What Perennials to Plant in NE Ohio
Northeast Ohio Perennials--Purple Coneflowers
Purple coneflowers (echinacea) are native to the northeastern and midwestern United States. The daisy-like flowers bloom from early to late summer with small to large, lavender to magenta blossoms. Purple coneflowers grow to be between two and five-foot tall.
These flowers prefer partial to full sun and liberally self-seed if the seed heads are left to dry on the stems. There are nine distinct species of echinacea, the most common being echinacea purpurea, pictured above.
Purple coneflowers are easy to grow. With regular watering, they will return fuller and more hardy each season.
These flowers are a favorite of bees and butterflies.
More about Gardening in Ohio
Cleveland area planting zones Top Ohio gardening books Cleveland area garden centers
Northeast Ohio Perennials -- Hostas
Hostas are the "go-to" shade plant in northeast Ohio...and for a good reason. This genus of 23-50 different species is easy to grow, multiplies liberally, flowers in the mid to late summer and offers interesting, broad-leafed foliage.
Though hostas hail from Asia (Korea and China), they have been a part of the Ohio landscape since the late 19th century, so we feel justified in including them in our list of Ohio perennials.
Hostas vary from light green foliage to deep forest green foliage. Some species also have variegated leaves. Flowers range from white to lavender.
Hostas are best divided in the spring with a sharp shovel or spade when they first emerge.
More about Gardening in Ohio
Cleveland area planting zones Top Ohio gardening books Cleveland area garden centers
Daylilies (Hemerocallis) are a mainstay of the summer northeast Ohio landscape. The tall orange flowers can be seen along most area country roads around July 4th. Actually the orange daylilies are just one of 60,000 (!) registered daylily cultivars.
These perennial plants love full sun and, true to their name, flower for just one day. Fortunately, each plant has multiple stems, so the flowers last for a week or more.
Although the tall orange and short yellow ("Stella D'Oro") lilies are the most common in our area, daylily flowers range in hue from pale pink to white to deep purple.
More about Gardening in Ohio
Cleveland area planting zones Top Ohio gardening books Cleveland area garden centers
The bleeding heart (dicentra) is the phoenix of Ohio perennials. This lovely plant emerges quickly in the spring, flowers and then dies down completely by mid-summer, only to return again stronger than ever next spring.
The bleeding heart prefers a shady spot and features stalks of white or pink heart-shaped blossoms.
More about Gardening in Ohio
Cleveland area planting zones Top Ohio gardening books
Cleveland area garden centers
Purple coneflowers (echinacea) are native to the northeastern and midwestern United States. The daisy-like flowers bloom from early to late summer with small to large, lavender to magenta blossoms. Purple coneflowers grow to be between two and five-foot tall.
These flowers prefer partial to full sun and liberally self-seed if the seed heads are left to dry on the stems. There are nine distinct species of echinacea, the most common being echinacea purpurea, pictured above.
Purple coneflowers are easy to grow. With regular watering, they will return fuller and more hardy each season.
These flowers are a favorite of bees and butterflies.
More about Gardening in Ohio
Northeast Ohio Perennials -- Hostas
Hostas are the "go-to" shade plant in northeast Ohio...and for a good reason. This genus of 23-50 different species is easy to grow, multiplies liberally, flowers in the mid to late summer and offers interesting, broad-leafed foliage.
Though hostas hail from Asia (Korea and China), they have been a part of the Ohio landscape since the late 19th century, so we feel justified in including them in our list of Ohio perennials.
Hostas vary from light green foliage to deep forest green foliage. Some species also have variegated leaves. Flowers range from white to lavender.
Hostas are best divided in the spring with a sharp shovel or spade when they first emerge.
More about Gardening in Ohio
Daylilies (Hemerocallis) are a mainstay of the summer northeast Ohio landscape. The tall orange flowers can be seen along most area country roads around July 4th. Actually the orange daylilies are just one of 60,000 (!) registered daylily cultivars.
These perennial plants love full sun and, true to their name, flower for just one day. Fortunately, each plant has multiple stems, so the flowers last for a week or more.
Although the tall orange and short yellow ("Stella D'Oro") lilies are the most common in our area, daylily flowers range in hue from pale pink to white to deep purple.
More about Gardening in Ohio
The bleeding heart (dicentra) is the phoenix of Ohio perennials. This lovely plant emerges quickly in the spring, flowers and then dies down completely by mid-summer, only to return again stronger than ever next spring.
The bleeding heart prefers a shady spot and features stalks of white or pink heart-shaped blossoms.
More about Gardening in Ohio
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