CHAPTER V
Flowers that come up Every Year by Themselves (Perennials)
No, the heart that has truly lov'd never forgets,
But as truly loves on to the close;
As the sunflower turns on her god when he sets
The same look which she turn'd when he rose.
—Moore.
That big word ARISTOCRACY simply means "those who rise above the rest of the community in any important respect,"—and rightly, indeed, are the perennials called "the aristocrats of the garden." They are strong and sturdy (good points in both people and flowers), and can be depended on to appear about a certain time, make us a nice visit with all their loveliest clothes, and show their appreciation of our attention and care by returning every season with increased beauty and grace.
A few of the perennials, such as the peony and the iris, grow so slowly that generally people haven't the patience to wait for them to flower from seed, and instead try to get some roots from their more fortunate friends, or buy from a florist. But I will tell you more about this class in connection with the bulb and tuber families.
THE SEED BED
While a small number of these beauties will bloom the first year if started early in the spring, most of them make their début in garden society the second summer. Before that they have to be watched, or they might meet with accident. A good way, therefore, is to have a little bed (preferably a cold frame) for a seed nursery off to one side, in a safe place, where the baby plants can be cared for, protected from cold, and tended like the infants they are, until grown up and old enough to enter the society of bed or border. In such a place the seeds should be planted in fine, rich soil, preferably from the middle of May to the 1st of July, and all carefully marked. Sow thinly, and then cover the seed by sifting over with fine soil from 1/8 to ¼ inch deep. Sprinkle very lightly by means of a whisk broom dipped in water, so as not to wash out the seed, and if you possibly can, cover with a piece of glass. Keep in the shade at first, and never let dry out. Some of this seed will germinate in less than a week, while some may take so long that you will think it is not going to grow at all! But don't give up; and maybe some day when you have forgotten all about it, you will discover a lot of new babies in your nursery.
TRANSPLANTING PERENNIALS
As soon as your seedlings are big and strong enough to be handled, they must be carefully lifted and set in another part of the nursery, not less than 3 inches apart, protected from the hot sun, and left until they become strong, sturdy children. Then early in the fall, before the middle of September, you can take them up very gently, without disturbing their tiny rootlets, and put them with their friends and relatives in the garden, wherever you wish them to bloom the following summer.
Of course you couldn't,—and you wouldn't want to grow everything you ever saw or heard about! Just think of the fun, however, of picking out a small number that will be sure to give you flowers, one after another, from earliest spring until cold weather! Yet the following list, suggested by one authority, is easy to get and little trouble to care for:
PERENNIALS FOR A WHOLE SEASON'S BLOOM
| Creeping Phlox (Phlox subulata); white, rose, lavender; bloom April and May. |
| Lily-of-the-Valley (Convallaria majalis); white; May, June. |
| Bleeding Heart (Dicentra spectabilis); rose pink; April through June. |
| Iris (Fleur-de-lis); white, purple, yellow; April to July. |
| Peony (Pæonia officinalis); white, rose to crimson; May, June. |
| Larkspur (Delphinium); blues; June, July, September. |
| Balloon Flower (Platycodon); blue, purple, white; July to October. |
| Phlox, Hardy (Phlox paniculata); no blue nor real yellow; June through September. |
| Golden Glow (Rudbeckia laciniata); yellow; August. |
| Blanket Flower (Gaillardia aristata); yellow, red; July to October. |
| Boltonia (Boltonia latisquama); lilac; August to October. |
| Sunflower (Helianthus); yellow; July to October. |
KIM AND COLUMBINE
The fault that I would find with the gentleman's list is that he has omitted chrysanthemums, which could be substituted for sunflowers to most people's satisfaction,—and which also would bloom as late as November. Also I should prefer columbine to his bleeding hearts,—and the golden-spurred variety will bloom from early May to early August! Above all, instead of boltonia, I would use the adorable snapdragons, which, although considered a "tender perennial," will survive cold weather if well protected.
But then, as I once heard, "A man's garden is like his wife, whom he never would think of comparing with anybody else's." So you don't have to follow any one's choice. Just make a list of the flowers that you like, find out when they bloom, and then choose as few or as many as you have room for, remembering to plan for something lovely every month of the blooming season.
One note of warning, however. After you have made your list, consult some friend that is a successful gardener, and make sure that what you have chosen will thrive in your particular locality. If you find it does not, strike it off, and put in something that will.
FLOWERS THAT COME UP EVERY YEAR BY THEMSELVES
A GUIDE TO THE COMMON PERENNIALS
Note.—A few of these will blossom the first summer, if started early. Also, some varieties of the same plant will flower in the spring, others in the fall. Make sure which kind you get.
| Name | Color | Height | Sow Indoors | Sow Outdoors | Good for | Place | Blooming Season |
| Alyssum (Alyssum saxatile) | Rich yellow | 1 ft. | May June | Rockery Edging | Half shade or sun | April, May | |
| Anemone, Japanese (Anemone Japonica) | Rose White | 2 to 4 ft. | May June | Border Bed | Half shade or sun | Sept., Oct. | |
| Aster, Hardy (Aster Novæ-Angliæ) | White Pink Lavender Purple | 2 to 5 ft. | May June | Anywhere | Shade or sun | Aug. to Oct. | |
| Baby's Breath (Gypsophila paniculata) | White | 2 to 3 ft. | May June | Rockery Border | Sun | June, July | |
| Balloon Flower (Platycodon) | White Blue | 1 to 3 ft. | May June | Border | Sun | July to Oct. | |
| Begonia, Hardy (Begonia Evansiana) | White Pink Rose | 1 to 2 ft. | May June | Border | Sun | June to Aug. | |
| Bellflower (Campanula) | White Blue | 1 to 3 ft. | May June | Border | Sun | June, July | |
| [E]Blanket Flower (Gaillardia aristata) | Red Yellow | 3 to 5 ft. | May June | Border Bed | Sun | July to Oct. | |
| Bleeding Heart (Dicentra spectabilis) | Pink | 2 ft. | May June | Border Bed | Likes half shade | May, June | |
| Boltonia (Boltonia latisquama) | Lilac | 2 to 6 ft. | May June | Border Bed | Sun | Aug. to Oct. | |
| Candytuft, Hardy (Iberis sempervirens) | White | 6 to 12 in. | May June | Border Edging | Sun | April, May | |
| Chrystmas Rose (Helleborus niger) | White | 12 to 15 in. | May June | Border | Half Shade | Dec. to March, outdoors | |
| Chrysanthemum, Hardy | No blue | 2 to 3 ft. | May June | Border Bed | Sun | Sept. to Nov. | |
| Columbine (Aguilegia) | All shades | 2 to 4 ft. | May June | Rockery Bed | Sun | May to Aug. | |
| Coreopsis (Coreopsis lanceolata) | Yellow | 1 to 2 ft. | May June | Border Bed | Sun | June to Oct. | |
| Daisy, English (Bellis perennis) | Pink White | 3 to 6 in. | May une | Bed | Sun | April to June | |
| Delphinium (Delphinium to formosum, D. Belladonna, D. Chinense) | Blue to white | 2 to 6 ft. | March | May June | Border Bed | Sun | June, July, Sep. Oct. Cut down after each flowering |
| Flag, see Iris | |||||||
| [F]Forget-me-not, Perennial (Myosotis palustris) | Blue | 6 to 18 in. | May June | Border | Shade or sun | May to fall | |
| [G]Foxglove (usually biennial) (Digitalis) | White Purple Rose Yellow | 3 to 5 ft. | May June | Border Bed | Half shade | June, July | |
| Fraxinella, see Gas Plant | |||||||
| Gaillardia, see Blanket Flower | |||||||
| Gas Plant (Dictamnus albus) | Rose White | 2½ ft. | Long lived | May June | Border Bed | Sun | June, July |
| Golden Glow (Rudbeckia laciniata) | Yellow | 6 to 8 ft. | May June | Back of border | Sun | July to Sept. | |
| [F]Hollyhock (Althæa rosea) | All shades | 4 to 6 ft. | May June | Back of border or bed | Sun | July, August | |
| Iris | White Purple Yellow Maroon | 1 to 3 ft. | May June | Border Bed Clump | Sun | May to July | |
| Larkspur, see Delphinium | |||||||
| Lupin (Lupinus) | White Blue Pink Yellow | 2 to 5 ft. | May June | Border Bed Clump | Sun or half shade | May, June | |
| Madwort, see Alyssum | |||||||
| [E]Mallow, Musk (Malva moschata) | White Rose | 1 to 2 ft. | May June | Border | Sun or shade | July to Sept. | |
| Michaelmas Daisy, see Aster | |||||||
| Monk's-hood (Aconitum napellus) | Blue to white | 3 to 5 ft. | Slow to start | May June | Poisonous | Sun or shade | July to Sept. |
| Moss Pink, see Phlox subulata | |||||||
| Mullein Pink (Lychnis coronaria) | White Red | 1 to 3 ft. | May June | Border Bed | Sun | June, July | |
| Myosotis, see Forget-me-not | |||||||
| Myrtle, see Periwinkle | |||||||
| Pansy (Viola tricolor) | White Blue Yellow Purple | 6 to 8 in. | March | April May | Border Bed | Sun or half shade | All summer, with care |
| Peony (Pæonia officinalis) | White Rose Crimson | 3 ft. | Slow grower | May June | Border Clumps | Sun or half shade | May, June |
| Periwinkle (Vinca minor) | Blue White | 6 to 10 in. | March | May June | Trailing vine | Shaded bare spots | All summer |
| Phlox, Perennial (Phlox paniculata) | No blue or yellow | 2 to 3 ft. | Slow | May June | Border Bed | Sun | Aug., Sept. |
| (Phlox subulata) | White Pink Lavender | 2 in. | May June | Carpeting Border | Sun | April, May | |
| Pink, Grass (Dianthus plumaris) | White Vari-colored | 1 ft. | May June | Rockery Border | Sun | May, June | |
| Platycodon, see Bellflower | |||||||
| [E]Poppy, Iceland (Papaver nudicaule) | White Red Yellow | 1 ft. | April May | Border Bed | Sun | June to Oct. | |
| Poppy, Oriental (Papaver orientale) | Scarlet Orange to pink | 3 ft. | March April | Border Bed | Sun | June, July | |
| Pyrethrum (Chrysanthemum coccineum) | Whit Rose Crimson | 3 ft. | May June | Border | Sun | June, July | |
| [E]Rocket, Sweet (Hesperis) | White to purple | 2 to 3 ft. | May June | Border Clump | Sun | June to Aug. | |
| Rockmadwort, see Alyssum | |||||||
| Rose Campion, see Mullein Pink | |||||||
| Rudbeckia, see Golden Glow | |||||||
| Sage, see Salvia | |||||||
| Salvia (perennial) | White Blue | 2 to 4 ft. | May June | Border Bed | Sun | May to Sept. | |
| [F]Snapdragon (Antirrhinum) | No blues | 1 to 3 ft. | March | May 1st | Border Bed | Sun | Jun to Oct. |
| Sunflower (Helianthus) | Yellow | 2 to 8 ft. | May June | Back of border | Sun | Sept. to Nov. | |
| [E]Sweet William (Dianthus barbatus) | White Pink Maroon | 1 ft. | May June | Border Bed | Sun | June to Aug. | |
| Tickseed, see Coreopsis | |||||||
| [G]Wallflower(Cheiranthus cheiri) | Yellows to browns and purple | 1 to 2½ ft. | May June | Rock garden or border | Part shade | May | |
| Windflower, Snowdrop (Anemone sylvestris) | White | 1 to 1½ ft. | May June | Clump Border | Part shade or sun | April to July |
FOOTNOTES:
[E] Will bloom the first year from seed sown in March.
[F] Perennial in the South, but should be grown annually in the North.
[G] Really a biennial.