Mark the Spot to Protect Late Emerging Perennials

Use bulbs, plant labels or plant stems to help guide your cleanup efforts next spring.

Balloon flower, butterfly weed and hardy hibiscus are a few of the plants that emerge late in spring. It’s easy to accidently weed them out during spring clean-up.

Try leaving the stems of these plants intact until the new growth emerges. Unfortunately, many of us have accidently removed these, too.

Plant tags will identify the plant and mark their location, but can be unsightly. Try placing a colorful dowel rod, golf tee or short bamboo stake at the base of these plants.

Or mark their spot with bulbs. Plant spring flowering bulbs next to these plants to extend the bloom time and help prevent damage.

Avoid tulips, crocus and other bulbs the animals love. They may move or eat your marker before next spring.

A bit more information: Use a mix of early, mid and late spring flowering bulbs to extend the color in your garden. Or skirt these late emerging plants with early spring blooming perennials like creeping phlox, candytuft or rock cress.