Perennial Special

Six Hills Masses of bright-blue flowers appear on short spikes in early summer, continuing on and off through the fall if the old flowers are regularly removed. Despite the name, this is best in the middle of a border because of its mid-sized stature. Drought tolerant, once established. Flowers are attractive to butterflies.

Light Requirement: Full Sun to Partial Sun

Mature Size:

• Height: 24 - 34"

• Width: 30 - 36"

Zone: 3

Photos and Data Courtesy of Ball Seed

 A great choice for rock gardens and natural-looking landscapes. The grass grows to nearly 3 feet tall and is low maintenance. The variegated foliage will turn from creamy white in summer to pink as the weather cools in fall and return to its creamy-white color again in spring as new blades grow.

Light Requirement: Full Sun to Part Sun

Mature Size:

• Height: 12 - 36"

• Width: 12 - 18"

Zone: 4

Photos and Data Courtesy of Ball Seed Company

Large vase-shaped leaves form a beautiful mound of variegated foliage. Flower stems can reach between 5-6ft (150-180cm) and produce pale lavender blooms. 

For best growth results plant in moist well-drained soil and cut stems back after blooming to encourage regrowth. 

Light Requirement: Partial Sun to Full Shade

Mature Size:

• Height: 24 - 36"

• Width: 24 - 36"

Zone: 3

Photos courtesy of Van Noort Bulb Co. & Florissa.

It is an outstanding perennial with excellent cold hardiness, vigor, and tolerance of heavy clay soils. Blooming in late spring with a profusion of flower spikes, it re-blooms later in the summer when deadheaded. These plants attract butterflies and are deer/rabbit resistant.

Light Requirement: Full Sun

Mature Size:

• Height: 12 - 36"

• Width: 12 - 36"

Zone: 3

Photos and Data Courtesy of Ball Seed

Also known as Tickseed, these plants form a mound of leathery green leaves, bearing many upright stems of daisy type flowers for weeks starting in early summer.

Removing faded flowers regularly will encourage blooming to continue into the fall. Tolerant of hot, humid summer climates. Attractive to butterflies.

Light Requirement: Full Sun to Partial Sun

Mature Size:

• Height: 14 - 18"

• Width: 14 - 18"

Zone: 3

Photos courtesy of Stokes Seeds

Chrysanthemums are a great choice for the garden, or in tubs and mixed containers. Garden Mums are extremely popular plants for a splash of colour in late summer right through the fall.

Morden strain produces naturally cushion-shaped, compact plants with double and semi-double flowers in a whole range of rich jewel tones. Best in a sunny area, with regular watering through the season. 

Pinching plants in June will result in a much greater number of flowers. 

Light Requirement: Full to Part Sun

Flowering Season: Early Summer

Mature Size:

• Height: 16"
  
• Spread: 18"
  

Zone: 3

This Flowering groundcover has a clumping habit and is commonly used in borders and rock gardens.

Plants form a mound of deep greens to black leaves, bearing showy spikes of flowers in mid to late spring. Excellent for combining with spring-flowering bulbs. 

Performs well in pots or mixed containers. Easily divided in spring or early fall.

Light Requirement: Full Shade, Partial Shade and Full Sun

Mature Size:

• Height: 6"

• Width: 20"

Zone: 3

Photos courtesy of Bellwyck Horticultural

This anemone grows 24 to 32 inches tall with single, light violet-pink flowers. It’s an extremely robust and vigorous plant that is best suited to naturalizing. This is a Creeping, Mounded, Thicket-forming perennial, meaning it can overwhelm other plants and may become a nuisance in a bed.

Light Requirement: Full Sun to Partial Sun

Mature Size:

• Height: 24 - 32"

• Width: 6 -12"

Zone: 3

Photos courtesy of Jeffries Nursery

Summer Phlox is very popular for its midsummer display in the sunny border. This selection produces large, fragrant flower clusters. Attractive to butterflies. Excellent cut flower. Flowering is always best in a sunny location. Easy to grow and mildew resistant although Summer Phlox always benefit from a location that provides good air circulation and consistent soil moisture. Drought tolerant. Excellent for containers or in the border. Remove faded flowers to encourage more buds to form.

Height: 23-35"  Spread: 21-23"

This is a dense and fast spreading ground cover with silvery blue-green leaves. Medium to deep blue-violet flowers cover the plants in late April to mid-May.

Clumps may be easily divided in early spring or fall.

Grows well in rock gardens and used for edging along borders or pathways.  

Light Requirement: Full Sun

Mature Size:

• Height: 3"

• Width: 24"

Zone  3b

Photos courtesy of Aubin Nursery & Bellwyck Horticolor

Photos courtesy of Ball Seed Company

Tunic flower is a lovely small up reaching flower on a trailing plant. Similar to a creeping Dianthus this flower is small but profuse.

Light Requirement: Full Sun

Flowering Season: Summer

Mature Size:

• Height: 8"
  
• Spread: 12"
  

Zone: 2

Photos courtesy of Bellwyck Horticolor

Dwarf Achillea

Zone 3

Image courtesy of Ball Seed

This majestic larger fern has long, arching fronds. The crested and forked tips of each zesty green leaflet create a unique ruffled texture. Tolerant of some sun and drought once established, this energetic fern has the potential to liven up more challenging areas in the garden.  

Image courtesy of Iseli Nursery

Dryopteris affinis ‘Cristata-The King’

Light Requirement: Full Sun to Partial Shade

Height: 36"

Width: 18"

Zone: 3

Photo and data courtesy of Van Noort Bulb Co. & Florissa.

This iris can be planted on the edge of a pond or water feature. They will also grow in the main part of the garden as long as they are well watered every week during the growing period until early August.

Light Requirement: Full Sun to Partial Sun

Height: 40"

Width: 18"

Zone: 4

Photo and data courtesy of Van Noort Bulb Co. & Florissa.

Light Requirement: Partial Shade to Full Shade

Height: 20"

Width: 20"

Zone: 3

Photo courtesy of Ball Horticultural Company

Unique, upright selection with striking fall foliage hues in brilliant orange, vermillion, and carmine. Abundant silky, silvery-white flower heads. Tidy clumping habit.

Light Requirement: Full Sun

Mature Size:

• Height: 78-84"

• Width: 36-48"

Zone: 5

Dark green leaves grow to a massive size, with a rippled edge to each leaf. This plant is capable of growing from full sun to shade. Happily Ever After boasts unique creamy white flowers with maroon centre.

Light Requirement: Full Sun to Partial Shade

Height: 10-12"

Spread: 18"

Photo courtesy of Ball Horticultural Company

Part Sun to Shade

Height: 16"

Images courtesy of: van Noort Bulb Co.

Hardy perennial in Manitoba.  Sedum (also known as Stonecrop) is a gorgeous,  flowering plant with fleshy, gray-green leaves and purple veins and stems. A true sun lover, they bloom in late summer and attracts plentiful pollinators to the garden throughout the fall season. Very showy and tolerant of low rainfall. This plant will attract butterflies, birds and is bee friendly.

* Deer/Rabbit Resistant

Light Requirement: Full Sun

Flowering Season: Late Summer

Light Requirement: Partial Sun to Full Shade

Mature Size:

• Height: 

• Width: 

Zone: 3

Lamium is one of the best choices for a tough and showy perennial ground cover.  This selection forms a spreading patch of small silver leaves with a narrow green edge. Clusters of purplish-red flowers appear in spring, then continue off and on until fall.

Fairly tolerant of dry shade, once established. Trim back in late winter.

Stems will root into the ground where they touch, and any new plants that form can be easily moved in spring or fall.

photo courtesy of  Ball Seed

'Little Grapette' Daylily is a compact miniature daylily. Tidy clumps of grass-like leaves are highlighted by lavender-purple flowers on tall scapes. This smaller growing selection re-blooms throughout the summer months.

Light Requirement: Full Sun to Partial Sun

Mature Size:

• Height: 6-12"

• Width: 12"

Zone: 3

Photos courtesy of Van Noort Bulb Co. & Florissa.

McKana's Giant aquilegia is particularly good for cut flowers as it features a fully double, upward-facing bloom, rising above a ferny foliage of gray-green divided leaves. Plants typically produce 3-5 stems in the first year and 5-10 stems in the second and following years.

Remove faded flowering stems to promote additional blooming.

Light Requirement: Part Sun

Flowering Season: Early Summer

Mature Size:

• Height: 30"
  
• Spread: 24"
  

Zone: 3

Photos courtesy of Ball Seed Company & Bodger

Oriental Poppies provide a cheerful display of huge, satiny flowers in late spring and early summer. Plants form a low clump of coarse, hairy leaves, and usually go dormant, disappearing completely by late summer. Because they disappear in summer, plant something beside Oriental Poppies that will get bushy later in the season, such as Rudbeckia, Russian Sage, or fall-flowering grasses. Divide in August to September. Flowers are good for cutting, picked just as the buds begin to open.

Light Requirement: Full Sun to Partial Sun

Mature Size:

• Height: 30 -36"

• Width: 18 - 24"

Zone: 3

Photos courtesy of Jeffries Nursery

Bee balm is a classic American native and cottage garden favorite, it's beloved by gardeners not only for its beautiful whorled blooms in red, pink, purple and white; but for the evocative fragrance given off by foliage warmed by the sun or touched by the gardener.

And it’s just as beloved by wildlife as it is by gardeners. Plant bee balm and you can be sure of the attention of hummingbirds and bees in the summer and by seed-loving finches in the winter. It’s an all-around garden winner that provides so much for so little effort.

This herb that can be harvested for making tea. Pick the leaves just before blooming and dry completely for the best flavour.  

Light Requirement: Full Sun

Mature Size:

• Height: 36"

• Width: 18"

Zone: 3

Photos courtesy of Bellwyck Horticulture & Aubin Nursery

Moss Phlox forms a low mound or cushion smothered by tiny flowers in late spring.  Clip plants immediately after blooming to encourage a dense habit. Wonderful in the sunny rock garden, for edging, or in mixed containers. Requires good drainage. Drought tolerant, once established.

Light Requirement: Full Sun

Height: 6"

Width: 18"

Zone: 2

Photo and data courtesy of Aubin Nursery and Bellwyck Horticolor.

The painted daisy grows as a perennial flowering plant. It closely resembles a classic daisy plant with fern-like leaves and a circle of petals surrounding a dense round centre. They thrive in six to eight hours of full sun and well-draining, moderately moist soil.

Mixed shades of red, pink, or white on ferny green foliage.

Photos courtesy of Jeffries Nurseries 

Ratibida Yellow upright Prairie Cone Flower has several long-stalked flower heads at the top of the stem. Flowers have 4 to 12 droopy, wide, bright yellow petals (ray flowers), The cone is up to 1½ inches long and covered with hundreds of tiny brown or purplish disk flowers that bloom from the bottom of the cone up.