Green Thumb Favorites

When they retired, John and Barbara Dunzelman got right to work on their backyard. Here are their favorite perennials and annuals and why they love them.

Perennials

• Daylilies: Big, beautiful and colorful flowers every day for weeks.
• Lamium: Variegated leaves, bright color. Flowers in spring and early summer, and good ground cover.
• Hosta: Great shades of greens, whites and yellows, always return, multiply, and great contrast for neighboring plants.
• Astilbe: Lacey leaves and flowers, wine, yellow, white and pink.
• Ferns: Great in shade, lacey leaves of varying patterns.

Annuals

• Dragon Wing Begonia: Large shiny leaves, constant flowers all summer, red, pink and white with no maintenance!
• Petunias: They come in lots of colors.
• Caladium: Beautiful large leaves in striking color contrasts in a shaded area.
• Impatiens: Non-stop flowers that come in all colors, little maintenance.
• Dwarf Dahlia: Constant flowers when deadheaded, lots of bright colors, and they won't droop.