Catmint (Nepeta)
Zones: 3-9
Bloom Span: Two to three months
Growing Conditions: Very drought tolerant, an excellent substitute for lavender if you cannot get it to grow in your garden as most varieties of gray foliage and flowers that are blue-lavender in color.
Care: Nepata is not the same as catnip, which is somewhat weedy in appearance. Cats are, [...]
As you plan your flower garden, you will most likely want to plant plenty of perennials. Unlike annuals, which only bloom for one season, perennial flowers return year after year. When choosing perennials for your garden, you will need to know the USDA Zone for your area. You can check with your local Extension Office [...]
Peony (Paeonia)
Zones: 2-9
Bloom Time: Late spring and early summer
Growing Conditions: Requires a bit of sun and will grow in most soil conditions.
Care: Peonies come in reds, pinks, whites, and yellows and is an old fashioned garden favorite. It prefers to be left alone once established and does not adjust very quickly when divided. Peony varieties [...]
If you are looking to fill your garden with perennials that are easy to grow and require very little maintenance, you do have several lovely plants to choose from.
Allegheny Foam Flower (Tiarella cordifolia)
Zones: 3-9
Bloom Time: Late spring and early summer
Growing Conditions: Prefers shady, woodland settings
Care: These plants, which contain white or pink flowers that look [...]
Spiderwort (Tradescantia)
Zones: 4-9
Bloom Span: Three to four months
Growing Conditions: Prefers cool and moist soil combined with full sun. Will also grow in partial shade.
Care: Tradescantia can be a bit of an aggressive plant, therefore you may need to control new plant growth by weeding out young plants as they form. Or, you can crowd them [...]
Gayfeather or Blazing Star (Liatris)
Zones: 3-9
Bloom Span: Three Months
Growing Conditions: Easy to grow in just about any soil type, but will likely require staking if grown in rich soil. Will grow in partial shade or in full sun.
Care: Liatris is a long lived plant and usually does not require division. Although they self seed, [...]