If it’s October, it’s time for the annual New Mexico sunflower show in my backyard.

It’s easy for me to forget about the big patch of Helianthus maximiliana during the summer. These easy-to-care for sunflowers don’t ask much of me except for a little water now and then.

The nice green leaves make such a lovely backdrop in the perennial garden, that it seems they’ve always been there.

It isn’t until the yellow flowers start to bloom up the tall stems that I remember how much I like this plant.

The flowers start as tight buds that slowly unfurl one by one to create a beautiful hedge of green and gold.  I’ve written about sunflowers many times before, but may have neglected to mention this steady performer.

One of my favorite things about this native prairie plant, in addition to its drought-hardy nature, is that it’s the last plant to put on a show in my garden. It waits until late September or early October to start blooming and won’t quit until the first hard freeze.

One of the toughest roses I’ve found that does consistently well in my Zone 5 backyard has turned into something we affectionately call The Rose Monster.

Something most people don’t know about me is that I grew up with a mom who had too many things going on inside the house to be worried about the landscape outside the house.

She didn’t plant flowers. We didn’t have a vegetable garden. There were no colorful containers overflowing with petunias. As long as the lawn got watered and mowed on a fairly regular basis, she was happy with her gardening efforts.

So it’s no surprise I was captivated by the one flowering plant in our yard—a beautiful climbing red rose. Every year that rose grew on its own. It wasn’t lovingly pruned and it certainly wasn’t babied with any special soils or rose fertilizers. It wasn’t protected from freezing temperatures with thick layers of mulch and there was no winter watering.

Independent garden centers, like Perennial Favorites in Rye, stock hardy native perennial plants, but mailorder provides another good option.

Yesterday I heard from a reader who let me know she was having trouble finding the plants I describe on this blog.

She wrote, “I make little notes and carry them with me to the garden centers, but haven’t had luck finding the plants you recommend.”

I had similar problems finding hardy native perennials when I started my Xeriscape in 2001. Fortunately a lot has changed in the green industry over the years and more native plants are available now than ever before.

One way to find natives is to ask at your favorite independent garden center. Retailers will be more willing to stock hardy perennials if they know their customers will buy them. Let your garden center owner or manager know what you’re looking for and ask for help finding it.

Not everyone is a landscape designer at heart, that’s why pre-planned gardens were invented.

Thanks to garden centers, like High Country Gardens in Santa Fe, design-challenged gardeners can have a blooming beautiful garden by placing an order and following a planting diagram.

The Summer Dreams garden, is a pre-planned garden perfect for a sunny 5′ x 5′ space. Designers selected low-maintenance perennials that work well in just about any type of soil.

Plants in this assortment include Blue Fortune Hyssop (Agastache ‘Blue Fortune’), Fireworks Goldenrod (Solidago rugosa ‘Fireworks’), Goldstrum Black Eyed Susan (Rudbeckia ‘Goldsturm’), Purple Cone Flower (Echinacea purpurea), Rozzane Perennial Geranium (Geranium ‘Rozzane’), and Meadow Blazing Star (Liatris ligulistylus).

In addition to summer beauty, the perennials in this selection are designed to attract bees and butterflies to the garden.

Pre-planned gardens like these take the guesswork out of what to plant and where to plant it. Planting diagrams and care sheets are usually included in the package.