DOCTOR GROW: ADDING ANNUALS: PLANTS BRING COLOR AGAINST EVERGREEN LANDSCAPES

As I listen to gardeners, I continue to hear the same theme. Everyone wants color in his landscape. A combination of yews, junipers, spruces and boxwoods are great background plants for any landscape. They provide that green during the winter when everything is "dead." On the other hand, during the summer, everyone wants color in his landscape.

Planting annuals is the easiest and quickest way to get color in your landscape during the summer. Geraniums, vinca, salvia and petunias work great in sunny areas where you want shades of red, pinks, purples and white. If you want yellows and oranges, try using marigolds. For shady areas, use begonias or impatiens. If you select the right annual flowers for your garden spot, you can have a showy palette all summer long.

More and more, when I suggest the use of annuals to provide summer color, I get the following response: "I don't want to plant flowers every year. I want something that blooms all summer and comes back every year. I want a perennial." I can certainly relate to what many consumers are wanting. It would be nice to only plant perennials one time, and then year after year, watch their large showy flowers bloom all summer long. Unfortunately God didn't design most perennials that way.

Most perennials have short bloom times, from two weeks to two or three months. The rest of the time, you only see green foliage. For example, bleeding hearts and peonies produce beautiful blooms for three to six weeks in the late spring. The length of the bloom time depends on temperature. The rest of the season, all you see is foliage that can look a little ratty.

I don't want to scare you away from perennials. You just need to be aware of what you are getting when you go to the garden center. Just because you buy a perennial when it is in full bloom does not mean that it will be in full bloom all growing season.

Don't get discouraged just yet. Plant breeders have produced for gardeners a few perennials that do bloom most of the growing season in the region. I am going to discuss a few that are tried and true for this area.

"Moonbeam" coreopsis, the Perennial Plant of the Year 1992, produces small electric yellow blooms all through the growing season. Its threadleaf foliage gives it a feathery look. This 1-to 2-foot-high plant spreads through underground roots. It is a great plant for a dry sunny location.

Another yellow perennial that produces blossoms all season long is "Stella D'Oro" day lilly. In full sun, these butter yellow rebloomers can't be beat. Just cut off seed pods as they are produced. The clumps of one to two foot tall flowers will continue to get larger and larger each year.

If you like blue flowers, try Salvia "May Night." Their deep indigo flowers on a spike grow to about 18 inches. This Perennial Plant of the Year 1997 was developed by the German plant breeder Karl Foerster. Salvia likes full sun and well-drained soils.

Another blue flowered perennial is Scabiosa "Butterfly Blue." Otherwise known as pincushion flower, this perennial likes full sun and well-drained soils. As with the other plants I have mentioned this one blooms during most of the growing season in Southeast Missouri.

I have only mentioned four perennials that you can use in your landscape to produce color most of the growing season. I am sure that in the future, breeders will present us with a larger selection of plants to chose from.

Paul Schnare can be contacted via e-mail at news@semissourian.com or mail your questions to him at P.O. Box 699; Cape Girardeau, Mo. 63702-0699.