That is like asking me to pick a favorite child! Here are 4 perennials that I will always have a place for in my gardens.

Top left: Nepeta subsessilis. about 4' tall. Long blooming, Bees, hummingbirds love it and other birds love the seed heads.

Top right: Euphorbia polychroma. Forms a neat mound. Brilliant yellow/green flower bracts make a show stopping display with tulips and creeping phlox in spring. Does not spread itself around like some other euphorbias

Bottom left: Heuchera cherries jubilee. Bright pink/red flowers that start in May and continue sending up more long lasting blooming stems for 6 weeks or more.

Bottom right: Geranium biokovo (white) and b. Karmina (pink). Profuse bloom in May, not very long lasting, but I love the clean ground cover that this geranium makes when not blooming. In the backgroung of this pic is Nepeta walkers low. Guess I wolud include it in a "favorites" list. So that makes five for me.

Good reply gazania to of course a difficult question. 'Jem' I wish you had phrased the question to something like:

"Which 2 or 3 plants that are new to your garden this season has impressed you the most?"

gazania wrote: Heuchera cherries jubilee. Bright pink/red flowers

I have what I think are a couple similar plants to your "Cherries Jubilee" i.e.

Heuchera "Paris" and "Lipstick"

well, obviously, it is campanulas.....pretty much all species and cultivars...although roses, especially species roses, have always had my heart -yes, yes, I know they are not a perennial but......
Finally, bulbs - tulipa- both species and hybrids - have squeezed in around 3000 at my allotment - and yep, they are perennial for me.

3000!! Incredible. Are there any pictures you could dig out showing a few hundred of these bulbs in bloom ;)?

Sorry you all don't like my question but you don't have to answer it if you don't want to. I thought it was a good one as I am curious as to what most people's number one favorite would be and I thought this would be a good place to ask...

I think it's a good question. So far my favorite is my Rudbeckia fulgida var. sullivantii 'Little Gold Star'

Planto

Sorry you all don't like my question but you don't have to answer it if you don't want to. yikes jem, you are taking my comment too personally.

Would it have made you feel better if I had stated instead that your original post could have been an even better one if you had 'tightened it up' ie made it a bit more restrictive.

Planto, I assume your 'Goldstar' is in its first year in your garden. So as I had made mention this is your favourite new plant for 2012? I think it is natural to be impressed by more recent additions to one's garden as compared to talking about old reliable standbys. (That might be a worthwhile different thread.)

FWIW I like this plant very much also; I like it so much more than 'Goldstrum' as it is just as floriferous but much more compact and so far disease free. Here is one of mine that appears to be further in development than yours so you have much to look forward to:

Oh Rouge, I buy around 300-400 tulips bulbs every autumn so they add up fast - I buy them wholesale and spend about 60-80 pounds on them (tulips) after discovering how much they like my regime of benign neglect, totally rubbish sandy soil and dry and open allotment - not too far removed from the classic bulb-growing areas of Lincolnshire in the UK and Holland in Europe.
Yep, am really trying hard to address this photo business - it has been a frustrating saga so far but hopefully, I will be on the case next spring to do a tour of an english allotment.
Jemboy - we LOVE your question but tying gardeners down to one choice is like herding cats.

Jemboysch, there is absolutely nothing wrong with your question, you just asked it in totally wrong way. What you should have asked was: 'Your garden is on fire and you have only time to save one. Which one would you save?

This way you cut off all unnecessary 'noise'. Your question as it is now requires too much thinking.

I would say helianthus decapetalus Soleil d'Or, because it is very cheerful and spectacular, no major problems and blooms for a long time.

wieslaw, does 'your' helianthus go by another name in North America? I did a search, albeit a quick one, and I see very little reference to this plant on this side of the pond.

I enjoy these questions a lot, since it gives all of us a chance to see what grows well in various parts of the country (and world) and also keeps us informed about new plants we may not have considered before.

Most of my perennials were planted either late last fall or early this spring, so they are not yet mature. That said, these have been my favorites so far:

1. Hemerocallis citrina 'Yao Ming'. I am not a daylily fan by any means, but this selection from Plant Delights has knocked my socks off. Each small clump (I have three) produced only 1-2 scapes this season but each remained in bloom for over a month starting in early July. Fragrance was incredibly strong for a daylily and wafted in the evening. The yellow color of the flowers glowed in the evening sun.

2. Lilium regale and Orienpet lilies. Yes, I know they are technically bulbs, but these were spectacular performers this year. I have high hopes of them coming back even stronger next season.

3. Geranium 'Rozanne'. Survived the heat and drought of this summer and remained blooming, although the flower color became a washed out lavender during the hottest periods and the plants did not grow much. Now that it has cooled off a bit, flower color is again deepening into that incredible iridescent indigo color and the plants are taking off.

4. Phlox 'David'. The upper 50% of this plant has been a giant, fragrant white cloud of blooms since early July. It has already rebloomed twice this season and remains absolutely free of mildew.

5. Anemone 'Honorine Jobert'. I planted a few of these early spring and a few clumps are sending up bloom stalks and buds right now. This plant is so elegant looking. The perfectly round, marble-like flower buds collect morning dew and glisten in the morning sun. I don't even have open flowers yet, but I love it so much I am taking my chances and planting more this fall (I have heard mixed reports about their willingness to establish when fall planted.)

Ok, so I chose 5. But right now, at this moment, they are my favorite perennials! :-)

Mecardonia GoldFlake
I love this groundcover/pot cascader. It flowers here throughout the long growing season without rest. The foliage is a nice, rich green so it is attractive even during the couple of months it is not in bloom. It spreads and fills in quickly, without ever getting out of control.

Because I like this plant so much, I also tried the newer Mecardonia GoldDust. What a huge disappointment! That one has taken the entire season to spread to 10". It is scraggly, produced maybe a dozen flowers total (being generous here, even.) The flowers and leafs are smaller, so it was not even showy while in bloom. The only reason it is touted is because nurseries can sell it as a much younger crop than M. GoldFlake. Unfortunately, it has become difficult to find M. GoldFalke for sale as a result. :(

So Mecardonia GoldFlake is the first plant I will take with me whenever I move.

I had 2, but if I can only pick 1 it would be Cimicifuga racemosa.

Beautiful foliage
Elegant flowers
Easy to maintain once established
Love the scent
Tolerant of a wide range of conditions.

Kevin {{gwi:260055}}From Garden plants

rouge21,
Yes, this is my Rudbeckia's first year. It arrived in really bad condition so I am very surprised at its current state. To be honest, I only have one other perennial other than my Rudbeckia (So I guess my answering is not the most honest with only two perennials >.> ).

I have a Echinacea purpurea 'Doubledecker' as well (also new this year). I am container gardening so if you can imagine, I repot often as they grow like weeds on our patio (In fact, I have to repot them both tomorrow...). I had a Coreopsis auriculata 'Nana' that I gave to my Mother-in-law as it doesn't seem the happiest with me.

I owned a good number of perennials last year, Rosemary, a couple Lavenders, some Lantanas (which are perennials in our zone), among a few others whose names escape me right now. Our apartment complex was nice enough to not inform us that they would be power washing the exterior of the apartments as well as our patios (with a "derivative of bleach"... you see where this is going...) so I had to start over this year but decided as both a precautionary measure and seeing how fast my plants grew in containers last year (before they died, I was going to have to repot my Lantanas and Rosemary for the... third or fourth time), I wasn't going to have as many.

Mainly, I just await the day for a yard in which I can grow a nice garden. If anything, I just wanted to share a photo with fellow gardeners. I'm more of a frequent poster on the C & S forum or the Houseplant forum but I enjoy coming to this forum to read and see other's pictures. Thanks for reading.

Planto

Thanks wiselaw for the background information....I think! As always great pictures.

I had 2, but if I can only pick 1 it would be Cimicifuga racemosa.

Kevin, have you had any experience with the smaller 'Actaea [Cimicifuga] rubifolia'?

(And what was your other favourite plant you were thinking about?)

wiselaw I have access to this Helianthus:

What do you think?

Here is a link that might be useful: Capenoch Star

Rouge, I planted 'Flore Pleno' last year and it just started blooming for me. Lovely plant. My only complaint is I didn't realize that deer liked it so I didn't start spraying it until it had already suffered a lot of damage.

This is an interesting question and I've enjoyed pondering it as I was gardening yesterday. Of course there is always a handful of stars and essential top performers. But if I had to select just one treasured plant it would be clematis 'Sir Trevor Lawrence.' This plant is hardly even visible in my garden, because it twines up an amur maple in secret and then creates a small handful of flowers with an intriguing shape and color. To me this plant is special because it's hidden from everyone but me. There is something especially appealing about that and the subtle effect makes me feel like a sophisticated gardener.

Campanula - we have got to see some photos of your tulip brigade next spring!

Thanks for that a2zmom but deer resistance is important plant attribute to me.

Doing some googling there are many "Flore Pleno" plants. Which specific one seems identical to "Soleil d'Or"?

Rouge, buy it. No matter if the ID is 100% sure, they are good plants. I'm just a little sceptical about the zone 4, it may be a stretch. I have a suspicion that they may only be hardy to US zone 6. I had some losses winter 2 years ago in the open area. So now I cover them with 5 -10 cm soil.

So the link I provided shows a plant that looks identical to your 'Soleil d'Or'? If so thanks for the 'enabling' wieslaw :). I may be able to pick this up this week.

Rouge, I think our posts crossed. I said 'buy it' to the picture of Capenoch star. Now I say 'buy it' to Flore Pleno. They are all winners in my eyes. If you run across Triomphe de Gand- buy it. Here are some views of it from different angles

{{gwi:260060}}
{{gwi:260061}}
{{gwi:260062}}
{{gwi:260063}}

One to buy is also Happy days or its look- alikes

{{gwi:260065}}
{{gwi:260067}}

Stop wieslaw as I am getting green with envy...what a spread!

As you know I already have one "Happy Days" but given its compact size and earlier start of bloom as compared to my other 'sun flowers' eg 'Lemon Queen' and 'Triloba' I may get another and squeeze it in somewhere.

campanula wrote: I buy around 300-400 tulips bulbs every autumn so they add up fast -

Last fall I probably planted maybe 200 hundred bulbs and I find it very tiring. For sure I didnt do them all at once but it isnt an easy process. I tried using a drill with the appropriate bit but more often than not it wouldnt go down far enough as maybe the ground was too hard and or my drill wasnt powerful enough. A shovel seemed too unwieldy as it too easily disturbed the surrounding perennials. What is your tried and true procedure to planting bulbs campanula?

I've been thinking about this question - it's a toughie!

Here are my favorites from each of my gardens:

Foundation planting:
This is a blue-purple garden. Favorite here is Nepeta. An easy, undemanding plant that blooms for a long period.

Cottage garden (the anything goes garden!):
This one is a really difficult choice. A toss-up between Veronica 'Eveline' and snapdragons. I also love my Penstemon 'Red Riding Hood'.

Butterfly garden:
Lobelia cardinalis. Gorgeous plant that attracted hummers! Although this garden is always filled with butterflies, bees and flowers.

Gold and orange garden:
My newest garden. Another tough choice, but I'll go with Agastache 'Acapulco Orange'.

Rouge, I have a long handled bulb planter (I use it for potatoes too). I usually corrall my oldest son (and keenest gardener) and we do it in pairs - one of us uses the bulb-planter while the other one places the bulbs in the nice deep hole. I emphasise here - it MUST be a long handled planter with good foot treads, a bit like a decent spade (what you guys refer to as a shovel, I think). A good tool is absolutely top tip for any gardening efforts, I think, and a decent bulbplanter will get into quite small spaces without wrecking existing planting.
Also, Rouge, I have planted between perennials many times and you are right, it is exhausting - the tulips are usually planted in the veggie beds (deep because I plant veggies on top of them when the leaves have gone over) or around the edges of beds. This year, I replaced a row of redcurrants on cordons so there is a space for a couple of hundred tulips along the cordon edge. Also, there are many between the autumn raspberries and between the roses - you get the picture - I tend to plant where there is enough space to do a whole drift without much effort.
Last year, I also renewed a lot of narcissus and I have to say, that exercise was a lot more tiring since they were planted in clumps between existing perennials...so I fully sympathise. Tulips are planted late here (November or even December) when much of the autumn clearance has been done so again, it is an easy job to tackle.
Don't be disheartened though, bulbs are the gardeners friends - so reliable, cheap and effective.

campanula wrote: you get the picture

And you promise to get that picture thing together by next spring...right? ;)