Perennials at Reilly's Garden Center

Our Focus for 2013

It is going to be a great year for perennials at Reilly's!  We carry a wide selection of shade and sun perennials, ornamental grasses, groundcovers and rock garden plants, hostas, ferns, daylilies and vines.  

Again this year, we will be focusing on new perennial introductions - plants that have been bred for their color, length of bloom, growth habit or their pest and disease resistance.  Look at our list of the '2013 OUTSTANDING PERENNIALS' in the sidebar of this web page.  And that's only a sampling of what will be on the perennial tables this year!  We also have new varieties of salvias, asters and tickseeds; coneflowers in an array of colors and plant heights; black-eyed Susans that bloom earlier in the season; short 24/7 daylilies that bloom from late spring through fall; and a hardy hibiscus, called 'Heartthrob', with near black buds and stunning dark, deep red flowers.

Many of these new perennial varieties are shorter and more compact plants, perfect for the downsizing baby boomer and the young first-time homeowner.  These plants accommodate smaller garden bed sizes, can be used as groundcovers and are at home in containers.  From groundcovers to cutting flowers, we have chosen varieties with an outstanding color palette, both in flower and foliage.  These plants often have better pest and disease resistance than their predecessors, such as resistance to powdery mildew, and are easy to maintain and require no staking.  Many have long bloom times and fragrant flowers and all are hardy to zone 5.  We even have some shorter ornamental grasses and some newer grass varieties from which to choose.  We are so determined to bring you these plants at reasonable prices that we are growing over 5500 plants this year.  Additionally, we will be expanding our groundcover selection in response to customer requests; several of these plants also are suitable for fairy garden designs and terrariums.              

Reilly's Garden Center is pleased to be the exclusive source for rare and unique woodland shade perennials that come to us from a local nursery where the plants have been grown.  There will be a limited number of these perennials for sale, so come in and see what we think is very special!             

Reilly's always stocks plants that are the backbone of any perennial or mixed border.  These are plants that perform reliably year after year, such as low maintenance sedums, black-eyed Susans, Shasta daisies, salvias, tickseeds, geraniums, Russian sage and asters.  

 As Bambi still threatens our landscapes, we continue to offer a good selection of deer resistant perennials for both shade and sun gardens.  Visit njaes.rutgers.edu/deerresistance and download the PDF version for a comprehensive list of deer resistance in annuals, perennials, shrubs, trees and bulbs.  A copy of this list will be kept at the garden center checkout for your reference when visiting the garden center.              

Reilly's Garden Center is open year-round but the first shipment of spring perennials will arrive during the last week of March.  Subsequent shipments continue almost weekly.  We also will be moving plants that we have grown out of the coldframes to the perennial tables as soon as they are well rooted.  If you cannot find a plant that you are looking for, please ask our staff.  

PERENNIAL PLANT OF THE YEAR  

Each year the Perennial Plant Association chooses one outstanding perennial as the Perennial Plant of the Yeara. For 2013, the PPA has chosen Polygonatum oderatum 'Variegatum', one of the finest and easy to grow perennials valued for its architectural quality in the shade garden.  The gracefully arching, burgundy, unbranched stems of this variegated Solomon's Seal have narrow leaves streaked in white. From May to June, white flowers, in pairs, dangle beneath these stems, maturing into round, black fruits in autumn as the foliage changes to golden yellow before the plant goes dormant.  Plants look great even when not in bloom, their foliage lighting up the shade garden, and the stems are beautiful in cut flower arrangements.  No shade garden should be without it.  

 'Variegatum' is slow to grow but over time will naturalize by rhizomes just under the soil surface to produce a three-foot wide, long-lived clump in five years.  Plants can tolerate heavy shade and grow best in deep, rich, moisture-retentive soil. Growing 18-24 inches tall, 'Variegatum' should be combined with hostas, ferns, Virginia bluebells and other woodland and shade plants.  And it's deer and rabbit resistant, as well.   

If you don't think you have room for 'Variegatum', we have a dwarf Solomon's Seal for you. Stiffly upright to about 8 inches in height, Polygonatum humile has rounded green leaves and white spring blooms arranged in leaf axils on one side of the stem.  It also spreads by underground rhizomes forming a small colony in 2-3 years, scampering about and filling in spaces among other woodland plants. At home in the rock garden, the front of a shady border or in a container planting, this little Solomon's Seal is a real charmer!   

Visit www.perennialplant.org to see a list of past award-winning perennials.    

HOSTA OF THE YEAR            

The American Hosta Growers Association has chosen 'Rainforest Sunrise' as its Hosta of the Year for 2013.  This is a small hosta, maturing to 8 inches in height and 16 inches in width.  Its leaves are solid light green when they emerge, then quickly develop dramatic, dark green borders and radiant gold centers.  Plants produce their best yellow color when planted where they can receive a little morning sun.  The thick, leathery, cupped and corrugated leaves hold up well all season and are slug resistant.  In midsummer, light lavender flowers bloom on 18-inch scapes. A stunning and distinctive new hosta!  

Visit www.hostagrowers.org and click on the Hosta of the Year button to see past award-winning hostas.     

WHAT’S COMING UP!

• Reilly's will be at the Western PA Landscape and Garden Symposium Garden Marketplace and Plant Sale on Saturday, April 20 from 8 a.m. until 3 p.m. at the indoor Ice Rink of the Shady Side Academy Senior School in Fox Chapel.  The Garden Marketplace and Plant Sale is open to the public, as well as to symposium attendees.  Reilly's will have uncommon woodland flowers, as well as newly-introduced annuals, perennials and shrubs.  
• Join us on Saturday, May 25 for Reilly's third annual Iris Dig.  You will be able to purchase iris divisions from selected plants in Reilly's bearded iris beds.  Several of these iris also re-bloom in the fall.  Additional bearded and Siberian iris varieties will be available on the perennial tables at the garden center.  Also, mark your calendar for July 19 and 20,  this year's days for the popular Daylily Dig.
• Join us on a Saturday 11 May at 10AM to see what's new in perennials for 2013.  We'll have both shade and sun perennials for you to see and we'll talk about their cultural needs and how they can be combined with other plants in your gardens.  
• Container plantings have long been valuable additions to gardenscapes.  Traditionally, these have been made up of annuals but, in recent years, tropicals and even perennials have been added to container designs.  Now that plant breeders have introduced shorter, more compact perennials, containers can be all perennials, whether for your patio, deck, balcony or front entrance. Join us on Saturday 25 May at 10AM for a class on perennials containers.  We discuss plants  that can be included in a perennial container design, how to combine them in containers, care for them through the season and overwinter them.  If you wish, we'll help you pot up a container that day.  The class is free but there will be a nominal  charge for materials used in the container planting.  
• Check back during the season for specials and promotions.  Many occur around major holidays, such as Memorial Day, July 4th and Labor Day.  Sign up for Reilly's e-newsletter and never miss sales, promotions and monthly perennial tips and ideas. Dates for all seminars and classes will be included in a future issue of Reilly's e-newsletter.        

SERVICES

Whether you are starting a garden or reworking existing plantings, Reilly's offers a variety of services to help you achieve a beautiful landscape.  Call to schedule a free 30-minute design consultation at the garden center with one of our designers and plant experts.  We'll ask you to bring photos and measurements of your site, and, in return, we will help identify some plants or plant combinations that can work in your garden.   

For larger spaces, we offer two at-home fee-based services: a 1-hour design consultation for ideas and suggestions and a full landscape design service that includes scaled planting plans created by our landscape designers.  Reilly's also offers delivery and planting services to ensure that your plants make it to your home and into the ground safely.  

If you have any question about perennials, please e-mail us at perennials@reillyssummerseatfarm.com or call us at 412-364-8662.

Return to Top