Perennials

At StoneFalls Gardens we have an entire alphabet of perennials from A to Z. With over 50,000 perennials, all hardy to zones 2-5, we have something for every garden, from moist shade to full sun locations. And, most of them are propagated right here at StoneFalls Gardens!

In between the greenhouses, perennials in 1-gallon pots are on display and ready for your garden. On the back knoll, our full-sun perennial garden hosts black-eyed Susan, snow in summer and coreopsis… to name a few! Our shade garden, under a stand of hemlock trees, offers an extensive variety of shade perennials such as hosta, ferns, astilbe, heuchera and anemone.

Perennial of the Year on Display
In 2010, StoneFalls Gardens created a display garden featuring the Perennial Plant Association’s Perennials of the Year from 1997 to 2011. In addition to being on display, the perennials are also available for purchase.

The Perennial Plant of the Year Program promotes the use of perennials. Four perennials are selected by the Perennial Plant of the Year Committee from an extensive list of nominations made earlier by association members. Each year members cast their vote for one of the four selected plants with the following attributes:

• suitable for a wide range of climate types
• low maintenance
• easily propagated - easily comes true from seed or vegetative propagation
• exhibits multiple season interest

2010 Perennial Plant of the Year™

Baptisia australis
Blue false indigo grows three to four feet tall and three to four feet wide in an upright habit. This exceptional perennial grows across a wide range of zones and is one of the most adaptable native species.

Newly emerging shoots produce violet-blue, lupine-like flowers in erect 10- to 12-inch racemes atop flower stems extending well above the foliage mound of clover-like, trifoliate, bluish-green leaves. The spring flowers are present for three to four weeks. The flowers give way to inflated seed pods which turn charcoal black when ripe and which flower arrangers consider to be ornamental. The common name, blue false indigo, refers to the use of this perennial by early Americans as a dye.

Baptisia australis is an excellent plant to anchor the back of the border. It is also valuable for cottage gardens, native plant gardens, and native area of prairies and meadows. It is best as a specimen or planted in small groups. Blue false indigo can be used with bulbs and other spring flowering perennials to make interesting combinations.

• Light - Plants thrive in full sun. Plants grown in partial shade may require staking.
• Soil - This North American native is easily grown in well-drained soil and is drought tolerant after establishment.
• Uses - This spring flowering shrub-like perennial may be used to fill the back of the border or in the wild garden.
• Unique Qualities - The combination of flower and leaf color is dramatic in the early blooming season. Flowers are followed by inflated seed pods that are useful for dried flower arrangements.
• Hardiness - USDA zones 3-9

Past winners inlcude:

• 2009 Hakonechloa macra ‘Aureola'
• 2008 Geranium ‘Rozanne’
• 2007 Nepeta ‘Walker’s Low’
• 2006 Dianthus gratianopolitanus ‘Feuerhexe’
• 2005 Helleborus xhybridus
• 2004 Athyrium niponicum 'Pictum'
• 2003 Leucanthemum 'Becky'
• 2002 Phlox 'David'
• 2001 Calamagrostis x acutiflora 'Karl Foerster'
• 2000 Scabiosa columbaria 'Butterfly Blue'
• 1999 Rudbeckia fulgida var. sullivantii 'Goldsturm'
• 1998 Echinacea purpurea 'Magnus'
• 1997 Salvia 'Mainacht' (May Night)