Click below to listen to my 2 min. Garden Bite radio show: Labor Day and laboring plants that outperform!
Happy Labor day, a holiday to pay tribute to the contributions American workers have made to the strength, prosperity, and well-being of our country. That, according to the Dept. of Labor.
As for worker plants, well, let me tell you who to salute and, possibly select, for your own gardens. Topping the list is echinacea aka coneflower. I have a few varieties that deliver over and over in heat, in cool weather, in rain, in shine and for a lengthy time! Pollinators love them!
I will warn you that “some” of the cultivars are less hardy than others. I stick to tried and true, those that have been vetted for a few years!
Daylilies! There is the ever present orange daylily that’s actually invasive, but there are also a bazillion other cultivars that offer varied heights, blooms times and colors to astound you.
Heavenly gardens has some spectacular cultivars. Take a look at their 2019 introductions! You can get lost in these beauties!!! Enjoy!
I’ll also warn you that they get messy looking after they’ve finished flowering! It’s best to divide them every few years.
Hens and chicks are some of my favorite little darlings among my limestone rock. This plant is a giver!
If you have a spot in your garden that you just need to cover up, get sedum. The groundcover choices are tremendous.
Of course, there’s the tall ‘Autumn Joy’! I just transplanted the pair below who had been in more shade so they’re a little shorter than they would normally get.
As for a couple of annuals that will kick butt, zinnias come up right away… and from seed! Plant after the chance of frost is gone. You’ll love this heat, drought and disease resistant beauty.
For big and beautiful, Cosmos offer a tall airy delight from summer to Fall! AND, they’ll grow from seed too!
Let the spiky-brown seed heads blow where they will and you may find your garden full of self-sown cosmos flowers, says Farmers Almanac
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