|
 Mark
the Location of Late Emerging Perennials
By Melinda Myers
[October 18, 2025]
As you
prepare your gardens for winter, consider marking the location of
late emerging perennials to avoid accidentally weeding them out next
spring. Use bulbs, commercial or DIY plant labels, stones or simply
leave their stems intact to help guide your cleanup efforts next
spring.
These late emerging perennials may have you worried they died
overwinter. Lingering winter weather and cooler than normal spring
temperatures can further delay their appearance. Be patient and know
this adaptation allows them to avoid damage from late spring frosts
as they wait for the soil to warm and begin growing. |
Hardy hibiscus, balloon flower (Platycodon), leadwort (Ceratostostigma),
Crocosmia, Red-hot poker (Kniphofia), whirling butterflies (Gaura
lindheimeri), Butterfly bush (Buddleia), Russian sage (Perovskia
atriplicifolia), and blue spirea (Caryopteris x clandonensis) are a
few you may have growing in your garden. Many native plants like
butterfly weed (Asclepias tuberosa), swamp milkweed (Asclepias
incarnata), black-eyed Susan (Rudbeckia), Culver’s root (Veronicastrum),
Indian pink (Spigelia marilandica), Joe-pye weed (Eutrochium spp.
formerly Eupatorium), asters, liatris, and goldenrods can also be
late to emerge. It’s easy to accidentally weed these out during
spring clean-up.
These plants are worth the wait since they add extra color to our
mid and late season gardens. They extend the beauty, pollinator
appeal and food source for many insects, and songbirds visiting your
gardens.
Try leaving the stems or a portion of the stems of these plants
intact until the new growth emerges. Unfortunately, many of us have
accidentally removed these, too.
Plant tags will identify the plant and mark their location but can
be unsightly. Try placing a colorful dowel rod, golf tee or short
bamboo stake at the base of these plants. Number each and mark them
on your garden plans to help track the plant’s identity.
Stones or shells, where they are abundant, can be placed next to or
surrounding these plants to mark the location. These tend to stay
put and may be less obtrusive than plant tags. Just be sure to alert
anyone helping in the garden of their purpose and that they need to
stay put.
Or mark their spot with bulbs. Plant spring flowering bulbs like
daffodils, hyacinths and alliums next to these plants to extend your
garden’s bloom time and help prevent damage to the perennial plants.
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Avoid tulips, crocus and other bulbs that animals love. Squirrels,
chipmunks, rabbits and deer may move or eat your marker.
Consider using a mix of early, mid and late spring flowering bulbs
to further extend the color in your garden. Or skirt these late
emerging plants with early spring blooming perennials like woodland
and creeping phlox, candytuft or rockcress. You’ll enjoy the added
color as you wait for the other plants to make their appearance
later in the spring.
When spring arrives, exercise patience as you wait for the return of
beautiful, late emerging perennials.
Melinda Myers has written more than 20 gardening books,
including the Midwest Gardener’s Handbook, 2nd Edition and Small
Space Gardening. She hosts The Great Courses “How to Grow Anything”
instant video and DVD series and the nationally syndicated Melinda’s
Garden Moment TV & radio program. Myers is a columnist and
contributing editor for Birds & Blooms magazine and was commissioned
by Summit for her expertise to write this article. Myers’ website is www.MelindaMyers.com.
[Photo courtesy of MelindaMyers.com] |
