Sun perennial pick

Achillea ptarmica The Pearl yarrow

As a perennial gardener, who diligently tries to have something in bloom most of the season, sometimes there are voids in the garden.  The Garden Shop has many plants I refer to as “fillers”, those who with a little pruning or deadheading will continue to bloom throughout the entire season.  One such sun-loving plant is a specific type of yarrow, called Pearl.  Most common yarrows can become somewhat leggy after they bloom, but not the Pearl, it puts out beautiful new blooms after being pruned back.  What makes this perennial one of my favorites, is that it does expand and fill-in, but not invasively.  And it can be divided easily, when it does become too large.  The Pearl has small white double blooms, reminiscent of baby’s breath, only in my opinion, much prettier.  The botanical name of the Pearl is Achillea ptarmica ‘The Pearl’. 

Shade perennial pick

Lewisia

Some plants can be more difficult to grow for a variety of reasons.  One such beauty is Lewisia.  I read about it for several years, before trying it, and it has proven to be a wonderful addition to the shade garden, even though I had several die, before I found just the right environment for it.  The books all say that Lewisia needs really good drainage, so of course I followed those guidelines. In my yard, good drainage means a rather warm microclimate and unfortunately I had two disastrous attempts.  Once a plant starts to wither, the acute gardener knows that something is wrong. Therefore on my third attempt, I dug up and moved my Lewisia to a much cooler environment, where in my opinion the soil did not drain terribly well, but viola, my Lewisia is thriving!  So, yes, the garden books are a great source of information, but sometimes being an astute and experimental gardener is best. 

Jan Loverin, M.S.

Washoe County Certified Nursery Worker

ISA Certified Arborist