The very familiar purple coneflower and yellow rudbeckia are set off in front of liatris and feather reed grass. These provide a colorful boarder for a walkway. Both are very easy to grow and tolerate full sun to partial shade. A little work of dead-heading will provide an extended flowering season from mid-summer well into the fall. One of the things I like about these plants is that they are native to Illinois although several color variants have been developed.
If you are looking for inspiration as to what grows well in our area, I like the book “Perennials for Illinois” written by William Aldrich and Don Williamson. This book provides not only color pictures of every plant but also a narrative on How to grow, When to grow and What to watch out for.
Planning for next years garden should be taking place now. Take pictures each month of your garden and create a monthly photo catalog. This should help you in planning what types of flowers need to be added to your garden so you can have color all season long.
Be sure and call the University of Illinois Extension if you have any questions concerning Horticultural concern. Master Gardeners are available Monday, Wednesday, and Friday 8:30 to 4:00 at 553-5823.
