Gardening : Sept. Good Time to Plant Perennials

September is a great month for working in the garden. The kids are back in school; Labor Day is over; and the weather is accommodating. If you plant perennials in your garden this month, next year you’ll reap the blooming benefits.

But, what is a perennial exactly? Perennials are a diverse grouping of plants under one collective heading but they have one commonality--none of them have woody tissue as shrubs do, but they live from year to year. Typically a perennial has one bloom period a year. Many perennials are less thirsty than annuals and they provide interesting textures and colors with their foliage and the flowers.

Perennials can provide a wild, cottage garden effect or they can be maintained in borders and used as accents throughout your garden. This is the month to plant perennials and divide established clumps in your garden. Try some of the ones listed here for summer into fall flowers.

Achillea-- (Yarrow). This old-fashioned favorite comes in many different varieties and colors. People often use these flowers in dried arrangements. It’s drought tolerant when established, and it needs full sun. The narrow fern-like foliage is aromatic when crushed. Yarrows range in height from three inches to three to four foot. They bloom summer through fall.

Hemerocallis species--(Day lilies). Clusters of four- to six-inch diameter flowers crown clumps of swordlike 18- to 24-inch leaves. The flowers are yellow, orange, apricot, pink, cream and maroon. Some are fragrant. Dwarf cultivars with standard size or miniature flowers are available. One advantage is that they adapt to any type of soil. Plant in sun in coastal areas or shade in hot valleys.

Lantana montevidenis-- (Trailing Lantana). These have dark, green narrow leaves with a three-to six-foot spread. It produces clusters of lilac-colored flowers throughout summer and fall. Excellent in full sun. Water deeply but infrequently. In colder areas it is treated as annual.

Penstemon-- These perennials bloom on tall spikes. The flowers attract hummingbirds. The colors range from white, blue, salmon, red, rose and pink. Prune back after the first show of flowers andthey will reward the garden with another flush of blooms. Penstemon do best in sun with fast draining soil. If you are in a desert area, plant in light shade. Of the 250 species most are native to the West.

Salvia leucantha-- (Mexican sage). It’s a large branching shrub (to about four feet), with gray-green foliage. Velvety purple and white flowers in summer and fall provide contrast against foliage. Cut old stems to the ground in winter. Likes full sun to light shade.

Other late blooming perennials are: Campanula, Coreopsis, Lavenders, Salvias and Shasta Daisys. All are available at your local garden center.