Easy-Care Hardy Perrenials
Perennials are great low-maintenance plants to add beauty to your home or camp. Many of these are also edible! All the following varieties are well-established here at the farm. They are a perfect choice, even for the harsh winters in Forest County. We find these varieties will come back even without mulching over the winter. Perennials die back each fall and regrow in the spring. They benefit from being thinned out after a few years to produce the most blooms.
Chives
Chives are best known as a culinary herb with a mild onion flavor. Easy to use, just cut the long slender leaves and chop them up to top a potato, add to eggs or cheese dish or sprinkle on a salad. They regrow and can be enjoyed from spring until fall. Although dried chives lose much of their flavor, chives freeze well for year-round use. Their purple blooms made them great as ornamentals, too!
Chives prefer full sun and prefer rich soil. They grow about 12" high.They can be dug up and divided every 2-3 years. They make a beautiful border flower or a great choice for container herbs for your kitchen!
Chives prefer full sun and prefer rich soil. They grow about 12" high.They can be dug up and divided every 2-3 years. They make a beautiful border flower or a great choice for container herbs for your kitchen!
Lemon Balm
Lemon balm does best when planted in part sun. It can tolerate full sun but prefers a bit of shade. Plants tend to spread sideways with a dense, shallow root system. Lovely white flowers make it a pretty choice for containers. Can grow 1'-3' tall.
The leaves have a fantastic lemon scent and are wonderful in the kitchen in iced tea,ice cream or even fish. Tea made from the leaves is said to have a sedative effect and can calm the stomach. A few leaves tossed on the grill can also help repel mosquitoes!
The leaves have a fantastic lemon scent and are wonderful in the kitchen in iced tea,ice cream or even fish. Tea made from the leaves is said to have a sedative effect and can calm the stomach. A few leaves tossed on the grill can also help repel mosquitoes!
Orange Day Lily
Day lilies can thrive almost anywhere. They tolerate poor soil, wet areas, dry areas and are great for those places where not much seems to grow. These are the common orange variety you may notice blooming along roadsides & riverbanks in August. Each flower blooms for just one day, but each plant produces many blooms for a great show of color.
Day lilies can help prevent erosion and attract butterflies, hummingbirds and beneficial pollinators. The small tubers can be eaten raw or cooked and have a mild, nutty taste!
Day lilies can help prevent erosion and attract butterflies, hummingbirds and beneficial pollinators. The small tubers can be eaten raw or cooked and have a mild, nutty taste!
Oregano
Another kitchen all-star, oregano is essential to both Italian and Mexican cooking. The leaves are great fresh or dried. Harvest when stalks are 8" high. Flavor is most intense just before plant blooms, although removing blossoms before they flower will keep the plant more productive.
Oregano can be grown successfully in the herb garden in full sun, or in a pot in a sunny kitchen window. It would also make a lovely ground cover, as it is low growing and will produce pretty purple flowers. Tolerates any well-drained soil, but does not do well in wet areas. Deer resistant and helps with erosion!
Oregano can be grown successfully in the herb garden in full sun, or in a pot in a sunny kitchen window. It would also make a lovely ground cover, as it is low growing and will produce pretty purple flowers. Tolerates any well-drained soil, but does not do well in wet areas. Deer resistant and helps with erosion!
Classic Purple Iris
Hardy and easy to grow, most iris prefer full sun and well drained soil. These blue flag irises, however, are native to our area, and will not only tolerate part sun but will also take to wetter areas and can adapt to most any type of soil.
They bloom in June and are great for attracting hummingbirds & butterflies. After the flowers fade, the iris leaves need to store energy for the winter and do best if not cut back. They add attractive greenery to your yard until fall.
They bloom in June and are great for attracting hummingbirds & butterflies. After the flowers fade, the iris leaves need to store energy for the winter and do best if not cut back. They add attractive greenery to your yard until fall.
Rhubarb
Rhubarb is known as the "pie plant" because it is so tasty that way! It also shines in jams and sauces, here at the farm we even make a rhubarb BBQ sauce! We're unsure of the exact variety since it has been growing here for generations, but it is likely Victoria or a very similar strain. Wonderfully productive & hardy.
To establish a rhubarb bed, pick a site in full sun. Does best if you mix in manure or compost when you dig the hole. Plants should be spaced about 4 feet apart. Plants are most productive if you remove any flower stalks when they appear. To harvest, grab stalks by the base and pull, do not cut. Remember that only the stalks are edible; the leaves are actually poisonous.
To establish a rhubarb bed, pick a site in full sun. Does best if you mix in manure or compost when you dig the hole. Plants should be spaced about 4 feet apart. Plants are most productive if you remove any flower stalks when they appear. To harvest, grab stalks by the base and pull, do not cut. Remember that only the stalks are edible; the leaves are actually poisonous.