A common sentiment among gardeners is that it’s hard to achieve year-round color in the garden — especially true for Maine’s early spring, which could occur anywhere from late April to mid-June. While bulbs like tulips and daffodils are one way to bridge the gap between mud season and growing season, planting early perennials is another. 

Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens is harnessing the visual power of perennials as staff horticulturists work to plant out the garden beds in front of both the new Visitor Center and the new Native Butterfly and Moth House, a hoop house featuring native pollinators along with their host and nectar plants. Gardens horticulturists are using the pop of color early perennials provide to add focal interest to these early gardens. 

The plantings this year include some perennial mainstays as well as a few cultivars new to the Gardens. Zizia aurea, or golden Alexander, with its small yellow flowers is a stellar butterfly nectar plant. Partial to damp woodlands and meadows, this member of the carrot family is a perfect addition to a native plant garden. Hydrangea arborescens ‘Blush,’ is a hardy shrub, up to the challenge of even the harshest Maine winter. Come June, this cultivar boasts showy flower heads bursting with clouds of pale pink blossoms blooming through September. Cultivars new to the Gardens this year include Hosta ‘Halcyon’ which, with its lilac-blue bell-shaped flowers, is a favorite among hummingbirds. With their shade-loving tendencies, hostas are a must for many a Maine garden.  
On the sunnier side of the spectrum, Coreopsis verticillata, or tickseed—easy to grow and displaying bright, full-season blooms in shades of yellow, pink, coral, and burgundy—is a favorite among pollinators, perfect for the sunnier spots in the garden. The bright daisy-like flowers make good cutting flowers, lovely in a sunny border. Finally, Linum perenne, or blue flax, with its fern-like foliage and abundance of long-blooming, sky-blue flowers makes a striking contrast in a sunny section of your flowerbed.

Early color, however, isn’t the only reason to make perennials a garden go-to. Because of their deeper, more established root systems, perennials help improve soil structure, bring nutrients and moisture to the soil surface where other plants can access them, serve as a cover crop in during the winter months, and because perennials grow each year from the same rootstock, they don’t require as much work during the spring cleanup and soil prepping period. Though they might need occasional dividing, once established, perennials need very little care beyond weeding. 

To that end, Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens is offering a season-long series this year, “Perennials for Four Seasons.” The classes in this four-part series are designed to inspire students with staff selections of favorite perennial plants perfect for showing off each period of the year. Seasonal flower shapes, colors, textures and plant forms are all key features that will be explored, leading to strong, beautiful performance in the four-season landscape. 

The first class focuses on spring perennials and begins June 8, from 9:30-11:30 a.m. CMBG horticulturist and grower Dan Robarts will cover a large selection of spring-performing perennials as he guides participants through a few of CMBG’s gardens. Robarts will explore the often underused spring ephemerals, blueberries, campanulas and more. Tuition is $38 for Gardens members, $46 for nonmembers. Those interested in either a single class or in the series can register online or by calling 633-8008. For more information visit www.MaineGardens.org.