If time or mobility is limited, choose perennials

By Marilyn McKinley

OSU Extension master gardener volunteer

I love, love, love perennials. My mobility is starting to slow me down some. I don’t like it, but I have to think about low-maintenance plants. I need to consider ones that will not take over and smother some of my all-time favorites.

I need plants that can pretty much take care of themselves, but know their boundaries. I expect to need to water, maybe fertilize a little when I remember to do so, and trim, if necessary. I want to have cut flowers in my home in all three growing seasons. I am willing to divide, or get someone to do it for me, if necessary. But that’s about it. No more fussing. I’m ready to sit back and admire the fruits of my years of hard labor.

So, here’s my Top 10 list:

Daylilies: So many colors, fun names. Choosing the right varieties will give you blooms from May until frost. They need so little care and even when not in bloom, lush green leaves fill your garden.

Yarrow: Wide range of colors, sizes. Asks for little; spreads, but not too bad.

Peonies: Old-fashioned, huge blooms. Feed them early, give them some kind of support, and oh the smell! I don’t like the powdery mildew that comes late in the season sometimes. I am working at giving mine more space, but they don’t like to be transplanted.

Iris: Another old-timer. Nice variety of colors, but don’t do well as a cut flower.

Hosta: It’s so easy to grow and works in the shade.

Astilbe: Color in the shade – white, pink, peach, red, purples. Nice in bouquets; asks little of you.

Shasta daisy: They spread all over, but what’s a perennial garden without daisies? Long-lasting cut flower, and it pulls easily.

Monarda (bee balm): Also a traveler, but bees love it. Newer cultivars much less likely to get powdery mildew. Nice range of color.

Ornamental grasses: Any that will survive in zone 5 and lower add winter interest to your garden. Great fillers in bouquets. Come in many colors and heights.

Perennial salvia: Intense purple, blue, pink pretty spikes. I’ve moved it several times over 15 years, and it never fails to perform.