04/30/2026
Back at the Hampden Farmers' Market this Friday from 2-5!
Saturday, May 2nd I’m opening the market stand at my nursery on Enjoy Life Lane in Old Town. I’m still working on it but will be ready for a soft opening Saturday. I know we’re all eager to get into the garden and plant! Many perennials are still waking up so the selections will change weekly as plants become ready to go to their new homes.
This is what I’m bringing to market tomorrow -
Penstemon digitalis - ‘Husker’s Red’ - This is a great perennial! Forms a large handsome clump of shiny dark leaves with small pinkish/lavender flowers rising up from the base. Important native and pollinator plant also attracts hummingbirds and butterflies. This is a very tolerant plant which thrives under most conditions. Hardy to zone 3.
Gypsophila paniculata - a pretty double-flowered baby's breath that offers big airy clouds of white blooms in early summer. The flowers can be cut and dried and used during the winter months. A free branching, heavy bloomer with small double white flowers, hundreds in each spray. Blooms July to October. Winter hardy to zone 3.
Doronicum orientale - Leopard’s Bane - One of the earliest bloomers in the daisy family so it’s vital to pollinators that are searching for early nectar. Prefers moist, rich soil. Sun to part shade. Hardy to zone 3. *Deer resistant.
Jacob’s Ladder - Polonium yezoense - Compact perennial with large clusters of star shaped flowers with fern like foliage. Nice in natural settings. Enjoys partial shade. Hardy to Zone 3. *Deer resistant with it’s bitter taste and strong scent.
Epimedium rubrum - Beautiful mounding, evergreen ground cover for dry shady areas. Pretty raspberry edging on the fresh emerging foliage. Dainty pink fairy-like flowers dangle above the foliage. A good early pollinator. *Deer resistant.
Rhubarb - ‘Victoria’ - Sweetest and best cooking rhubarb. Prolific large red stems. Pick by pulling, rather than cutting. Remove seed heads for stem harvesting all summer. Benefits from a good top dressing of compost or manure. Zone 3.
Lychnis coronaria - Rose Campion - Old fashioned favorite with soft fuzzy leaves and brilliant magenta flowers. Deadhead to prolong the bloom period. Allow a few to self seed for a continual supply of new plants. Zone 4. *Deer resistant.
Scabiosa japonica alpina - A choice plant for front of the border and rock gardens. A great little plant for butterflies and pollinators. Flowers are pink or blue. Enjoys full sun to partial shade. Zone 4.
Lupinus polyphyllus - Lupine - Tall showy flowers are nice in mass plantings and to help soil erosion. Remove spent blooms to encourage re-bloom and to prevent plant exhaustion making seeds. Maine is known for it’s lupine but the lupine mostly recognized (polyphyllus) is not a native plant. *Deer resistant.
Sweet William - Dianthus barbarous - Wonderful spicy scented flower explosion. Good cut flowers or in a cottage garden. Biennial so allow to self seed. Sun and part shade. Zone 3. *Deer resistant because of it’s bold fragrance.
Viola labridorica - Labrador violets - A delightful perennial plant that adds a pretty touch of purple to garden landscapes. This charming plant typically reaches a modest height of about 4”. Striking purple-hued leaves, the plant flowers in spring with delicate violet blooms. The flowers typically rise just above the foliage. They also serve a a host plant to several varieties of butterflies. Great in woodland gardens. Hardy to Zone 2.
Thalictrum rochebruneanum ‘Lavender Mist’ - or sometimes called Meadow Rue. This beautiful plant has tall, delicate stems punctuated by clusters of columbine-like, bluish gray leaves. In summer, it bears sprays of nodding lavender-pink flowers that reach as high as 3 feet. Plant at the back of a border or as a see-through plant in a mixed border. It is also suitable for a wild or woodland garden and requires little maintenance. This plant thrives in partial shade and is a valuable pollinator and hummingbird magnet. *Deer resistant. Hardy to Zone 4.
