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rouge21_gw

yellow flowered perennial for a front border

Early this spring I removed some lawn and I have slowly but surely adding perennials to this virgin territory (5 hours of sun zone 5b) e.g 2 columbine, 2 Bobo hydrangea, 1 dwarf butterfly bush and a standard rose. But I am still undecided re the border. I want alternating blue with yellow with the blue likely being a hardy long flowering geranium, But it is that yellow that is stumping me. I would like it to be long flowering from sometime in June till September. I want it to be about 18" tall and less than this in width. I was thinking of gaillardia 'arizona apricot' but I have already planted several of these in the backyard this spring and it is my understanding that it grows to only about 1 foot tall and the same width (but I do like that width dimension).

I also thought of the Heliopsis 'Tuscan Sun' and the Rudbeckia 'Little Goldstar'.

Any recommendations?

Comments (23)

  • paulsiu
    11 years ago

    Butterfly weed and Baptisia come in yellow. I haven't had experience with those colors so I don't know how well they would perform, but if they are like their orange and Indigo cousins, they should work out.

    Paul

  • hostaholic2 z 4, MN
    11 years ago

    I love Tuscan Sun heliopsis and it certainly covers the long blooming.

  • rouge21_gw (CDN Z5b/6a)
    Original Author
    11 years ago

    Thanks for those suggestions Paul. Of course both are excellent perennials but both are too tall for my front border and baptisia dont bloom for long enough duration.

    By chance hostaholic I was out this morning at a nursery and I unexpectedly came across several healthy 'Tuscan Sun'. So I did decide to go for it as part of my border.

    I am thinking these plants will grow a bit larger than I would have liked but I am willing to try.

    hostaholic, what is the width and height of one of your mature 'Tuscan Sun'?

  • mistascott
    11 years ago

    Ozark Sundrops or Oenothera macrocarpa are long blooming. Also invasive though.

  • greenkpr
    11 years ago

    One of my favorite long blooming yellows is the yarrow.

  • rouge21_gw (CDN Z5b/6a)
    Original Author
    11 years ago

    hostaholic wrote: I love Tuscan Sun heliopsis and it certainly covers the long blooming.

    UPDATE: I have 5 of these planted just this past June and they are incredible bloom machines that remain compact. I would give this plant a "10" except that I see on one of them, just one so far, having lots of aphids. I am surprised and pleased that they havent spread to the very nearby other TS and these aphids have been on this plant for at least 2 weeks.

    Anyways thanks again hostaholic for the suggestion.

  • Thyme2dig NH Zone 5
    11 years ago

    I picked up some coreopsis this year and also started some from seed last year. It is probably the longest blooming plant in the garden. I think the threadleaf I bought which stays small was 'Moonbeam'. It is still blooming and as been for a least 2 months.

  • Thyme2dig NH Zone 5
    11 years ago

    The coreopsis is actually 'Zagreb'.

  • linlily
    11 years ago

    I was also going to suggest Coreopsis for the for a bright yellow for the front of the border. You really can't go wrong with these. The ones I'm going to suggest are very hardy and will last for years. You can also easily increase their numbers by leaving a few seeds heads on and they will self seed. If you keep them dead headed during the growing season, you should have flowers almost constantly all summer. Goldfink is listed at 10 inches tall and can be in the very front. Next in size, I'd recommend Early Sunrise - early to give some much needed color here in the spring and it tops out around 18 inches tall. Jethro Tull is between 15 and 18 inches tall.

    I have grown the threadleaf varieties such as Moonbeam and Creme Brulee but they have only lasted a few years here, coming back more sparse every year until one year they just did not return.

    Linda

  • vivian_2010 (IL Zone 5a)
    11 years ago

    Here is a picture of my heliopsis. I started with one small plant 3 years ago and divided into 2 last September. This picture was taken on 8/18/2012. It has been blooming since Mid of June and should continue into October (last 2 years). This is the longest blooming perennial in my experience. It has always been covered with flowers. I do not have pests or mildew problems but rabbits are too many here. Even with the fence, the baby rabbits got in in spring and early summer and destroyed/damaged half of the garden (front). But they left the heliopsis alone.

    I also have black eyed susans. This heliopsis has twice as longer bloom, not spreading , no self seeding and neat looking.

    Picture taken 8/18/2012
    {{gwi:228738}}

    Vivian

  • vivian_2010 (IL Zone 5a)
    11 years ago

    Here is a picture of my heliopsis. I started with one small plant 3 years ago and divided into 2 last September. This picture was taken on 8/18/2012. It has been blooming since Mid of June and should continue into October (last 2 years). This is the longest blooming perennial in my experience. It has always been covered with flowers. I do not have pests or mildew problems but rabbits are too many here. Even with the fence, the baby rabbits got in in spring and early summer and destroyed/damaged half of the garden (front). But they left the heliopsis alone.

    I also have black eyed susans. This heliopsis has twice as longer bloom, not spreading , no self seeding and neat looking.

    Picture taken 8/18/2012
    {{gwi:228738}}

    Vivian

  • hostaholic2 z 4, MN
    11 years ago

    Very nice!

  • rouge21_gw (CDN Z5b/6a)
    Original Author
    11 years ago

    'Vivian', have I missed reading the specific variety of your heliopsis?

  • rouge21_gw (CDN Z5b/6a)
    Original Author
    11 years ago

    Here is an overhead shot of one of the "Tuscan Sun" in late July.

  • vivian_2010 (IL Zone 5a)
    11 years ago

    Rouge,Your Tuscan Sun is beautiful and please keep us posted on how long it will continue to bloom.

    I can not find the original tag so not sure about the specific variety. But from the shapes of the leaves and flowers, I think they might be Tuscan sun.

    Recently I removed a large swing/playhouse set in the back corner of the yard. I planted 3 Abort Vitaes around the corner and 3 limelight hydrangeas along the fence, and pink double knockout roses in the front of the hydrangeans. After readint your posts, I think I am going to plant Tuscan Sun in between the roses as part of the border. Not sure if I can find Tuscan Sun in our lacal nursery. If not, I can divide the current ones next spring (hate to do this to them as I just divided the original plant last September).

    Thanks
    Vivian

  • rouge21_gw (CDN Z5b/6a)
    Original Author
    11 years ago

    Thanks Vivian for the compliment. "Tuscan Sun" has been a bloom machine in only its first season but my only concern is the one plant out of 5 which has an infestation of aphids.

    What height does your heliopsis attain? I ask as one benefit for many of "Tuscan Sun" is its very compact height. It is advertised as not exceeding 2 feet and that has been my experience this season.

  • vivian_2010 (IL Zone 5a)
    11 years ago

    My Heliopsis was around 2 ft high last year. This year they are about 1.5 ft. I think this is due to the division last fall so both plants may grow a little taller next year (unless I divide them again).

    Hopefully you can find a way to get rid of Aphids. I do not typically use chemicals. But ~ 3 years ago I had some shrubs infested with aphids. I sprayed once and it has been aphids free since then. But for blooming plants, it is hard to spay with chemicals as there are bees and butterflys....

    Best of luck,
    Vivian

  • wieslaw59
    11 years ago

    Buphthalmum salicifolium is an option if you like more pure yellow. It can bloom from May to September.

  • rouge21_gw (CDN Z5b/6a)
    Original Author
    11 years ago

    UPDATE:

    As I had already posted this plant has been incredible for continuous, very long lasting blooms since late June....continuing even to this day but this first year they have been an aphid magnet starting with one plant in early September and now in most of them as of today.

    I love the flowers but hate the bugs.

    Lets see what happens next season.

  • sunnyborders
    11 years ago

    I'd take, Gaillardia x grandiflora 'Arizona Apricot' as a yellow.

    Bought it three months ago, in flower, and it's still in flower, in sun, at the front of borders.
    Plant for plant, it's currently providing more colour here than the traditional and recent Coreopsis cultivars that we have.

  • rouge21_gw (CDN Z5b/6a)
    Original Author
    11 years ago

    You and I think alike 'Sunny' ;). I have 10 AApricot planted this spring as a border in a different garden plot and they have been bloom machines continuing even now. I do hope they all make it through this coming winter but if they don't I still will buy them again and just treat them as if they are annuals. Here is my recent thread about these plants.

    Here is a link that might be useful: AA in rich and in thin

  • rouge21_gw (CDN Z5b/6a)
    Original Author
    11 years ago

    Sunnyborders wrote: it's currently providing more colour here than the traditional and recent Coreopsis cultivars that we have

    I agree Sunny that AA is extra noticeable this time of year as many other plants have finished flowering but don't sell some of the coreopsis short in this regard. Here is a picture I took just today of my 2 year old "Cosmic Eye" coreopsis. It has been flowering as long as has AA.

  • sunnyborders
    11 years ago

    Very pretty, Rouge.
    Got to look into that one.

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