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Medium Perennials and Zones
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by Diana Roberts |
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Category:
Flowers
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| In my last column I talked about the zones for giant perennials, as well as pushing the zone limits. This week I will give you a list of medium perennials and a little more info on zones. |
Zones
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| Zones for Canada were charted for Canada in 1967 and this is the info I was able to gather. If you look at our northern towns you will also see we have a and b zones as well. Terrace is zone 5a, Smithers is zone 2b (on the verge of 3a), Houston is 2b, and Burns Lake is 2a. Of course zone 2b is warmer than zone 2a by 5 degrees Fahrenheit. |
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2a -42.8 to -45.5 C
2b -40.0 to -42.7 C
3a -37.3 to -39.9 C
3b -34.5 to -37.2 C
4a -31.7 to -34.4 C
4b -28.9 to -31.6 C
5a -26.2 to -28.8 C |
Snow
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| Researchers who design zone maps admit that there are no absolutes when it comes to planting zones. A winter which starts off with super low temperatures without snow will sometimes kill plants that should have withstood the winter. On the other hand, winters which start out with a load of snow before it gets really cold will tend to be milder for plants. |
Chances
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| If you really want to be safe it is best to stick to your zone when planting. If you have a bit of a rebel streak in you, go for the gusto and see what comes of it. You may have a plant do well year after year only to have it succumb during a bad winter. To my way of thinking, it is worth the chance you’re taking to grow some wonderful ‘warmer than your zone' plants. Having said that, it’s up to you what plants you choose to grow. |
Medium
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Medium-sized perennials are the ones you put in the middle of your perennial gardens. They are the plants which gently take your eye from the short plants at the front all the way up to the tall plants at the back. Though they help to draw your eye upward gently, they don’t go unnoticed. They just help things flow. |
Mature
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One thing to remember about tall, medium or short perennials, it's very likely that you can find varieties in more than one group. When buying perennials, pay close attention to the mature height. I group plants this way: tall is over 24 inches, medium are under 24 but over 10-12 inches and short are under 10 inches. Giant perennials can grow to 5 or 6 feet or more!
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Examples
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Now for some medium plants; Oriental poppies and daylilies both of which come in a variety of colors, are hardy to zone 2. If you have grown daylilies, you will also realize that they come in taller varieties which would fit into my definition of tall perennials.
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More
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Then you have the purple bachelor buttons, pink or white bleeding hearts, orange gaillardia, golden black-eyed Susan, blue salvia and pink stone crop all of which are hardy to zone 3. Also hardy to zone 3 are some lovely ferns and a variety of hosta.
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And more
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Carnations and lupines, both of which come in a variety of colors, are hardy to zone 4. I know carnations are a bit delicate at times, but I have grown them for years very successfully. Anyone who has grown lupines would laugh at the thought that they are only hardy to zone 4. This is a great flower which seems much hardier than suggested. The blue speedwell, or veronica, and various colors of achillea and coreopsis are also hardy to zone 4. Penstemon, which has red leaves and pale pink flowers, is only hardy to zone 5, but would be well worth growing if you can get it through the winters.
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