Growing Perennials

Mountain mint boats clusters of small white (sometimes lavender) flowers appear in late summer—a welcome bit of cool in the final weeks of summer heat.

Horseradish will happily settle in any sunny corner of your garden, but beware: You’ll have a hard time evicting it if you ever change your mind. Each tiny piece of horseradish root that stays in the ground can sprout a whole new plant.

Aloes are generally undemanding, but be careful not to overwater them.

A lady’s slipper came up in my yard. Someone told me it doesn’t like being moved or fertilized. Any suggestions?

Lavender seeds don’t have a long shelf life, so be sure you’re starting with fresh ones.

 This native prairie grass is popular in gardens because of its year-round beauty, tidy size, decorous behavior, and drought tolerance.

 The yarrow cultivar ‘Apricot Delight’ (Achillea millefolium ‘Apricot Delight’) sails through the heat test, the drought test, the less-than-perfect soil test, and the ain’t-got-time-to-weed test to produce a pretty, lacy display of dusty pink blooms.

Tough, pretty, fragrant, and easy to grow, it’s hard to find another plant that’s so useful in summer drinks.

There are well over 1,000 types of coleus on the market today, in an overwhelming selection of colors, sizes, and shapes. Here are a few favorites to try.

Columbine is tough, tolerant, and able to adapt to a wide variety of soil and light conditions.