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If your perennial bed lacks pizzazz during the
dog days of summer, look to the prairie. Perennials whose ancestral
roots are found on the American prairies & echinacea , rudbeckia
(Black-eyed Susans), liatris (Kansas gayfeather),gaillardia and
various ornamental grasses & hold up under any number of stressful
circumstances. Heat, humidity, drought and insect invasions may
temporarily dampen the enthusiasm of these perennials, but rarely
cause any long-term damage.
Hassle-Free Hybrids
Too often, hybridizing for color or structure takes a lot of the
stamina away from plants, but not so with these prairie delights.
The latest introductions in Liatris, for example, has produced stronger
stems, and white flowers in addition to lavender. Plants are also
available in a mid-sized variety; many people don't have the yard
space to accommodate a 3-foot tall tower of flowers. Echinacea also
comes in white, rosy pink and a pink so deep it's almost purple.
These hybrids still hold up to heat, drought, and soil that is less
than optimal.
Going To Extremes
Prairie temperatures are consistently inconsistent over the course
of a year. It's not uncommon for summer temperatures to reach into
the 90s, followed by snow squalls and 40 degree temperatures in
early October. Subzero temperatures and scarce winter snowfalls
are also fairly common. For this reason, any plant native to our
prairies has to be resilient. Prairie flowers can withstand weeks
of summer heat and, with a little watering, stay flowering well
beyond the extreme temperatures. Moreover, these flowers deal well
with extreme winter temperatures, too. The only thing that seems
to adversely affect prairie perennials is being pampered to death.
Overwatering and overfeeding can kill one of these plants after
it has withstood heat, cold and drought.
Bugs Don't Bug Them
July and August are the months most gardeners face an onslaught
of nature's weapon of mass destruction, the Japanese beetle. These
bronze bombers attack everything, from astilbe to zinnias, with
their favorite noshes being tender leaves and ready-to-bloom flowers
buds. Maybe it's the tough, spiny foliage of these plants that dissuades
the beetles from attacking, but prairie perennials seem to withstand
the annual summer onslaught of the worst bug offenders with a minimum
of stress. While dahlias are turned into brown-edged lace and roses
become completely decimated, prairie perennials continue to bloom
and grow.
Low Maintenance With High Rewards
Although these perennials don't need a lot of maintenance, a minimum
amount of human intervention will keep your little flowers of the
prairie looking good all summer. First, offer them a good, long-term
feeding at the beginning of each season. Normally, these perennials
don't emerge from the ground until April, so any time-released fertilizer
(3-6 months) will work well. Second, deadhead the plants as the
old blooms die back. Without deadheading, prairie flowers tend to
look like so many weeds; routine deadheading will keep them blooming
through some of the leanest times, and also will help keep the plants
in bounds. Finally, flowers such as liaitris and rudbeckia can use
some support during the growing season. Many people use these against
a fence, which serves to support the flowers as well. In the absence
of landscape structures, some simple chicken wire netting placed
6 inches off the ground eliminates the perpetual sprawl that these
plants exhibit when their stems are abundant with flowers.
Take pity on those puny, peaked perennials
that poop out during August. Add some prairie perennials to your
beds, and watch them bloom when everything else falters.
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