Late Spring Power Perennials

As June settles in and summer approaches, there are several stellar perennials that shine in our late spring gardens! To qualify as “power” perennials, these plants are hardy, reliable and easy to care for.

Herbaceous Peony ‘Monsieur Jules Elie’ (Photo by Nancy Marie Allen)

In my opinion, herbaceous Peonies are the backbone of the June border. These tough and long-lived perennials bloom individually for only a couple of weeks each year but by staggering early, mid and late varieties you can create weeks of bounteous peony blooms in your garden. And the blooms are just spectacular! The flowers can be single, double, white, pink, red, purple, coral, yellow and everything in between. Then, there’s the intoxicating fragrance which rivals that of lilacs and roses.

White Peony buds are touched with red (Photo by Nancy Marie Allen)

Peonies make fabulous cut flowers, too, and a vase full of blooms will scent an entire room! To help the blooms last, cut the flowers when they are still in the round “ball” stage, just before they open. Typically on the tall side at 3 to 4 feet, peonies look best when grown through a support which will keep the heavy blooms off the ground.

Ants are constant (but harmless) Peony companions (Photo by Nancy Marie Allen)

Peonies are so lovely that it’s easy to create a whole flower garden theme around them. Romantic and old-fashioned, they look stunning with Allium, Hardy Geranium, Iris, Foxglove and Lady’s Mantle. Even after the flowers fade, the foliage remains healthy and green well into fall, enhancing your garden with its beauty all season long. Peonies can live 50 or more years and grow best in hardiness zone 3 to 8 as they require a good winter chill to bring on their blooms.

Lady’s Mantle (Photo by Nancy Marie Allen)

Alchemilla Mollis, commonly known as Lady’s Mantle, is another spring perennial that keeps its good looks all season long. The rounded, gray-green leaves catch water droplets which make the plants magically sparkle in the early morning light, but it’s the tiny chartreuse blooms on 14 to 18″ flower sprays that make this perennial a stand-out in the June garden.

Lady’s Mantle shines next to late spring bulbs (Photo by Nancy Marie Allen)

These sunny sprays complement other late spring bloomers and make an outstanding filler when used in bouquets. Left on the plants, the flower sprays will dry, creating late-season interest; they can also be used as decorative accents in dried fall arrangements. Lady’s Mantle grows into large clumps that can be easily divided and shared in early spring. They grow best in hardiness zones 3 to 8.

Iris look stunning planted en masse (Photo courtesy of Pixabay)

My third power perennial for late spring is the stately Iris. There are so many varieties available that selection can be a little overwhelming. The bearded types make a big statement with large, ruffled blooms, while Siberian Iris with their smaller flowers and slender strappy foliage are lovely vertical garden accents. Many Iris are multi-hued and fragrant; some even rebloom in the fall! My suggestion is to pick a blooming time and type you prefer and then settle on some dazzling colors, for Iris come in a virtual rainbow of blooms from white to almost black! In fact, “Iris” was the name of the Greek goddess of the rainbow who also served as a messenger to the Gods. Iris do best in hardiness zones 3 to 9.

Iris chart courtesy of TheFlowerExpert.com
Bearded Iris (Photo by Nancy Marie Allen)

These classic late spring perennials should be a part of everyone’s June garden!

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The Power of Fragrance

With the advent of spring, I’ve been treated to many beautiful flower photos on social media while, in my own garden, the earliest bulbs are just beginning to waken from their winter’s rest.  Over the next couple of weeks, the garden will come alive with tiny blooms while their sweet fragrance will once again fill the air.

flowers plant spring macro
Photo by Pixabay on Pexels.com

The first emerging spring flowers such as Snowdrops, Chionodoxa, Puschkinia, and Crocus may be small in appearance but they can be big on fragrance.  Since you would have to be at ground level to catch their delicate scents, many people miss them altogether.  To capture this fleeting essence of early spring, I like to cut some of these little gems and place them in vases inside where their soft colors and subtle fragrances can be enjoyed close-up.

selective focus photography of yellow flowers
Photo by David Jakab on Pexels.com

As I take it all in, I know it’s just the beginning of many weeks of delightful garden scents as Daffodils, Hyacinth, Tulips, Lily of the Valley and Alliums make their debut!  Soon, the fragrances of blooming shrubs and perennials will envelop us.  One only has to take a walk on a warm spring day to fall under this intoxicating aromatic spell; all around, fragrance permeates the air!

relax old rest book
Photo by Pixabay on Pexels.com

There are many scents that I enjoy this time of year, but if I could pick just one flower that speaks to me most powerfully, it would be the Lilac.  Here in New England, it’s hard to find a yard that doesn’t include at least one lilac shrub.  Many people have several different colors and some properties even boast lilac hedges.  It’s a perennial favorite and for good reason – there is simply nothing else like the fragrance of lilacs!

white lilac veri-ivanova-17534-unsplash
White Lilac (Photo courtesy Veri Ivanova – Unsplash)

More than any other flower, lilacs hold the magical power to transport me to another time and place.  The scent carries sweet associations of my childhood as I envision the white and purple blooms by the back porch, my mother filling a vase for the house or my little self carrying a small bouquet to school.  It’s the fragrance of many cherished memories!

close up photography of pink roses under sunny sky
Photo by Skitterphoto on Pexels.com

The romantic scent of Roses also has a powerful effect on me, carrying me back to a gentler time when ladies wore long flowing dresses and carried parasols to protect their fair skin from the sun.  My mind conjures up images of Downton Abbey, the grand entrance filled with huge oriental vases, all overflowing with fragrant English roses.  Thanks in part to the efforts of breeder David Austin, the romance of rose growing has resurged in recent years and it’s easy to find roses of many colors everywhere you buy plants.  Once you’ve added fragrant roses to your garden, you will never again want to be without them!

girl sitting on grass smelling white petaled flower
Photo by Tetyana Kovyrina on Pexels.com

The next time you pass a beautiful bloom, go ahead and give it a deep sniff.  Take the time to stop and smell the flowers!  It may surprise you to find out that many plants we don’t typically think of as fragrant carry their own sweet scents such as Pansies, Violas, Iris, Astilbes, Daylilies, and even some Hostas.  This year, try incorporating some fragrant flowers into your gardens or outdoor pots and experience what the power of fragrance can do for you!

 

 

 

 

 

 

DISCLOSURE: This post contains affiliate links to the companies listed below. When you click through on a link and make a purchase, I may make a small commission at no additional cost to you. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. Thank You!