Rules of Attraction - Heat Tolerant Perennials

     Let's talk movie stars and plants.  There are some movie stars that just smolder.  Those that are so easy to look at, it's hard to take your eyes away.  Sometimes, OK most times, it doesn't always matter if they have talent; although talent is almost always present as looks only go so far.  But then there are those whose looks aren't in the Ryan Reynolds/Bradley Cooper realm.  Nonetheless they are well in the realm of handsome, perhaps enhanced by talent and personality enough to catapult "quirky and handsome" to "prince charming."  Sure we like those movies with the smoldering hunks, but when it comes down to it on a Saturday night Netflix search, don't we seek out the talents of Cary Grant or Colin Firth?  (Ugh, you caught me.  Their accents really get me, and of course I'm speaking to the fairer sexes with little regard to those interested in femme fatales - please feel free to insert your own examples.)

     Lesser calamint is the Colin Firth of the perennial plant world for me.  I fell in-like with it at Saul's Nursery during the Perennial Plant Association meeting of 2012 in Georgia.  I had many doubts that it would survive the heat and humidity a mere zone south of Atlanta, but I have slowly and steadily fallen in love with this plant.  I've situated it here and there at the SFA Gardens, in addition to my own landscape where garden space is limited, yet lesser calamint demands two locations.
      The tiny flowers are born on fairly long racemes and are mostly white with hints of blue.  Despite their size, the flowers are present in great numbers.  The foliage when brushed is mostly minty, and otherwise pleasant.  I can't begin to tell you how busy the pollinators are on these flowers.  It's definitely a plant that dances under the weight of it's many visitors.  The honey bees that have taken residence (for the second time) in our chimney are thrilled that this is in our landscape.  The native bumble bees are happy too.  I love finding them asleep on the flowers in early morning.  At first I thought they were drunk on nectar, but they are actually male bees who don't have a nest to go home to. 

     Plants are happiest when grown in a sunny spot with well-drained soil.  I have actually had great results in sand, clay as well as amended soils.  Cut plants back by about 2/3 when flowers begin to look tired.  This will encourage the foliage to flush and will entice more blooms to appear. 
     Lesser calamint is an attractive enough plant that grows on you with every passing attribute, much like certain movie stars who don't hit you upside the head with devastatingly good looks, but reel you in with the "whole package."  I'm eager to hear what my Bayou City AND my Hill Country friends in Texas have to say.  That's a real stamp of approval if we can all grow it....and I suspect we can!

Perennials for Hot Gardens and Hot Gardeners!

      At a recent horticulture trade show, I was on a mission to find starts of Salvia 'Amistad' - a gorgeous guarantica hybrid with fluid, dark purple flowers.  My colleague and I approached a liner farm with an excellent reputation and an equally excellent repertoire of plant varieties, and we asked about the salvia on our wishlist.  After we explained the genetics, noting that it would probably not be hardy north of zone 7, we were told "We only grow REAL perennials."  Well how about that?!  According to the Royal Horticulture Society, the definition of an herbaceous perennial is: a non-woody plant that dies back to a rootstock each autumn and regrows in the following spring.  Ummm...'Amistad' does exactly that for me - square in my zone 8b garden - and it's not a REAL perennial?!?  Harrumph!

     So here it is: Southern Gardeners are DONE with the zone 6 perennial mafia pushing us around.  I personally promise to dedicate my work, trials, blogs and posts to HEAT and HUMIDITY tolerant perennials that are reliably hardy in zones 8, 9 and 10, with strong recognition for those hardy in zone 7 as well.  It's our time Southern Gardeners!  Let's grow what works for us, share new perennials that fit our criteria, and be darn proud of our southern roots - pun intended!
     I encourage you all to tag photos and posts about perennials that work in the southeastern United States with #zone8mafia so our voices begin to unify and those silly Yankees heed our call and take notice!