not crowded by weeds. The flowers are pink, rose, red, white or cream. Planted in full sun, it will bloom from spring through summer. Hollyhock This old-fashioned favorite often grows against walls or a fence or is used in borders. It grows up to nine feet tall and has heart-shaped leaves and round flowers. Colors range from pink, rose and red to yellow apricot and white. Hollyhocks bloom in summer and tolerate a minimum of water and hot conditions. They're found in vacant lots and around older homes all over town. |