This is a tale of two sisters in the sun:  Salvia and Penstemon.  Both can be wonderful additions to your garden!

Annual salvia always had a special place in the Virginia garden home where I grew up.  Each year my mom planted a terra cotta pot with red annual salvia, purple petunias and white alyssum as our family's tribute to the 4th of July.  As a young adult I moved to Colorado. When I asked for salvia at the garden shop, I was shown the perennial variety that wasn't red and didn't even look like the salvia I remembered. Perennial?  I wasn't even sure what that meant.  But I bought one, planted it and was instantly hooked.  This is a plant that has Colorado written all over it: drought tolerant, long-blooming and hardy.  It's no wonder it's actually a member of the sage family, having both culinary and medicinal uses.  There are several varieties to choose from; perhaps the most common is a deep purple called May Night.  Like the annual salvia, perennial salvia flowers are arranged in spikes and bloom from the bottom up.  Perennial salvia flowers are much smaller; however, they are also more profuse.  Perennial salvia also comes in pink, is very easy to grow from seed, tolerates poor soil and loves full sun. The plant will get 2 to 3 feet high and will re-bloom if deadheaded after its first bloom in June.  By midsummer the lower leaves will begin to drop, so plan to camouflage the die back with some companion plants - perhaps some red annual salvia or red petunias and white alyssum.  Mom will be proud you remembered your patriotic "roots!"

Another good choice for your sunny perennial bed is the penstemon or beardtongue family.  These plants are very useful in Colorado because of their vivid color, drought hardiness and adaptability to Colorado's lean soils.  In fact, penstemons will not do well if pampered with an amended soil.  Annual flower gardeners often think penstemons look like snapdragons and in fact they are related, having tubular flowers on a long stalk with leaves at the bottom.  However, the penstemon clan will amaze you with its diverse plant and flower characteristics.  Many colors are available, including white, pink, red, blue and purple.  Some varieties have veining in deeper colors.  Hummingbirds and bees are especially attracted to the red and bright pink varieties, which can grow to 3 feet tall.  Penstemon grandiflora are truly statuesque with their tough blue-green foliage and hearty stalks of long, tubular flowers.  Bumblebees totally disappear into these flowers!  Try the mexicali hybrids if you are looking for remarkable blooming stamina June through September.  Prairie Fire penstemon, a shorter variety, grows 6 to 12 inches tall.  Fiery red -orange is most common, and unlike the taller penstemons, can tolerate some shade.  A yellow version called Mersea Yellow is also available.  Both of these plants prefer a lean soil on the dry side.

One other penstemon deserves mention, if only for you Nebraska Cornhusker fans.  "Husker Red" penstemon can be quite a celebrity in the perennial bed, particularly when combined with coneflower, iris, and perennial grasses.  This penstemon has striking reddish-green foliage and wisps of cream-colored flowers atop long stems.  Flowers are not the real attraction here, but the foliage certainly is.

Both salvia and penstemon families are great choices for your sunny perennial garden.  If you are just entering the world of perennial gardening, these are proven survivors in the Colorado landscape.  They are also somewhat familiar because of their relation to their annual cousins, which makes them a bit more approachable as starter perennials for gardeners wanting to "cross over."  Go ahead, make the leap and try these sisters in the sun.  You won't be disappointed.

Q: I love asparagus. Is it easy to grow here?

A:  Yes. You can grow asparagus up to 10,000 feet.  Plant year old crowns in April but there will be no production the first year. In early spring of the 2nd year, cut above ground "ferns" to ground level and work a nitrogen fertilizer into the bed. Soon the bright green spears will emerge.  Snap spears off at ground level before the tiny heads open.

Q:  My rhubarb bed was very productive for the past 4-5 years. This year it isn't growing at all. Is this typical?

A: Rhubarb plants can remain productive indefinitely , but good growth depends on building up nutrient reserves in the crowns. Perhaps the soil became depleted of essential nutrients. Add 3 pounds ammonium nitrate per 1,000 sq. ft. to the bed each spring before growth begins. It is also possible that insects or disease wiped out the roots this winter. Fresh, disease free stock is easily available every spring. Try starting a new bed and enjoy!

Q: Are green onions and scallions the same plant?

A: Technically, green onions are onion tops of any variety that are pulled and bunched before bulbs form underground. But some are especially bred for bunching and never bulb, such as Belsville and Evergreen varieties. Scallion is a name given to immature bulbing onions that have thicker necks and do not store well. They are usually left on in the fields and harvested with the mature onions.

Instead of using plants to decorate your landscape, try using various items that don't need to be watered.  Some of these can be moss rocks, water features or statues to name but a few.  There are many ideas that can be used instead of grass.

If you need to prioritize the plants that receive water in your landscape, ask yourself the following questions. 1)  Is the plant established or new (new plants will need more water)?  2)  Is it a favorite plant or one that I don't much care for? 3)  Is the plant scraggly looking or healthy?  4)  Is it a perennial (does it come back each year)? Annuals can be easily replaced.

Do not over water plants in our Colorado clay soils. Clay soils hold a lot of water and can easily cause root rot.  A way to check soil moisture is to insert a long screwdriver into the soil. If it goes in easily, the soil is probably moist.  If it is difficult to insert, you probably need to water.

The authors have received training through Colorado State University Cooperative Extension's Master Gardener program and is a Master Gardener volunteer for Larimer County.

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This page updated:  June 17, 2003