Monster Blooms

STORY AND PHOTOS MICHELLE MERO RIEDEL

Learn to grow mind-blowingly massive perennial and annual flowers.

Usually in horticulture, bigger is not better. When selecting new trees, shrubs and perennials, most gardeners tend to go for small or miniature sizes as they fit better into the landscape. But sometimes you just have to go big, especially when selecting back-of-the-border plants. And I don’t just mean plant size; I’m referring to massive flower size, so make some room. Why would you want an enormous bloom? Because your garden landscape sometimes needs a burst of color. Here are my top 10 monster flowers in order of bloom time.

MEET THE MONSTERS

1. Tulip ‘Blue Spectacle’

Tulipa ‘Blue Spectacle’
(pictured above)

Light: Sun to part shade

Height: 16-20 inches

Flower: 4 inches

Hardiness zones: 3-8, perennial

Similar monsters: T. ‘Double Sugar,’ ‘Annelinde,’ ‘Casablanca’

If you admire peonies, you’ll love these double, late-blooming beauties. This tulip’s petals last longer than most because they can handle some springtime heat. Their violet-purple color softens as they mature. For best results, plant them 7 inches deep in the fall, with many bulbs to a large hole. Then, in the late spring, watch these elegant tulips provide visual excitement.

2. Allium ‘Globemaster’

Allium giganteum ‘Globemaster’

Light: Full sun

Height: 3-4 feet

Flower: 8 inches

Hardiness zones: 3-8, perennial Similar monsters: A. ‘Gladiator,’ ‘Ambassador,’ ‘His Excellency’

Similar monsters: A. ‘Gladiator,’ ‘Ambassador,’ ‘His Excellency’

Alliums are popular for good reason. Their sturdy, thick stems can hold up an enormous ball of dense blooms, commonly called florets. Plant them toward the back garden border and give each bulb about 10 inches of room. Note that alliums are in the onion family, so furry critters are not attracted to them. I also recommend keeping the spent flower; although brown, it still looks great in a garden.

3. Iris ‘Cherished’

Iris germanica ‘Cherished’

Light: Sun to part shade

Height: 3 feet

Flower: 6 inches

Hardiness zones: 4-9, perennial

Similar monsters: I. ‘World Premiere,’ ‘Supreme Sultan,’ ‘Ambroisie’

These gorgeous rhizomes are easy to grow, and their ruffled display grows fuller every year. This hardy, bearded beauty blooms in late spring for several weeks, each stalk producing many massive blooms. After flowering, cut down the stem and leave the graceful foliage; it provides a nice backdrop behind other blooming perennials. Divide the plant every few years.

4. Itoh Peony ‘Bartzella’

Peony intersectional Itoh ‘Bartzella’

Light: Sun to part shade

Height: 24-36 inches

Flower: 6-8 inches

Hardiness zones: 3-9, perennial

Similar monsters: P. ‘Border Charm,’ ‘Old World Dandy,’ ‘Julie Rose’

Thanks to sweetly scented, soft yellow blooms as wide as your hand, ‘Bartzella’ is a must-have. An early blooming summer stunner, this peony is a winner, literally. In 2006, it won the impressive Peony Society Gold Medal. Even when loaded with blooms, this shrub-like perennial might not need staking due to its tough, herbaceous stems. Be sure to plant the crown just below the soil surface.

5. Clematis ‘Kathleen Dunford’

Clematis ‘Kathleen Dunford’

Light: Sun to part shade

Height: 6-9 feet

Flower: 6-8 inches

Hardiness zones: 4-9, perennial vine

Similar monsters: C. ‘Will Goodwin,’ ‘The President,’ ‘Nelly Moser’

Every garden needs an easy-to-grow clematis. In early summer, ‘Kathleen Dunford’ will steal the show on any climbing structure. Blueish-purple flowers develop hints of pink as blooms mature. Don’t cut them down in the fall—they grow on the previous year’s stems.

6. Oriental Lily ‘Casa Blanca’

Lilium orientalis ‘Casa Blanca’

Light: Sun to part shade

Height: 3-4 feet

Hardiness zones: 4-8, perennial

Similar monsters: L. ‘Red Morning,’ ‘Orange Spare,’ ‘Big Brother’

Amazingly fragrant and pure wedding white, this Oriental lily is a big-bloomed superstar. Rigid, upright stems hold an abundance of trumpet-shaped flowers in midsummer. I like planting them in groups of three or more.

7. Daylily ‘Earth Jewels’

Hemerocallis ‘Earth Jewels’

Light: Sun to part shade

Height: 4 feet

Flower: 8-10 inches

Hardiness zones: 3-8, perennial

Similar monsters: D. ‘Firestorm,’ ‘Pink Super Spider,’ ‘Brooklyn’

Easy-to-grow daylilies are a good starting plant for novice gardeners. Add organic matter and mulch in the spring to encourage midsummer blooming in ‘Earth Jewels’. I adore this plant’s sweet peachy pink blooms, lime throat and dark pink eyes.

8. Zinnia ‘Benary’s Giant Wine’

Zinnia elegans ‘Benary’s Giant Wine’

Light: Full sun

Height: 3-4 feet

Flower: 5-6 inches

Hardiness zones: 9-11, annual

Similar monsters: Z. ‘Inca,’ ‘Park’s Big Red,’ ‘California Giants’

On a scale from one to 10, ‘Benary’s Giant Wine’ is a 12. I watched in awe as these zinnias branched tall and wide, loaded with colossal double flowers all summer long in my sunny garden. The Benary’s series comes in many colors.

9. Rose Mallow ‘Starry Starry Night'

Hibiscus moscheutos ‘Starry Starry Night’

Light: full sun

Height: 3-5 feet

Flower: 8-9 inches

Hardiness zones: 4-9, perennial

Similar monsters: H. ‘Midnight Marvel,’ ‘Lady Baltimore,’ ‘Big Red’

This flower’s light pink with a red eye will wow your garden guests, so plant it close to the border. The plant’s blackburgundy foliage contrasts spectacularly while blooms appear in the late summer. Most flowers last one day, so deadhead regularly for the best show.

10. Dahlia ‘Café au Lait’

Dahlia pinnata ‘Café au Lait’

Light: Full sun

Height: 3-4 feet

Flower: 7-8 inches

Hardiness zones: 7-11, annual

Similar monsters: ‘Snowbound,’ ‘Penhill Watermelon,’ ‘Breakout’

Dahlias steal the late-summer garden spotlight. You’ll need to dig up the tubers in the fall and plant in the spring. This soft pink dahlia boasts fully double flowers. I like to cut and display some indoors in a vase

Big bloom tips

With a little maintenance, these gigantic beauties will flourish during the growing season.

WATER

To develop large, abundant flowers and lush foliage, these plants need plenty of water. Make sure soil is evenly moist before and during the blooming period.

FERTILIZE

Extra nutrition feeds the roots and produces longer blooming plants. For perennials, replenish the soil with an all-purpose, slow release fertilizer. Mix it into the top 2 inches in the early spring or add a couple inches of organic matter. For annuals, an all-purpose, immediate-release fertilizer mixed into a watering can and poured at the base every two weeks will do the trick. You can also find specific fertilizers to boost flower production, but all-purpose works just as well and costs less.

DEADHEAD

Remove all faded flowers to encourage more abundant, long-lasting blooms. Just cut or pinch the dying flower and its stem above the first set of leaves. Do this often and as early as possible. Don’t let brown flowers muddy your spectacular display.