April 2026 Newsletter

Annual Disappointments and Perennial Favorites

Every year as the full onset of spring approaches, we are faced with the age old battle of annuals vs. perennials. While annuals can provide a lot of visual appeal over an extended period, they only last for a year (if that!) and result in more labor, more money spent on plants, and more back ache over time. So here are a couple perennial favorites to incorporate into your spring garden, whether you’re looking for a few new pops of color or simply to cut back on the amount of hours you’re spending on digging and planting every spring.

Lots of Phlox!

Phloxes are an excellent substitute or supplement for annual plants. With long bloom windows spanning the early spring well into the summer, phloxes will bloom and rebloom and rebloom again with only minimal effort, and some varieties (like moss phlox) add evergreen appeal to planters and harsh garden conditions, meaning excellent visual appeal even through the fall and winter. Other varieties are incredibly fragrant too, with phloxes like ‘Blue Moon’ adding a delectable floral scent to the spring garden. Beyond ‘Blue Moon,’ here we have ‘Drummond’s Pink,’ ‘May Breeze,’ and ‘Kim.’

Tick, Tick, Tickseed 

Another excellent replacement for some of the annual crowd is tickseeds – also called Coreopsis. These long-bloomers will run out the clock on spring and summer blooms that come in a huge array of warm colors and often don’t stop until September! Pictured here we have ‘Zagreb,’ ‘Red Satin,’ ‘Moonbeam,’ and ‘UpTick Cream and Red.’ The best part for these showy perennials is consistently compact size of only 1-2’ tall.