Platycodon grandiflorus - Balloonflower

Flower Color

Height

Season

Pests

Uses

Propagation

blue, pink, white

1-2 ft.

summer

few

border, cut

seed, division

Performance - Ballonflower is a reliable perennial in full sun to partial shade garden locations in Kentucky. The plants prefer a moist, well- drained soil. They are slow growing and do not require frequent division. Some sources say this plant is difficult to divide.

Comments - The flower buds resemble tiny balloons that open into star-shaped blooms. Tall cultivars will require staking. The plants emerge late in the spring.

Varieties - 'Hakone Double Blue', 'Fuji', 'Mariesii', 'Sentimental Blue', 'Sentimental White'

Plumbago auriculata - Plumbago, Cape Leadwort

Flower Color

Height

Season

Pests

Uses

Propagation

blue, white

18" - 30"

summer

few

border, containers

seed, cuttngs

Performance - Plumbago is a warm season plant that is used as an annual in Kentucky gardens. This plant is a common landscape plant in Florida and Gulf Coast states, so it is tolerant of our summer conditions. Grow plumbago in full sun gardens or containers.

Comments - The light blue flower color and free-flowering habit make plumbago an excellent plant for Kentucky gardens.

Varieties - New cultivars 'Escapade Blue' and 'Escapade White' performed well in our 2000 Garden Flower Trials.

 

Pontederia cordata - Pickerel Weed

Flower Color

Height

Season

Pests

Uses

Propagation

blue

20" - 30"

summer

few

water gardens

seed, division


Performance - Pickerel weed is a reliable perennial in water gardens or ponds in Kentucky. This plant is an emergent aquatic plant that is native to Kentucky and the eastern U.S.

Comments - Plant pickerel weed in a container with garden soil. Submerge the container so the soil surface is 3-5 inches below the water surface.  Simply move the container to the deep water of the pool after a hard frost in the fall if you want the plant to over winter in the pond. Bring the container up to its normal growing level in late April or early May.

Portulaca - Moss Rose, Purslane

Flower Color

Height

Season

Pests

Uses

Propagation

red, orange, yellow, cream, pink, and white

6 - 8" spreading

summer

few

rock garden, edging, hanging baskets 

seed, cuttings


Performance - Moss rose and purslane are slow growing annual garden flowers that perform well in Kentucky gardens. These plants have fleshy, succulent leaves and are excellent for hot and dry areas where many flowers will not grow.

 

‘Stopwatch’ moss rose at Bodger Seeds in California

Comments - Flowers open 3-4 hours after sunrise and close in mid-afternoon. They are good to use for direct seeding in areas where perennials die back.

Portulaca grandiflora - Rose Moss, Moss Rose, Portulaca, Sun Plant -
from seed - 'Sundial' series, 'Margarita' series, 'Calypso', 'Sundance' series
from cuttings - 'Radiance Bicolor', 'Radiance Fuchsia'. These plants are often grown in hanging baskets and they performed quite well in our 2000 Garden Flower Trials.

Portulaca oleracea - Purslane, Portulaca -
from cuttings - 'Yubi Summer Joy' (Pink, Rose, Yellow, White) series. These plants are often grown in containers and hanging baskets. They performed well in our 1999 Garden Flower Trials. 'Duet Yellow', 'Duet Rose'.

Primula - Primrose

Flower Color

Height

Season

Pests

Uses

Propagation

blue, white, yellow, red, orange

6 "- 15"

early spring

few

edging, containers

seed, division

Performance - Primroses are plants that prefer cool moist conditions. They can be grown in Kentucky for the few months we have those conditions, but most gardeners have learned that they are unreliable as annuals and perennials in their gardens. Our hot, dry summers are just too much for them.

Primula acaulis

Primula malacoides ‘Grace’

 Comments - There are many beautiful species and cultivars. We suggest an active trial program in your garden, if you feel you must have them in your landscape.

 

Lungwort ‘Sapphire Blue’

Pulmonaria - Lungwort

Flower Color

Height

Season

Pests

Uses

Propagation

blue, red

10-12"

early spring

slugs

ground cover, border

division

Performance - Lungworts are not common in Kentucky gardens, but that will change as gardeners learn about these plants. Lungworts are reliable perennials in shade to partial shade locations in Kentucky landscapes. They prefer moist, but well drained soils.

 Comments - The spotted leaves and slowly spreading habit make this plant a good addition to shade gardens across the state.

P. angustifolia - Blue Lungwort - 'Azurea', 'Johnson's Blue', 'Rubra'
P. longifolia - Long-Leafed Lungwort - 'Bertram Anderson'
P. rubra - Red Lungwort - 'Barfield Pink', 'David Ward', 'Redstart'
P. saccharata - Bethlehem Sage - 'Alba', 'Janet Fisk', 'Margery Fish', 'Mrs. Moon', 'Mrs. Kittle', 'Roy Davidson'.

Pulsatilla vulgaris - Pasque Flower

Flower Color

Height

Season

Pests

Uses

Propagation

blue

10-12"

early spring

few

border

fresh seed, division

Performance - Pasque flower is a generally reliable perennial in Kentucky gardens. Pulsatilla is a cool season plant, so Kentucky summers can be tough on it. Grow in an area that gets full sun early in the spring but some shade later in the season.

Comments - These plants are often listed in catalogs as Anemone pulsatilla. The seed heads that appear after bloom can be as attractive as the blooms.