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                2010  -  Baptisia australis

2009  -  Hakonechloa macra 'Aureola'

2008  -  Geranium 'Rozanne'

2007  -  Nepeta 'Walker's Low'
2006  -  Dianthus 'Firewitch'
2005  -  Helleborus x hybrida
2004  -  Athyrium 'Pictum'
2003  -  Leucanthemum 'Becky'
2002  -  Phlox paniculata 'David'
2001  -  Calamagrostis 'Karl Foerster'

2000  -  Scabiosa  'Butterfly Blue'
1999  -  Rudbeckia 'Goldsturm'
1998  -  Echinacea 'Magnus'
1997  -  Salvia 'May Night'

2010 Perennial Plant of the Year
Baptisia australis

Blue False Indigo has been around for ages.  It is a tough, durable plant that will thrive and perform well even in less than ideal conditions.  This North American native grows 3 to 4 feet tall and may over time form a clump just about as wide.  It has a good, upright form sporting sturdy stalks bearing sweetpea-like indigo-blue flowers in mid-summer followed by ornamental black seed pods.  The foliage is an attractive blue-green colour. 

Baptisia is easily grown in full sun to partial shade and well-drained soil.  It will be drought tolerant once established and is pest and disease free.  Baptisia australis is hardy from Zone 3-9.

2009 Perennial Plant of the Year
Hakonechloa macra 'Aureola
 

Hakonechloa macra 'Aureola' is a gorgeous, low-growing grass with bright, golden-yellow foliage with a narrow green stripe.  The long arching blades create a marvelous flowing effect.  In a breeze the grass rustles, undulates and sways giving the effect of cascading water.  It's vivid colour is sure to brighten any shaded area.

This is a slow spreading grass but never invasive or a threat to neighbouring plants.  In fact you will wish that it grew faster!  Also known as Japanese Forest Grass, Hakonechloa is best grown in a cool garden location.  Partial shade is ideal however it will also do well in full shade.  Most importantly keep this grass out of the hot afternoon sun particularly in more southerly climates.  Hakone Grass prefers fertile, humus-rich, well-drained soil.  It will not grow well (if at all) in heavy clay, poorly drained or very dry soil.

Hakone Grass is a fantastic companion for virtually any shady garden perennial.  Try it with a blue hosta, or one trimmed with gold.  For an eye-popping combination grow Hakone beside a dark leafed Heuchera.  Brighten up your traditional green garden with a big splash of gold.  This grass works well with all the traditional shade plants such as ferns, astilbe, bleeding hearts and cimicifuga to name just a few.

Hakone Grass is also the perfect plant for containers.  Add some pizzazz to your containers!  Just imagine this gorgeous grass cascading over the edge of your urn or patio planter.  If you garden in a colder climate the container garden is the likely the best environment for growing this lovely grass.

Golden Hakone grows 12-18" tall and about 18-24" wide.  It is hardy Zone 5 - 9.

2008 Perennial Plant of the Year
Geranium 'Rozanne'
 

Geranium 'Rozanne' has been voted by the members of the Perennial Plant Association as this year's Perennial Plant of the Year.  And for good reason.  'Rozanne' is a mounding perennial with attractive maple-leaf like, marbled foliage and is covered by 2.5" saucer-shaped flowers from early summer right into the fall.  The large blooms are violet-blue with a white centre which is veined with red.

 'Rozanne' is easy to grow in full sun to partial shade in any reasonably good, well-drained soil.  It grows 20-24" tall and just a bit wider.  This is not a floppy plant like some of its cousins.  And doesn't mind at all if you prune it back occasionally.  In fact a good hair cut will rejuvenate the plant.

This hardy geranium can be used in a variety of garden settings.  It is lovely in the border and a great companion to other perennials and grasses.  Try it with the ever blooming ornamental grass Pennisetum 'Karly Rose' or some of the new Shasta Daisies like Leucanthemum 'Goldrush'.  Add a special Echinacea for a dynamite combination.

Since it blooms all summer 'Rozanne' is also an excellent container ornamental.  Use it to add colour to your patio or have it spilling over

walls and walkways.  Are you looking for a colourful groundcover?  Again 'Rozanne' is an ideal choice.  It blooms all summer, has attractive foliage which turns red in the fall.

In addition 'Rozanne' is heat and humidity tolerant.  It likes that hot sun provided it has ample moisture.  'Rozanne' is vigorous without being invasive.  And it is also deer resistant.  Truly a great ornamental, perfect for the busy gardener.  Hardy Zone 5 - 8.

Nepeta 'Walker's Low' is a tough, durable plant easily grown in a sunny, well-drained location.  It is very tolerant of dry conditions and actually looks it's best in leaner, dryish soils.  The name 'Walker's Low' is a bit of misnomer as the plant grows 30 to 36 inches tall with a similar spread.  It has aromatic, crinkled, silver-green foliage and is set with arching stalks of densely clustered , dark purple-blue flowers continuously from May to frost.  Just cut it back by a half if the flowers become spare or the plant is a bit untidy.
Although 'Walker's Low' is a member of the mint family it is a well-behaved clump-forming plant which does not run or grow wildly out of control.  It is an excellent companion for yellow foliaged plants like Tradescantia 'Sweet Kate' or yellow flowering perennials such as Coreopsis 'Golden Showers' or 'Zagreb' and  Hemerocallis 'Stella Supreme'.
Since purple goes well with any other colour the combinations with this Nepeta are limitless.  Combine it with Salvia, Echinacea, Rudbeckia and Sedums.  Add a few ornamental grasses for a stunning design.

As an added bonus 'Walker's Low is disease and insect resistant as well as unattractive to rabbits and deer.  This low maintenance plants is also very attractive to butterflies.  This is the perfect perennial for the gardener on the go.  No fuss, little bother and blooms virtually all summer.  Who could ask for anything more?
 

2006 Perennial Plant of the Year
Dianthus gratianopolitanus 'Firewitch'

This low growing 'Cheddar Pink' forms a dense mat of blue, evergreen foliage.  It is set with brilliant blooms that have been variously described as hot pink, magenta or purple red.  No matter how you describe this flower it will add vivid colour to your garden late spring to early summer and sporadically throughout the season, particularly again in the fall.  Deadheading will encourage reblooming.  When it appears to have finished flowering shear it right back to the foliage.  This will encourage reblooming as well as make the plant look much better.

 'Firewitch' is about 8 inches tall when in flower.  Perfect for the front of the border and rock garden --- or plant it along a pathway or in a container where you can enjoy its enticing clove-like sent.  

Like virtually all Dianthus, 'Firewitch' prefers a sunny location, in well-drained soil.  Avoid overwatering and over fertilizing.  'Firewitch' performs best when the soil is on the lean, dry side.  Do water thoroughly if it has not rained for a week or more.

'Firewitch' is quite hardy growing well in Zones 3 - 9.  Combine it with a Shasta daisy (Leucanthemum), catmint (Nepeta) and Salvia for a dynamite garden display.
 

Helleborus are old-world perennials that have been used in gardens for centuries.  In recent years there has been a great resurgence of  interest for these ornamentals.   Helleborus or Lenten Rose, as it is sometimes called, forms a sizeable, compact clump of leathery, evergreen foliage set with large, nodding, buttercup-like blooms in early spring.  Blooms can be in shades white, cream, pink, rose, maroon, purple or red -- sometimes flushed with green.  Very showy -- particularly when the weather suggests that it is still winter.
  The Lenten Rose is hardy from Zone 5 - 9.  Climate will determine the timing of blooms.  In warmer areas it may flower as early as Christmas, however in Zone 5 the blooms may not make an appearance until well into April.  Generally the plants perform best in Zone 6 - 9.  Mulch well with leaves or straw in colder climates.  No matter your location it is always a good idea to provide shelter from drying, winter winds.

Helleborus are not the easiest plants to grow requiring a shady location in fertile, rich, well-drained loam. They hate dry shade.   Adequate moisture, particularly in spring is essential.    They also hate to be moved and will sulk for months afterwards or just give up.  

Generally if the plants are happy they will flourish, forming vigorous clumps and producing masses of blooms.  However, if unhappy they will likely not survive beyond the first season.

Please note:  Plants can be toxic if eaten and may also be a skin irritant.

Athyrium niponicum 'Pictum' is a low maintenance Japanese painted fern hardy to Zone 3.  This is one of the showiest ferns with gorgeous bluish green fronds which are heavily  frosted with silver. Dark red stems bleed colour into the silvery foliage to create a stunning painted effect.  'Pictum' is a well-behaved, clumping fern easily grown in part to full shade and moist, well-drained, compost-rich soil.   It will grow to be about 18" tall and produce a clump over 2' wide.
   The magnificent texture and colour of this fern electrifies the shaded, dark areas of the garden.  It is a wonderful companion to  other shade loving perennials.  Try it in combination with dark leafed Heuchera and  blue foliage Hosta such as Halcyon or Bressingham Blue.  In my garden I have paired it with Brunnera 'Jack Frost'.  Wow what a combination!  Add a white flowering Dicentra or Astilbe to complete this picture or a variegated grass such as Carex 'Silver Sceptre' or Carex 'Ice Dance'.

The Japanese Painted Fern  lends itself well to a mass planting --  in a woodland setting, around a water feature or in a more formal setting this fern  makes a strong visual impact. Even as a solitary specimen, in a container or the garden 'Pictum' is always eye-catching.  

2003 Perennial Plant of the Year
Leucanthemum 'Becky'

Shasta Daisies have been a garden favourite for well over  100 years.  The first hybrid was created by Luther Burbank in 1890.  He named the plant 'Shasta Daisy' because the clean, white petals reminded him of the snow on Mount Shasta in California.  'Becky' is a vastly improved cultivar with sturdy, upright stems that can take a heavy rain or strong wind without needing to be staked.  It is very floriferous bearing a multitude of  three-inch wide, single white daisies from the end of June to the beginning of September --  a much longer flowering season than most Shasta.
 

'Becky' is an excellent choice for the border, mass-planted or even in a 'naturalized' setting.  It makes a great cut flower and is also loved by butterflies and hummingbirds.  Plant it  with Russian Sage (Pervoskia atriplicifolia) and Scabiosa 'Butterfly Blue' for a long season of 'cool' blooms.  To create real excitement add a dash of red with  Kniphofia 'Red Nancy' or Crocosmia 'Lucifer'.
'Becky' is easy to grow in full sun and moist, well-drained soil. It is also tolerant of partial shade. Deadheading will encourage reblooming and an extended flowering season. It grows about 40" tall and just about as wide.  Hardy Zn 4 - 9.
 

'Karl Foerster' was first introduced to the public in 1950, but like most ornamental grasses it has languished in popularity until the late 1990's.  Now that most home gardeners have discovered the joy and benefit of incorporating grasses into the landscape, 'Karl' has become one of the most sought after ornamentals, and for good reason.

This is a non-invasive, clump forming grass that grows to about 5 feet in height.  It has a narrow, tight, upright habit and never requires support or staking.

In early spring, 'Karl' forms a dense mound of deep green, shiny foliage.  By mid-June, pink, feathery, flower inflorescences appear.  Throughout the summer, the seed heads mature, forming very narrow, golden tan, broom-like stalks.  This highly ornamental display lasts into the fall season and winter.  It is also great for dried flower arrangements.

'Karl Foerster' is an easy to grow, low maintenance perennial hardy from Zones 4-9.  It prefers full sun to partial shade, in well drained fertile soil, but is quite tolerant of heavy clay soils and drier situations.  This is a long lived perennial generally free from diseases and insects.

'Karl' is an outstanding addition to the perennial garden.  Use it as an accent with other late flowering perennials, mass-planted or as a single specimen.

This was a relative unknown in 2000.  However, it has since become one of the most popular perennials prized for its continuous blooms from June well into September. It produces a constant show of small, lavander-blue, pincushion flowers even when not deadheaded.

Growing 12 to 18 inches,  this Scabiosa is an excellent choice for the rock garden or the front of the border.  It prefers a sunny location and performs very well in ordinary garden soil as long as it is well drained.  Since it is hardy from Zone 3 to 9, 'Butterfly Blue' can be grown by most gardeners in North America.

'Butterfly Blue' is particularly nice when mass planted.  Combine it with the soft yellow flowering Hemerocallis 'Stella d'oro' -- which blooms almost as long -- to create a lovely all-summer display.

Like other varieties of Scabiosa, 'Butterfly Blue' makes an excellent cut flower and is also a favourite butterfly plant.   It's pink for 'Pink Mist' is just as nice and long flowering.

1999 Perennial Plant of the Year
Rudbeckia fulgida 'Goldsturm'

This is an outstanding perennial, familiar to gardeners for decades.  It is very easy to grow -- long lived and hardy from Zone 3 to 9.  No matter how dry the summer or extreme the winter I have never lost a clump of 'Goldsturm'.  I love its consistency and its dependability.

'Goldsturm' is a compact plant growing 18 to 24 inches tall and spreading steadily outward to form an increasingly larger clump.  It is not invasive, but it certainly is determined.  'Goldsturm' is a very upright plant covered with mid-sized, traditional black-eyed golden daisy blooms from mid-to-late summer.  Like most Rudbeckia, 'Goldsturm' prefers a sunny location but is also quite tolerant of partial shade.  It will do well in any reasonably good garden soil.

'Goldsturm' is a great companion perennial.  Combine it with plants of similar height such as Sedum 'Autumn Joy' or Liatris spicata 'Kobold' -- or taller subjects such as ornamental grasses -- or use it for mass planting.  And 'Goldsturm' retains its shape and distinctive black cone throughout the fall and winter, thereby providing excellent ornamentation in the otherwise dormant garden.

In addition to its fine garden qualities, 'Goldsturm' is an excellent cut flower -- fresh or dried -- and is also an excellent plant for attracting butterflies.
 

The Purple Coneflower is one of my all time favourite perennials, and I'm very pleased that it was finally officially recognized.  This is a very easy-to-grow perennial of outstanding beauty and durability.

In mid-summer, the Purple Coneflower produces a profusion of large (up to 7" across!), purply-pink, daisy-like flowers with a very distinctive, raised, bristly cone center that is burnt orange in colour.  'Magnus' , growing 3 feet tall, will quickly form a large clump with strong, wind-resistant stems.  I have never had to stake these plants.  Like most varieties of Echinacea, 'Magnus' performs well in full sun to part shade in any reasonably good garden soil.  This perennial is very tolerant of long dry summers and also doesn't seem to mind mucky winter wet.  It makes a good cut flower and is one of the very best perennials for attracting butterflies.

Echinacea purpurea 'Magnus' is comfortable throughout Southern Canada and right down to Texas in the United States -- Zone 4 to 9.

This is a gorgeous ornamental with dense, deep, indigo-blue flower spikes from mid-summer and onwards.  If deadheaded, it will frequently re-bloom in the fall.  It is a compact plant growing to about 24" tall and hardy from Zone 3 to 9.  ' May Night' is an excellent choice for the summer border or for mass-planting. Combine it with a Coreopsis such as 'Sunray' or 'Golden Showers' to create a dazzling display.

'May Night' like most Salvia, prefers a sunny situation and well-drained, ordinary, garden soil.  It is an excellent perennial for cutting and is attractive to bees, butterflies and hummingbirds.  It's pebbly foliage is also lightly aromatic.

At Canning Perennials this is still a very popular perennial.  It is showy, easy to grow, long flowering and consistent from year to year.  If you are looking for a newer Salvia try 'Caradonna'.  I have to admit this has become a favourite.