Over the past 5 or 6 years I have been experimenting with a wide variety of perennials in my home garden.   I have been doing this to see what works well and what doesn’t so when I plant in a customers garden I know the plant material will have a better than average chance of survival, no matter what.  One of the difficulties in perennial planting is the sustainability of the flower and getting the right mix of color variety with the timing of the blooms.  Some of the more difficult colors or blue perennials and red perennials.  Here I have great suggestions for both of those colors and a fantastic centerpiece to any garden.

#1 – Cat Mint

One of the best blue perennials I have found is Cat Mint.  This perennial has it all.  Great foliage color and texture, relatively low growing and spreading.  Beautiful little blue perennial flowers that the butterflies love and a great scent when the leaves are crushed.  This little gem will do well on borders or in areas where you need something to take up some space but not get too crazy. 

Buy Catmint Here

Its hardiness is outstanding as well.  I pulled some of mine out at the end of last year because I needed to do a little clean up and this year it is right back at reclaiming its rightful place in the middle of my perennial experiment. 

#2 – Angel’s Trumpet

Angel Trumpet, Red

The next plant I would like to introduce is a great performer.  The Angel’s Trumpet is just an outstanding shrub perennial to have in your garden.  This tropical plant is a large shrub or small tree in the Columbian and Ecuadorian Andes where it grows and around 10,000 feet.  It is part of the same family as the tomato and potato but unlike them all parts are poisonous.  The blooms are breathtaking as they form a trumpet like flower that hangs down from the plant.

Angel Trumpet, Red

The Angel’s Trumpets were once botanically combined with the Daturas, which includes our native Jimson weed. Botanists seem to have finally agreed that they belong in separate genera. Datura has erect flowers that usually last only one day and a seed pod covered in stout thorns. Brugmansia has a smooth seed pod when one forms.

These plants are incredible and full of mystery and lore. There is some history of usage in shaman and witchcraft rituals and recipes. Here is a great book that details the plants and their history

It takes some time for it to come to life in the South but once it starts to grow you can practically see it getting larger by the day.  As it starts to mature and gain some height it soon starts to add its flare to your garden and becomes one of the centerpieces of the season.   

#3 – Bee Balm

Red is a must have in the garden but in the perennial world it is sometimes an elusive color.  Bee Balm is one of the best red southern perennials available.  It will do well in sun or shade has a great sturdy flower stem that launches its dazzling red high into the summer flower sphere and will grow from fast creeping runners.  The spread will reach 2 – 4 feet and a 2 – 3 foot height so division every 2 – 3 years is possible. These tight heads of tubular, red flowers are also surrounded by a whorl of colored leafy bracts.  The leaves in fact are what give Earl Gray tea its aroma and flavor.  This one is another “must have” in the Southern Gardeners garden.