Do you invite every family and friend to your house to celebrate our nation's birthday? Have you ever wished your lawn were bursting with patriotic flair for the big festivity? Whether you have a large yard or just a few pots, you can plan your party and show off your patriotism year after year with these tried and true perennial plants.

The parenthesis given behind the plant is to indicate size of the plant (VS-very short 1"-6", S-short 6"-12", M-medium 1'-3'), the percent bloom coverage and sun preference (FS-full sun, PS-part sun/part shade, S-full shade.)

Reds:

Gaillardia x grandiflora 'Goblin', blanket flower (S-63-FS)
Heuchera sanguinea, coral bells (S-95-PS)
Sedum spurium 'Red Carpet', two-row sedum (S-88-FS)
Achillea millefolium 'Red Beauty', common yarrow (M-100-FS)
Knautia Macedonia, knautia (M-70-FS)
Lychnis chalcedonica, Maltese cross (M-69-PS)
Penstemon pinifolius, pineleaf penstemon (M-77-PS)

Whites:

Sedum nevii, stonecrop (VS-58-FS)
Oenorthera speciosa 'Siskiyou', compact Mexican evening primrose (S-95)
Achillea ptarmica 'The Pearl' (M-83)
Clematis recta, bush clematis (M-100)
Leucanthemum x superbum 'Esther Read', shasta daisy (M-100-PS)
Lilium species, lily (M-80-FS)

Blues:

Campanula rotundifolia, Scotch bluebell (S-94-PS)
Gentiana septemfida, crested gentian (S-100-PS)
Geranium himalayense, bigroot geranium (S-70-PS)
Clematis integriolia, solitary clematis (M-85-PS)

The local Fort Collins nurseries carry almost all the plant varieties listed with a couple exceptions. They are prepared to help with any substitutions.
Many of these plants attract birds and butterflies. A few of them are rated xeric. As always, when planting assure the right soil conditions are given for the plant and water only as much as recommended once they are established. This will help in yielding a gorgeous, robust blooming period. And if your potato salad didn't turn out the way your Grandmother made it, no worries, your guests will be enchanted and entertained by your Perennial Patriotic Plants.

My thanks to Alyssa, Marie and Allison at Gulley's, Bath and Fort Collins Nurseries respectively for their help in reviewing this list. To Dr. James Klett and Celia Tannehill, M.S. for their wonderful book Best Perennials for the Rocky Mountains and High Plains.

Where Trade Names Are Used, No Discrimination Is Intended, and
No Endorsement by Colorado State University Cooperative Extension Is Implied.

Q. What shall I look for when buying bedding plants?

A. Perhaps the best measurement of a healthy plant can be seen in the roots. A well-formed network of whitish roots binding the soil together indicates a healthy plant. Plant problems often begin with root disorders. The health of the root affects the size and color. It the roots are in poor shape, usually the top will tell you. Stressed roots, however, may not be obvious from the green leaves or buds. Gently ease the plant from the container. If no roots are present, the plant was recently transplanted and has not yet reached its prime. Generally, the root ball should fill the container. If the root circles the container, the plant is root bound, a stressful condition indicating you will need to trim away larger roots and tease out all the root-bound soil masses before planting. Reject a plant with black roots or if the roots have a strong odor.

Healthy bedding plants have a well-branched structure or bushy appearance. The plants appear vigorous with well-shaped leaves, a bright rich color and are free of insects or disease symptoms. Shop early for the best selection and pinch off the flowers of young transplants as you plant them. This reduces transplant shock, and redirects the plant's energy to the production of a strong root system. Removing the first flowers helps the plant survive the heat of summer and means more flowers or fruit later.

Q: How important is soil temperature when planting a vegetable garden?

A: Different spring weather favors different vegetables. Cool-season vegetables thrive and produce bountiful crops during cool, early spring days when frost or snow is likely. They are intolerant of extremely hot weather. These vegetables germinate at a soil temperature of 40 degrees, but the optimum temperature is 65 - 75 degrees. "Hardy" vegetables, such as, broccoli, cabbage, kohlrabi, onions, lettuce, peas, radish, spinach, turnips will grow with daytime temperatures as low as 40 degrees. When it's too hot their quality tends to decline and they toughen, lose sweetness or split. "Semi-hardy" vegetables such as, beets, carrots, cauliflower, parsley, parsnips, potatoes, and Swiss chard prefer 40 - 50 degree daytime temperatures without frost.

Warm-season vegetable seeds germinate with a minimum of 50 degrees, but the optimum temperature is 80 - 90 degree. They require a long hot growing season. The hotter summer becomes the better they will do, provided they receive enough moisture. Usually these vegetables are transplants or have been grown in soil heated by mulch, black plastic or row covers extending the growing season. Examples of "tender vegetables" are beans, celery, corn, cucumbers, New Zealand spinach and summer squash. "Very tender vegetables" are not only intolerant of frost, but cool spring winds. These vegetables include lima beans, cantaloupe, eggplant, pepper, pumpkin, winter squash, pumpkins, tomato and watermelon.

Q: I have dozens of container pots filled with potting soil left over from last summer. Do I have to replace the potting soil every year?

A: No. You can take one-half of the soil out of the containers, put it in a wheelbarrow or on a tarp, and add two inches of good compost per eight inches of soil. Mix the ingredients in order to enrich the soil and put air back into the planting mix. All the old potting soil lacks is nutrients but can be reused year after year as long as you add additional composting or organic materials. Another problem may occur, however, if the pots filled with soil experience the moisture/heating/freezing/thawing cycle during the winter. Unless the pots have been glazed at extremely high temperatures, they may crack and disintegrate in one winter season without being covered for protection.

Roses for our noses! In early May, mulch should be removed from around rose bushes. Prune the dead, damaged and diseased canes-however, delay close or low pruning at least two weeks before the last killing spring frost. Two weeks later, follow up with either an all purpose fertilizer such as 8-10-8 (apply every four to six weeks during the growing season, but not after August 15) or a time-release fertilizer (these may be more expensive; however they only need to be applied once a year).

Lumps in a lawn are good! Lumps are caused by earth worms and night crawlers. These squirmy, beneficial buddies eat thatch, grass clippings and other organic matter, recycle nutrients, and as if that's not enough-they even aerate the soil! If a healthy, yet lumpy, lawn does not coincide with the ideal, then aerating in the spring and fall in addition to using a lawn roller (this is a device with a weighted cylinder that rolls along the ground) may help smooth the surface.

Patience can be a virtue when it comes to cleaning up your spent bulbs; they may not be pretty as the leaves yellow, but beauty demands sacrifice! After flowering, remove only the faded bloom. The remaining foliage will continue to make food, in the form of carbohydrates, for the bulb (this would also be a good time to apply a balanced fertilizer). When the leaves and stems have become yellow and easily pull from the ground, their job is done.

Perennials can be divided on cool, cloudy days or in the evening. Gently dig a clump around the base leaving as many roots as possible. Shake away the excess soil, and then use a sharp, clean knife to make two or three new divisions. Plant the "newbies" in prepared soil and keep them moist until the roots re-establish; share them with a friend, what a way to say you care!

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:  May 4, 2004