News & Events

Summer Updates!
June 14, 2016 / Penny

Collage

Market Days Are Here Again!

Hey there, gardeners!  We’re happy to announce that our summer market is in full swing!  Come visit us Wednesdays and Saturdays for fresh products and produce from the Miller Family Farm!  Just this Saturday we had cucumbers, zucchini, strawberries, kohlrabi, chard, kale, spring onions, and lettuce, Miller jams and jellies, Minced Garlic organic products, Holmes all-natural applesauces, and all-natural flower elixirs for flavoring drinks.

The list of goodies varies from week to week, but the offerings are always delicious!

In Stock Now!

We have an incredible list of hard-to-find perennials and natives in stock right now.  For you casual gardeners out there, it’s a heck of a selection.  Come on in, admire the plants, and feel free to ask us questions.  For you die-hards out there, we hope you’ve been brushing up on your Latin, because here’s a list of just some of our amazing selection:

Non-Natives

Achillea ‘Paprika’
Allium senescens glaucaa, s. ‘Mongolian Gem’
Alstromeria-perennial!
Angelica
gigas
pachypoda
Antennaria dioca
Armeria maritime ‘Bee’s Ruby’
m. ‘Rubrifolia’
m. ‘Alba’
“Nifty Thrifty’
Artemesia ‘Valerie Finnis’
‘Silver King’
Aster frikartii ‘Wonder of Staffa’
Aster Novae-Angliae
Aster ‘Professor Kippenberg’
Belamcanda chinensiis; B. c. Yellow
Calamint
Campanula glomerata ‘Superba’
Caryopteris ‘First Choice’
Delosperma cooperi, ‘Alan’s Apricot’
Digitalis mertonensis, obscura; purpurea ‘Excelsior’; p. mariana
Gypsophila repens-whit and pink
Helianthemeum ‘Wisley Pink’
Iberis ‘Autumn Snow’
Kniphofia uvari ‘Flamenco’
Lilies-various, including Aurelian
Lychnis chalcedonica
Papaver orientale ‘Prince of Orange’; ‘Royal Wedding’
Pardancanda ‘Dazzler’
Penstemon grandiflorus;’War Axe;Pike’s Peak’ Peak Purple’
Pineleaf;hirsutus pygmaeus
Phlox stolonifera ‘Blue Ridge’
divaricata
paniculata ‘David’
Poliomintha longiflora
Salvia ‘Nikan’, ‘May Night’; azurea ‘Grandiflora’; nemorosa ‘Rose Queen’
Saponaria olivana
Scabiosa columbaria ‘Giant Blue’
Sidalcea “Party Girl’’
Tanacetum ‘Robinson’s Crimson
Veronica spicata ‘Giles Van Hees’; longiifolia ‘Eveline’,

Natives

Actea pachypoda
Allium cernuum
Anemone sylvestris
Arisaema triphyllum
Asarum canadense
Aster laevis
Baptisia leucantha; B. tinctoria
Berlandiera lyrata
Chelone glabra
Coreopsis palmata
Dictamnus alba
Echinacea pallida
Echinacea paradoxa
Echinacea purpurea; E. p. ‘Alba”; E. p. ‘Magnus’
Eupatorium dubium ‘Little Joe’
Eupatorium altissimum ‘Prairie Jewel’
Eupatorium rugosum
Eupatorium perfoliatum/Boneset
Eupatorium/Conoclinum (Mist Flower)
Gaura lindeimeri
Gentiana andrewsii
Geum triflorum
Helenium autumnale ‘Rotgold’
Heliopsis helianthoides scabra ‘Sunburst’
Heuchera Americana ‘Dales Variety’
Liatris aspera; L. ligustylis
Lobelia cardinalis
Lobelia siphiliitica
Lonicera sempervirens-4 colors
Oenothera fruticosa ssp. glauca
Parthenocissus quinquefolia
Physostegia virginica
Polygonatum biflorum
Ratiibida colimnifera Red; R. pinnata
Scutellaria scordifolia
Silene regia
Silphium laciniatum; S. perfoliatum
Solidago rugosa ‘Fireworks’
Spigelia marilandica
Thalictrum aquilegifolium
Thermopsis villosa
Trilliium erectum; T. grandiflorum
Verbena bonariensis
Veronicastrum virginicum Albo-Rosea
Viola sororia
Wisteria frutescens

Come on in and scope it out!

Summer Hours and Roadwork Fun
April 27, 2016 / Penny

File_000

Concerning Nice, Long, Summer Days

Summer is just around the corner!  Or… we think, we hope, that summer is just around the corner!  We’re crossing our fingers.

Anyway, we’re going to go ahead and act like summer is just around the corner and announce our summer hours!  Starting May 1st, Perennials Preferred will be open as follows:

Monday:         10:00am – 5:00pm
Tuesday:         10:00am – 5:00pm
Wednesday:   10:00am – 6:00pm
Thursday:       10:00am – 5:00pm
Friday:            10:00am – 6:00pm
Saturday:       10:00am – 6:00pm
Sunday:          10:00am – 6:00pm

Concerning Roads

You’ve heard the adage that there are two seasons: Winter and Construction.  Well, winter is over, and with this sunshine-y new season comes a grim gauntlet of steamrollers, jackhammers, orange cones, and detour signs.

We’re still trying to get all of the details, but we’re given to understand that, intermittently throughout this coming summer, much of Mayfield Road (east of County Line Road) will be closed.  Fear not, loyal customers!  Perennials Preferred will be open and reachable.

If you find yourself coming our direction and see a “road closed” sign blocking your path, don’t be discouraged.  You will still be able to reach us by turning onto Mayfield road from Caves Road, just east of the store.  For all other approaches, there will be detour signs up to point you in our direction.

We’re still working with the Department of Transportation to confirm dates and details, and we will keep you posted as you know more.  For now, if you want to find us and you can’t, give us a call at 440.729.7885, and we’ll be happy to guide you!

Spring Has Spring!
April 18, 2016 / Penny

File_000Merry spring to you, gardeners! It’s been a long time coming this year, hasn’t it?

There’s exciting happenings at Perennials Preferred!
In bloom right now:
Red and white Trillium and a mix of same which were grown on farms, not collected in the wild.
Hellebores (Lenten or Christmas Rose)
Silene (Campion)-pink
Aurinia saxatilis  (Basket of Gold)
Arabis caucasica (Rock Cress)
Corydalis lutea (fumitory)
Anemone sylvestris (Wood Anemone)
Pulsatilla vulgaris (Pasque Flower)
Brunnera ‘Jack Frost (Bugloss)
Mertensia virginica (Virginia Bluets)
Primula ‘Supernova’ (primrose)
Dodecathon meadia (Shooting Star’)
Arisaema triphyllum  (Jack in the Pulpit)
Podphyllum (May Apple)
Gentiana ‘True Blue ‘( Bottle Gentian)
Stylophorum (Celandine Poppy)
And more!
As you can see from the in-bloom list, we’re working hard to expand our collection of native plants, great for butterflies and other pollinators!
We also have bulbs, potted and ready to plant in your garden! Lots of Muscari, small rock garden tulips, ornamental onions, and more.
If you’re more of the “from scratch” type, we’ve got seeds aplenty.  We’ve expanded our collection of heirloom vegetables and flowers – again, great for pollinators.
Want to spruce up the vegetable garden? We have in: seed potatoes, garlic, shallots, asparagus (green and purple), onion sets, and a certified organic grower tending to them all with love and care.
Lots more to come. Something you want that you don’t see listed here?  Now is the time to give us a call!
See you soon!
Penny

For the Birds
January 11, 2016 / Penny

Hello good friends,

It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas…finally! The birds don’t care, though; they just  bag of bird seedknow it’s finally cold. Very cold. And they’re hungry.

 We’ve decided to carry birdseed, holiday seedcakes, and suet to support our feathered friends and to go along with our whimsical and beautiful birdhouses and feeders. We currently carry seventeen kinds of seed but will make every effort to get any variety we don’t have that you might want. I’m a big fan and still a trustee of the Audubon Society of Greater Cleveland.
Furthermore, if you live in the area, we will deliver to your house for a nominal fee!
The final bird-related news is that Penny has found a fellow who makes beautiful and amusing birdhouses. He will also come to your house and take a picture, then make a customized birdhouse which is a model of your own house for a reasonable fee. We plan to feature some of his work at the store soon.
Lastly, for those out there champing at the bit for spring, we have put all of our 2015 flower and vegetable seed on sale at buy-two-get-one-of-the-same-price -free.
Experienced growers will already know that old seed, properly protected from light and water, is generally viable, sometimes after a great deal of time (for the plant-lovers and crazies out there, have a look :
Current hours are:
Thurs. and Sun.  10:00-4:00
Fri. and Sat.         10:00-5:00

Happy New Year! We hope to see you soon.

Penny Orr

 

Reasons to Plant in Autumn
October 8, 2015 / Penny

The excitement of spring and getting the garden in is a ritual for many and can be like a Onions in groundgood cup of coffee after a long night’s sleep.   Spring planting rejuvenates us and our surroundings but fall planting should not be forgotten.  Planting in the fall allows you more time to enjoy the spring planting season and has many benefits.  Here are some of the reasons we tell our customers to plant now:

  • The soil is warmer in fall than in spring allowing roots to take hold quicker
  • You can still see what you have in the garden and add to it before everything has gone to sleep for winter
  • Growers/Nurseries have been growing and nurturing plants all season so many are larger and often on sale
  • The soil is easier to dig and amend than our compacted, soggy spring soil.
  • The weather is sunnier and crisp and just that perfect temperature for being outside
  • Late October and November rains take care of the watering for you
  • Things like kale, onion, garlic, peas and more can be planted now for an early spring crop
  • Spring-blooming bulbs, perennials and shrubs will be ready to provide you the first sight of color when the snow melts

Happy Planting!