Every year, towards the end of summer, I can't help but go to my favorite greenhouse just to see what bargains might be left for the taking. You never know when you might find something great that's been overlooked.
About five years ago, while perusing leftover annuals and perennials at Glick's Greenhouses in Oley, an odd-looking plant caught my eye. It had two stems about 5-ft. tall with large blooms resembling sunflowers. It was in the area of the perennials, and I thought how great would it be to have a perennial "sunflower." There was no tag, so I had no idea what this "mystery" plant actually was, other than perennial.
It cost $1.95, so I figured what the heck ... I took it home and found a spot near the corner of the garden pathway, between a butterfly bush and clematis. I couldn't wait till the next summer to see what it would do.
Well, it certainly didn't disappoint. The plant came up abundant the next year, much more dense than the two stems I had purchased it as. It grew at least 4-ft. tall and had fabulous sunflower-like yellow blooms from July-September. We absolutely loved it and referred to it as our "sunflower bush."

It continued to stay hardy and spread. I had to start digging it up each year, because it was spreading too much. I've given it to my mother, friends and coworkers and they've all had success. I've planted it all along our fence and it provides a beautiful screen.
I recently found it in a nursery while on vacation and, after learning its proper name (helianthus x multiflorus), looked it up on the Internet. Here's what I found.
It's common name is Capenoch Star, and it is actually considered a Perennial Sunflower. Who knew? It's clean, deep green leaves give way to large, single, bright yellow flowers that are reminiscent of annual sunflowers with their wide centers. Refreshing and attractive .. especially to butterflies and bees. It prefers moist soils in full sun, but is tolerant of drought and light shade. Fertilizer is recommended, but believe me, I've never had to do anything to propagate this plant. It may be divided or can be rooted thru cuttings.

The site warns that Helianthus can be quite invasive, which I've found to be true. And because of its height, it's best utilized in the back of a border garden to accent lower growing perennials.
So don't ever be afraid of buying that Mystery Plant. Sometimes you get a better bargain than you ever thought you would!

Ok, I admit it -- I'm a sucker for Salvia! This maintenance-free plant gets me every time. I've always had some variety in my garden and this year is no different.

There are over 900 varieties on record of Salvia, and it's available as both perennial and annual.

Perennial salvia, also known as sage (pictured above), is available in several cultivars, grown for the summer show of violet-purple spikes of bloom on plants that reach 2 to 3 feet tall. The cultivar "May Night" is distinguished by having dark violet-blue flower spikes on a more dwarf plant, reaching about 18 to 24 inches tall. I happen to have three of these and have transplanted them a few times over the years. They always come back bigger and better than before. If it gets too tall, cut it back in midsummer. The plant will come back bushier with more blooms in the fall. It likes full sun to partial shade.

The annual salvias come in different colors such as red, lavendar, coral and even white. It also comes in different sizes and leaf shapes. This hardy plant often reseeds itself. As seen here, it's coming up all over my garden path even though I haven't planted any new annual salvias in over three years.

My favorite annual specimens are the Lady in Red and the Coral Nymph, which is a salmon and white bicolor on compact plants. These uniform heat and drought-tolerant plants reach 2-ft. tall and bloom prolifically.

So if you're looking for something that needs no tending to at all, go for the Salvias, in any variety. You can't go wrong.

Enjoy this photo of my first Sunflower of the season. It just opened yesterday right in the middle of my new cutting garden. Everything's coming up really nicely and will be ready to make some nice arrangements for in the house.

Next up, the veggie garden update -- how's your veggie garden growing? Another look at those Earth Boxes, which are doing very well, by the way. And how about a couple of zucchini recipes, now that we are getting swamped with them?