the garden is very relaxing. Now add a few brightly colored butterflies flickering from flower to flower and all the work and planning of this garden is worth the work. The best perennial for attracting butterflies to your garden is the Butterfly weed plant. The plant produces endless flowers in colors of orange, pink, red, and white that are filled with nectar. The nectar will draw these beautiful creatures to your garden all day long and at night invite moths to join in on the fun. This perennial has unusual handsome foliage that grows in a clump with upward growing branches. The stems are thick and the foliage is leathery, shiny and smooth. When any part of the plant is broken, a milky white sap will flow and quickly seal the break. The flowers come in clusters on long stems and each blossom is star-shaped. Seedpods are special because they are filled with hundreds of seed attached to a silky looking parachute that moves the seed from your garden to open patches of soil. The flowers bloom for about 6 weeks and this beautiful plant will grow 2 feet tall and just as wide. Plants grow best in a full sun location or light shade. Butterfly weed will grow in most soils but prefer a soil conditioned with compost and animal manure before planting. The better the soil, the bigger the plant will be and that means more flowers. Plant in a meadow garden, mixed borders, rock garden, cut flower garden or specimen plant near a garden pool.
Growing perennials in the shade or flowers in general in the shade is not easy. The one perennial that will do quite well for you in the shade and it is called the Astilbe. The Astilbe will grow well in the full sun to shade as long as your soil are rich in organic matter to retain moisture during the hot days of summer. The plant produces a flower that resembles a feathery plume in many colors such as white, pink, purple and red. The flowers grow 1 to 3 feet tall and will flower for 4 to 6 weeks long during June, July and August. As a cut flower the flower will last a week or more easily. The plant will spread 1 to 3 feet wide and if you want the best show of color plant them in a grouping of 3 to 5 plants. This plant does not need staking and will thrive with neglect. When the weather gets dry the plant may brown up a bit along the edges of the leaves but it will return like new next year.
Selecting plants for the rock garden or the front of a perennial border can be a real challenge. Here is a long blooming perennial that will flower most of the summer usually in shades of orange, pink, red, yellow and white. The Potentilla has evergreen foliage and a flower that resembles a strawberry flower with five-petals. The plant has a mounding habit growing 1 to 2 feet tall that is usually covered with flowers all summer. Its cousin the shrub type Potentilla is more popular but the red flowering perennial type is a real standout when in bloom. Potentilla loves a soil that has been condition with compost and animal manure. Plant in sunny to partial shade location and if the climate has cool weather during the summer it will thrive. If your climate has hot summer weather be sure to plant in partial shade during the heat of the day. After the first heavy flowering in early summer cut the plant back and it will flower all over again. No major insect or disease problems. Fertilize monthly for the best color with a granular fertilizer.
Summer is a season of exciting flowers with unusual color and one of the best is the Red Hot Poker or Torch Lily. This very hardy perennial grows 3 to 4 feet tall and the flower looks like it is glowing. The flower color ranges from cream, orange, red and yellow and some times the bloom has all these colors on one flower. The flowers start in early summer and last until fall. They grow best in full sun but will tolerate some shade. They also love a rich soil containing a lot of compost and manure and is well drained. Plants do not like to be moved but if you must make sure it is in the early spring. There is no serious insects or diseases problem with this beautiful flower. The