Perennial Gardens for Summer and Fall

Living in rural Montana we love our Spring, Summer and Autumn months. The saying around here is we have four seasons: winter, winter, more winter and construction. February is usually when we're all drooling over our seed catalogues and tapping our feet and fingers because we're itching to get into the dirt. We look out the window and see snow and ice as far as the eye can see and just picture what is going to grow where.

We have lived in our home for 18 years and have cultivated an "English" garden type look. This means that we have various perennials interspersed with annuals. Also, I'm a big believer in leaving things to grow and seeing what it is. Heck, I don't pull weeds until I know for sure they're weeds. Sometimes creeping jenny is all over the place before I decide I just have to pull it out, even if it does have cute, white flowers. I haven't had to plant large sunflowers for three years because they just keep coming back, in the same spot by our garage. These are supposed to be annuals, however, for some reason they have become perennial.

When we first moved here the yard was in a sad state of affairs. The previous owners of the house weren't gardening type people, so we basically had a clean slate. Nice. I like having a nice green lawn and I don't mind the huge water bills in the summer because I know it doesn't last very long. Winter could strike before we know it and watering will be over. Also, watering is relaxing for me. Just standing outside with the hose and watering all the flowers puts me into my own happy world.

Another big thing to think about is deer. Our town, Glendive, has a large population of deer who live in town. They know which yard that has the nicest flowers and they're not shy about eating them. They like to strike in the middle of the night, when we're all happily sleeping. We wake up to tomatoes eaten off vines, tulip's gone, apple blossoms devoured or whatever else they have scoped out. The challenge? What don't the deer like and plant that!!

So the list of perennials that I have observed that deer don't like are: MARIGOLDS: Technically not a perennial--however my marigolds do come back year after year. They are grown from seed. If you have a vegetable garden a nice trick is to plant marigolds around the perimeter of the garden because deer don't like marigolds. DAY LILIES: I love my day lilies. They are a perennial and are planted usually in the fall so they will come up in the spring. They are planted from a root. My daylilies came from my parents home. If you have family or friends who are needing their plants thinned out--volunteer to take some off their hands. TIGER LILIES: Another one of my favorites because: the deer don't like them. These are also planted from a root and will spread so plant them in a bare spot. In a few years, you will have tons of lilies. Another perennial which spreads nicely is LILIES OF THE VALLEY. I absolutely love the little white bell type flowers of this plant. This one of those plants which people can take a dislike to because they can take over a garden. How about something from our grandmother's era: THE HOLLYHOCK: This is perennial because the seeds easily fall out of the plant after it flowers and just spreads little hollyhock goodness everywhere. I have many types and my favorite is a double hollyhock. Another flower that I love and deer don't is BLACK EYED SUSAN or RUDDBECKIA. I have many plants of this kind because it (sort of) honors my oldest daughter. I just wish I had plants named for my other two children and two granddaughters! Just give me some time and I know I will find some!

If you don't care if the deer eat your garden then plant TULIPS. These are a plant which grows from a bulb that is planted in a hole in the ground. The deer eat tulips like they are cotton candy. I have seen them go up to a plant and very carefully eat the flower and leave the rest of the plant. They also like DAFFODILS another plant which is grown from a bulb

If you are looking for a climbing type plant a good one to choose is a GRAPE VINE. Three years ago we planted a grape vine on the north facing wall of our house. I really thought that it wouldn't survive the first winter. Now it is halfway up the fireplace and I have to keep it trimmed so it doesn't take over. Another climbing type plant is CLEMATIS. These are really nice. They come in many colors--mine are blue. They can also take over a house so be careful where you plant it. I have a nice arbor that holds our clematis. I don't want it climbing all over our new siding and so far (cross your fingers) it's deer proof.

As a little sidebar about watering. I live in Montana so we don't have the same weather as say, Washington or Oregon. HOWEVER--When I have been in the pacific northwest I've always noted how healthy and green everything is and I've applied that to my yard. I water a little bit several times a week. All I do is let the plants think that they're getting a nice rain shower. This has worked tremendously for me. I love the look and my plants seem to take to it.

Another way to have perennials is to plant flowering bushes. I have several bushes and I always look at the countryside as to what survives here. LILACS are a wonderful bush. They flower in late May/early June in our part of the world but it is worth it, even if only for a short while. NORTHERN CRANBERRY bush I have two of these. The first one I got about 10 years ago and it is still going strong. The second bush I got a year after the first one and the second one is now taller than it's sister. My husband has made a secret garden type opening in these bushes which is really great because I walk between the bushes in this rounded space then go through the arbor which has the climbing clematis and into my back yard which is WOW! (at least for me it is.) I also have a SNOWBALL bush: which I had to have because of where we live. I just love the irony of snowballs in summer! ROSES are also a good anti deer plant, um let me back track.....certain roses are deer proof. I have an orange wild rose growing in my backyard which the deer have left alone. My mom also has a wild rose that they haven't gotten to, however my mom's cultivated rose has been eaten.

This year we planted a CHERRY tree. I'm really hoping that this will take off. I try something new every year and there have been some that haven't lasted. I don't mourn the loss, I just try to find something that will last. I'm anxious to see what happens with this tree because in the western part of the state around Flathead Lake cherry trees grow abundantly and the flathead cherries are always something we look forward to. Another tree we have is a RUSSIAN OLIVE. Some people view these as a nuisance, however I love it because it is fast growing and sort of "lacy" looking.

So the perennial garden can take any shape, any type of plant whether it is a flowering plant, bush, climber or tree. My advice is to enjoy it and don't worry about the water bill!