Articles by Jim Gainan

As published in the Billings Gazette

Striking perennial foliage adds drama, height to the garden

Here we are in our growing season. The early blooms of the bleeding heart and creeping phlox are gone, the poppies and veronica are blooming now, yet we still wait for the later blossoms of the coneflower and Russian sage.

Perennial blooms are fickle - appearing in our yards for only a few short weeks, it's their foliage that carries our perennial gardens through the season. The foliage of perennials can be as striking and eye-catching as the brightest blooms. Graceful arches of grasses, delicate serrated fronds of ferns, the silvery-gray of artemesias, the metallic or burgundy foliage of coral bells - all can take a starring role in your garden.