Practically Perfect Plants

Agastache – Hyssop – Hummingbird Mint

August’s Practically Perfect Plant!

Agastache – Hyssop or Hummingbird Mint
USDA Zones 4 – 10 depending on variety. Blooms mid-summer through fall.
Part – full sun, Sizes vary by variety – 10” x 10” – 36” x 24”
Requires well-drained soil. Deer resistant.

Agastache – Irresistable to More than Just Hummingbirds!

Agastache, August’s Practically Perfect Plant, was nominated by the hummingbirds that visit (and claim) my garden. I have a lot of hummingbird favorites in my yard, such as Monarda and Orange Carpet Hummingbird Trumpet, but the Agastache (or Hyssop) is hands-down their favorite! It is the plant they battle over! And the Agastache is what made me realize that I should select plants not just for my enjoyment, but to create habitat for the wildlife that I wish to draw to my garden. It’s the plant that started my whole “gardening for wildlife” mindset!

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Annabelle Hydrangea – Hydrangea arborescens ‘Annabelle’

July’s Practically Perfect Plant!

Annabelle Hydrangea
Photo: Sonia Hills

Annabelle Hydrangea – Hydrangea arborescens ‘Annabelle’ USDA Zones 3-9. Part shade to part sun. 3-5’ tall and wide. Moderate water needs. Handles harsh Colorado sun and heat better than most hydrangeas!

Hydrangeas – The Stars of the Shade Garden

Who doesn’t love hydrangeas? The neat, rounded shrubs come in sizes small enough to fit into any garden, and their large, gorgeous clusters of flowers stand out across even the most spacious gardens! They’re almost required in a shade garden. No other shade plant gives that wow factor from large blossoms that last so many months.

Not All Hydrangeas are Equal

But in Colorado, hydrangeas that will bloom well are not synonymous with the varieties that are hardy here. That’s why it’s important to pick carefully. There are four types of hydrangeas: macrophylla (big leaf or mophead), paniculata (panicle), quercifolia (oakleaf) and arborescens (smooth or wild). For good bloom performance in Colorado, you can weed out the oakleafs and most macrophylla.

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Giant Fleeceflower – Persicaria polymorpha

June’s Practically Perfect Plant!

Giant Fleeceflower (Persicaria polymorpha) taken in early June

USDA Zones 4 – 9. Full sun to part sun. Likes well drained, moist soil, but can handle drier soils once established. 5 – 6 feet tall, around 5 feet wide but slowly spreads over the years.

The Giant Fleeceflower – A Serious Attention Grabber!

The Giant Fleeceflower definitely deserves Practically Perfect Plant status! It is stunning, very low maintenance, and well behaved!

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Pasque Flower – Pulsatilla Vulgaris

May’s Practically Perfect Plant!

Pasque Flower – Pulsatilla Vulgaris

The Pasque Flower blooms in early spring. USDA Zones 4-8. Part sun – part shade for high elevations. Read below for more on light preferences. 12”H x 12”W.

Pasque Flower – A unique, early spring blooming perennial!

The Pasque Flower is such a unique and beautiful plant with so many great features, it just had to be picked as a Practically Perfect Plant! Pasque Flowers are one of the first perennials to bloom each spring. The lacy, fuzzy foliage provides a unique and attractive look to combine with the more commonly seen plants that emerge early in the season, such as tulips, daffodils and other bulbs. In Golden, Colorado, they begin blooming in mid-April. I would guess that they may bloom as early as late March down in Denver. The flowers keep coming for at least a month!

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Korean Spice Viburnum – Viburnum Carlesii

April’s Practically Perfect Plant –

Korean Spice Viburnum

The Korean Spice Viburnum is one of my favorite shrubs, and that says a lot because shrubs are probably my favorite type of garden plant. It is hardy in USDA zones 4 – 8 and handles sun to part shade. This plant is not fussy, and it rewards you every spring with heavenly scented, gorgeous light pink flower clusters that, as the shrub matures, will completely cover the plant. Korean Spice Viburnums bloom well even in part shade! Bloom time is just ahead of lilacs.

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Dwarf ‘Nana’ Serbian Spruce

March’s Practically Perfect Plant –

Winter is when the true value of evergreens is most apparent and appreciated! That’s why I chose to write about one of my all-time favorite evergreens for March’s Practically Perfect Plant – the Dwarf Serbian Spruce (Picea Omorika “Nana’). I love this shrub!! Hardy in Zones 4-7, it supposedly needs part to full sun. However, mine get very little direct sun, even in the summer, and they still look healthy, dense and gorgeous! It is so hard to find evergreens that live happily in Colorado that can handle little direct sun. Dwarf Serbian Spruces do! That is one reason why I love them so much. But on top of being an evergreen that tolerates part shade, they are also stunning!!

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