Read 'Five Favorite Perennials for Wet Soils' at http://www.KarensGardenTips.com.

It seems that most plants I want to buy like well drained soil but sometimes I really need one for a wet spot in the garden where many plants have tried to grow but failed because of excess moisture. It is nice to know that there are some fine plants of all sizes and colors that actually like wet soil and will thank you for putting them in a moist spot by growing quickly and producing an abundance of flowers. Some of these plants will even do well in boggy soils. 

Siberian iris (Iris sibirica)

These beautiful iris are easy to grow and will do well in both a boggy soil or a “moist, well drained” one so you can change your mind at any time and transplant it. They will be smaller when grown in less water but attractive all the same. Each plant produces several stems bearing 2-5 elegant flowers that are more delicate than the flowers of German bearded iris. The plants are less susceptible to soft rot and iris borer than German bearded iris making them a practical choice for the average gardener. There are hundreds of cultivars varying in color, size, and vigor; ‘Caesar’s Brother (violet-blue) and ‘White Swirl’ are two outstanding ones that are readily available.

Size: 24-36’ H x 24’ W
Bloom: One to 2 ½” lowers are borne in various shades of lavender, blue, and white touched with yellow in May.
Light: Full sun
Soil: Moist to wet; average fertility.
Hardiness: Zones 3-9

Gooseneck loosestrife (Lysamachia clethroides)

One of my all time favorites, I adore this thug even though it can be invasive when give a moist soil. It will show up in very unexpected places but is very easy to pull out. The endearing shape of the flower heads is welcome in the garden as well in an arrangement inside. The foliage is attractive all season even in summer heat and humidity. This is NOT a plant for a bog but it loves moist soil.

Size: 3’ H x 3’ W.
Bloom: Small white flowers are borne on gooseneck-shaped stem tips in mid summer.
Light: Full sun to partial shade.
Soil: Avererage moist soil.
Hardiness: Zones 3-9

Cardinal flower (Lobelia cardinalis)

The sight of the brilliant red flowers of cardinal flower along a stream or pond is a treat for the eyes. This lobelia is native to most of eastern and central US but has been bred to produce hybrids with salmon, pink, and white forms. The flowers of the species are borne on leafy stems that rise above a dark green basal rosette but some cultivars have rosettes of bronze or reddish green. The plants produce an abundance of seed and will naturalize if they like their site.

Size: 2-4’ H x 2’ W.
Bloom: Red flowers with protruding stamens are borne in clusters on tall stems in summer.
Light: Full sun to partial shade (afternoon sun needed in most areas)
Soil: Rich, moist soil.
Hardiness: Zones 2-9.

Globeflower (Trollius x cultorum)

The large deeply cut lobed leaves of globeflower are as attractive as the buttercup-like flowers that are borne singly on erect stems. The flowers are made up of yellow to orange incurved sepals that surround small petals and a mass of stamens that are visible when the flowers open. Many good cultivars are available varying in height and color from light yellow to deep orange and some are excellent cut flowers. The bad news? Globeflowers do not like heat and are suitable only for cool, moist soils. Forget this one if you live south of zone 6.

Size: 2-3’ H x 3’ W.
Bloom: Yellow to orange flowers appear in late spring.
Light: Sun to partial shade.
Soil: Cool moist soil.
Hardiness: Zones 3-6.

Swamp sunflower (Helianthus angustifolia)

When I hear the name sunflower I envision tall flowers that grow along the highways thriving in the dry soil. Not this one. As its common name tell us, it like things wet, swampy wet, in fact. It is tall and a bit on the wild side but it is a good plant for the back of a wet area with other smaller plants in front of it to tame it down. Its flowers are less coarse than other sunflowers and they appear in the fall when most other plants are gone. If you need a tall fall blooming plant for a low area that collects water such as a swale or ditch, this is a good one to try.

Size: 6-8’ H x 4’ W.
Bloom: Masses of 2-3” bright yellow flowers appear in fall.
Light: Thrives in full sun; tolerate some shade but may be floppy.
Soil: Rich, fertile, moist soil.
Hardiness: Zones 6-9.

Planting a wet area can be challenging but these 5 moisture loving plant show that there are plants that can meet the challenge and provide variety in color, texture and height through out the growing season. Think of a wet area as an opportunity rather than a problem.

Read 'Garden Journal: May 24, 2009' at http://www.KarensGardenTips.com.

Warm temperatures and sunny skies have spurred many perennials into action while the roses continue to bloom, new ones coming into their full glory while others decline. Color is popping up everywhere sometimes in pale tints, other times in strident hues, but all welcome in my garden. The plants beckon me and I watch their buds turn into beautiful blossoms as spring turns into summer.

In the rose garden ‘Ballerina’ is looking light and delicate in spite of her huge size.

The billowing clusters of blossoms show many shades of pink and remind me of the cotton candy I loved as a child.

The flowers of ‘The Alexander Rose’ growing next to ‘Ballerina’ remind me of a wild rose with its simple flower composed of 5 petals clustered around a mass of golden stamens. The flowers have a lovely change of color as they mature; copper colored buds open to fresh salmon pink flowers that slowly turn pale pink and white. At any given time you can see all the different colors. Quite a beautiful sight!

The vigorous yellow climber ‘Casino’ has reached the eves of the house and blooms profusely in flushes all season.

Deep yellow buds open as mid yellow flowers that are delicately scented with a fruity fragrance. When the flowers open fully you can see the mass of loose, small, dark yellow inner petals that contrast with the larger, paler outside ones.

Inside the Secret Garden (located next to the Rose Garden) the rose ‘Marjorie Fair’ has Grown through the openings in the wall.

The crimson flowers with their white eye and bright yellow stamens add an old fashioned look to the Secret Garden.

The crimson color is picked up now by the new growth of the nearby variegated Japanese andromenda (Pieris japonica)

Heuchera ‘Amethyst Myst’ is blooming. Nobody grows this plant for the flowers but I rather like them and look forward to their bloom.

Even my Siamese cats enjoy the Secret Garden although they don’t seem to appreciate the lovely Fringed Bleeding Heart that does so well there.

Outside the Secret Garden, I can see the last of my German iris. I love their frilly fullness and luscious colors but I think they are over bred.  Their smaller, more delicate cousins lack their pedigree but aren’t so  prone to disease.

The last of the Siberian Iris, ‘Caesar’s Brother’, are blooming in the Formal Garden; this one is my favorite.  It blooms longer and later than the others I have.

But as the German and Siberian iris fade, one of my Japanese iris begins. I grow this one for its variegated foliage so these large, open, purple flowers are a bonus.

The Louisiana Iris ‘Ann Chowing’ beginning its bloom with its current red flowers.

‘Olive’, growing on the arbor leading into the Formal Garden, is a mass of bloom this week.  The large , velvety, bright red flowers are borne in loose clusters. They aren’t fragrant but make long lasting additions to flower arrangements

In the Formal Garden, the Tradescantia are blooming. I especially like this blue one with the yellow flowers of rue growing in front of them. I grow the rue for its foliage, so the flowers are another one of my bonuses.

The tall (but floppy) meadow-rue (Thalictrum flavum var. glaucum) is bearings its fuzzy looking flowers in loose panicles. The blue gray foliage is also a plus.

The buds of butterfly weed (Asclepias tuberosa) are a soft orange sherbert color but will be orange by next week.

I grow both green and bronze fennel and love the texture and various shades of color of both as they grow. Here White Jupiter’s Beard (Centranthus rubra var. alba) is set off by bronze fennel ((Foeniculum vulgare) ‘Purpureum’).

The ornamental onion Star of Persia (Allium albopilosum syn. christophii) is blooming with Lady Fern (Athyrium felix-femina ) and new shoots of Boltonia asteroids ‘Snowbank’ in the background.

Yellow torch lilies (Kniphofia uvaria ‘Dwarf Yellow (?)’) stand up straight and provide architectural interest in a parterre.

My sulfur yellow yarrow (Achillea x‘Moonshine’) has grown into a glorious mass that brightens the garden for weeks to come. The blue gray foliage frosted with silver highlights adds to the effect.

The first of my coneflowers (Echinacea is blooming and many more are in bud. I like the way they look with grasses and grow them both here in the Formal Garden and in a special area near the house devoted to plants that attract birds.

This poor Veronic ‘Alba’ has been nipped by the rabbits and only has one spire this year. The poor lilies in the background have suffered a similar fate and stand leafless.

My grasses are also beginning to bloom. The first is this blue-gray dune grass with its long attractive spikes of flowers.

This perennial Bachelor Button (Centaurea montana) won’t grow in my garden but has taken up residence in the brush heap behind the vegetable garden. Such a pity! The flowers have a touch of crimson in their centers that echoed the color of ‘Mother’s Day’ azaleas that grew nearby.

The first crop from our vegetable garden graced our table, radishes. Wow, were they good! So good, in fact, I ran right out to the local feed store and bought more radish seeds. I had them mix 4 different kinds of radishes in the ¼ oz I bought and then came right home and planted them. I can hardly wait toharvest them.

The garden is full of potential this time of year making anything seem possible.  A garden is certainly a wonderful thing!

Read 'Karen’s Garden Journal May 17, 2009' at http://www.KarensGardenTips.com.

The garden is coming alive all over but the rose garden dominates the scene. Entering the rose garden is an olfactory treat! Wow, am I ever glad I planted all those old garden roses and new shrub roses.

I chose the white rose ‘Sombreuil’ for its fragrance and round old fashioned flower and it does not disappoint. It has clamored over the secret garden wall and can be enjoyed as you enter the rose garden or in the secret garden. It always has a touch of blackspot but does not seem to be much affected by it. The dark red “Annapolis Rose” (named because we brought it with us from our home there and don’t know it’s true name) is just beginning its bloom.

The arbor into the rose garden is covered with ‘Autumn Sunset’, another very fragrant rose with a color resembling sherbert. This is one very vigorous climber and we have a hard time keeping it in check.  It will soon look like it has a crewcut that needs trimming.

The pale pink rose ‘Awakening’ on the other arbor entrance is also flourishing and covered with bloom. The pretty bell shaped white flowers on the young Styrax trees, just outside the rose garden, add fragrance.

Inside the rose garden several roses are making a grand show. ‘Dortmund’ seems to have settled into its pillar and its red flowered branches are gracefully spilling over the top instead lying sprawled out all over the ground as they did last year before being tucked into its pillar.

‘Fred Loads’ with its bright orange flowers stands stiffly in contrast. It is a difficult rose to fit into the garden because of both its color and growth habit but I like it anyway.

The small flowers of ‘Margo Koster’  echo nearby ‘Fred loads’  with their orange-red tones.

‘Sally Holms’ repeats the orange tones in its buds which open creamy white.

‘Roberta’ is strutting her stuff right now. This very pale pink rose is spectacular in the spring and fall. It can’t quite get the buds to open when the heat and humidity hit so the beautiful flowers must be enjoyed now. I particular like the very round, cup-like shape of the buds and the full, flat, open flowers.

Reine des Violettes is the bane of existence. For two years it has grown in idameter to 10’ across and refused to bloom in spite of my efforts at pegging until now. This year it is covered with flowers of a most delicious hue (more purple than the photo shows), but is only 2’ tall. Apparently I should have waited for several years before I pegged the canes. I will enjoy the blooms this summer, let new canes grow and then peg them in future years. I will win this one yet! At least this rose lacks thorns!

In the secret garden, off of the master bedroom, the cascading foliage of Hakenachloa aurea echoes the color of the flowers of the Lady’s Mantle (Alchemilla mollis) with its soft mound of blue-gray foliage.

In another part of the secret garden the chartreuse foliage of coralbells (Heuchera sanguinea ‘Key lime Pie’) sets off the yellow flowers of perennial foxglove (Digitalis grandiflora.)

The pansies in the early spring containers are about done but still look nice with the sweet alyssum (Lobularia maritime).

The strawberry colored ivy-leaf geranium (Pelargonium peltatum) cascades over the edge of the black iron urn that forms a focal point on the axis of two paths.

The formal garden is just beginning to bloom. I love the look of the hot pink Cheddar Pinks (Dianthus gratianopolitanus ‘Bath’s Pink’ and ‘Firewitch’) with the gray Artemisia ludoviciana ‘Silver Queen’ and the light pink Oenothera speciosa ’siskiyou’ with the gray of Lamb’s Ear (Stachys byzantina). Lavendar spiderwort (Tradescantia virginiana, variety unknnown) forms a generous clump near the steel blue wild indigo (Baptisia australis) that adds an architectural elements to the rest of the garden while the plants around it are still small but on the rise. Three large stands of white Siberian iris (Iris sibirica ‘White Swirl’ stand like sentinels in the distance.

In the white border of the formal garden variegated foliage of Red Twig Dogwood (Cornus alba ‘Elegantissima’ echoes the clusters of fine white flowers of white Jupiter’s Beard (Centranthus rubra var. alba).

Some yellow and white pansies were able to push their way up through a dense covering of Bishops weed (Aegopodium podagraria ‘Variegatum’), a true thug in my garden. Later in the season the ‘Yellow Fairy’ rose will grow over it and tame its wild and reckless nature just a bit. Until then I will have to continue to pull it out by the handfuls.

The pot of chives in the herb garden outside the kitchen door gets the prize for being the best looking in that garden as well as being the first one to be harvested.

There is lots of work to be done and lots of beautiful plant combinations to develop but it sure is fun to see what is there so far this year.  Life is good!

Read 'Siberian iris (Iris sibirica)' at http://www.KarensGardenTips.com.

Siberian iris (Iris sibirica)

Type: Herbaceous perennial.

Bloom: Blue, purple, white. pink, wine, yellow; late spring, some may rebloom in fall.

Size: 1’-3’ H x 1’+ clumps.

Light: Full sun but tolerates some shade.

Soil: Very moist, well drained; pH 6.1-7.8 (neutral to slightly acid).

Fertilizer: Add organic mulch in spring.

Hardiness: Zones 4-10 but do not do well in hot- humid conditions.

Care: Cut back foliage in winter or early spring and weed frequently as grasses may become a terrible pest.

Pests and Diseases: No significant pests; not susceptible to iris borer or fungal leaf diseases.

Propagation: Division of clumps in spring; these iris do not like being disturbed and may take a couple of years to recover.

Companion plants: Lamb’s ear (Stachys byzantina), ‘Johnson’s cranesbill (Geranium x ‘Johnson’s blue), peony (Paeonia hybrids), catmint (Nepeta x faassenii).

Outstanding Selections: ‘Butter and Sugar’ has bright yellow falls and wide, creamy white standards, ‘Flight of Butterflies’ has graceful small blue flowers on 2½ foot tall plants, Caesar’s Brother’ has dark purple flowers on 36 inch tall plants. ‘Eric the Red’ has dark wine-red flowers and grows 36 inches tall.

Comments: Siberian iris are lovely in a vase but do not last long.