Plant Once, Love Forever: Our Favourite Perennials to Grab This Long Weekend
The May long weekend just got a whole lot greener. From Thursday through Monday, all perennials are 20% off at The Watering Can’s Vineland Seasonal Garden Centre — and if you’ve been eyeing up a border refresh or dreaming of a garden that practically takes care of itself, this is your moment. Perennials are the gift that keeps giving, and in Niagara’s zone 6b, the timing couldn’t be more perfect.
Why This Weekend Is the Sweet Spot for Planting
In Niagara, Ontario — growing zone 6b — the average last spring frost falls around May 15th. The long weekend arrives at exactly the right moment: soil temperatures are climbing, the frost risk is nearly behind us, and your new plants will have the entire summer ahead to sink their roots deep before winter returns in October.
Planting perennials in late May gives them the best possible head start. They settle in through the warm months, develop strong root networks, and often reward you with blooms before the season is out. Buy now, plant this weekend, and enjoy the returns for decades. That’s the perennial promise — and at 20% off, it’s an especially easy one to make.
Six Perennials Worth Every Penny at 20% Off
Echinacea (Coneflower)
A powerhouse of the zone 6b garden, echinacea blooms from July through September and returns bigger and bolder every single year. It’s pollinator paradise — bees and butterflies can’t resist it — and the sculptural seed heads feed birds right through winter. Available now in a stunning range of colours far beyond the classic purple, it’s low-maintenance, drought-tolerant, and virtually indestructible in Niagara’s climate.
Salvia (Ornamental Sage)
If you want a perennial that blooms hard and keeps going all summer, salvia is your plant. Tall spires of violet, blue, or deep rose attract hummingbirds and butterflies from June through September, and most varieties are fully hardy in zone 6b. Drought-tolerant once established, deer-resistant, and stunning in a mixed border — it’s the overachiever of the perennial world and an absolute steal at 20% off.
Rudbeckia (Black-Eyed Susan)
Cheerful, reliable, and ridiculously easy to grow, black-eyed Susans light up the late-summer garden with golden blooms from July right into October. They naturalize happily in Niagara’s zone 6b, spread generously over the years, and are virtually indestructible. Plant a few this weekend and they’ll be back in greater numbers next spring — and the spring after that, and the one after that.
The long weekend is the ideal planting window in zone 6b Niagara — soil is warm, frost risk is nearly past, and perennials have a full season to establish their roots before winter. This sale is perfectly timed.
Nepeta (Catmint)
One of the most underrated perennials for Ontario gardens, catmint forms soft, silvery mounds smothered in lavender-blue flowers from June onward. Shear it back after the first flush and it rebounds with a second wave of bloom right into fall. Drought-tolerant, deer-resistant, wonderfully fragrant, and fully hardy in zone 6b — it also looks gorgeous tumbling over the edge of a garden border or walkway.
Astilbe
For the shaded corners where most plants throw up their hands, astilbe is practically magic. Feathery plumes of pink, white, red, or coral rise above deeply cut foliage in June and July, and the dried seed heads stay attractive well into fall. Fully hardy in zone 6b, it loves moist, rich soil and naturalizes beautifully under trees or along shaded borders — filling in spots that other perennials won’t touch.
Sedum (Stonecrop)
When the rest of the garden starts winding down, sedum is just hitting its stride. Varieties like ‘Autumn Joy’ bloom from August through October in shades of dusty rose, salmon, and copper-red, and their structural seed heads look beautiful dusted with autumn frost. Extraordinarily drought-tolerant, thriving in poor soil, and absolutely bulletproof in zone 6b — sedum is the perennial that earns its keep right to the very end of the season.
The Perennial Promise: Buy Once, Enjoy Forever
Here’s what makes a 20% perennial sale feel like such a win: you’re not just buying a plant — you’re making a long-term investment in your garden. Unlike annuals that need replacing each spring, perennials come back reliably year after year, often spreading and multiplying so that your original purchase becomes two plants, then four, then a whole sweep of colour you never have to replant.
In Niagara’s zone 6b climate, with its warm summers and cold but manageable winters, most perennials thrive without a lot of fuss once they’re established. Give them a good first season and they’ll reward you for decades — blooming, spreading, feeding the pollinators, and making your garden feel more layered and alive with each passing year.
Quick Tips for Getting Your New Perennials Off to a Great Start
- Water in deeply after planting — give new perennials a thorough soaking right away, and keep the soil consistently moist for the first few weeks while they establish their root systems in their new home.
- Amend your soil at planting time — mix in compost or a slow-release fertilizer to give your perennials the richest possible start, especially in Niagara’s heavier clay soils where drainage can be an issue.
- Respect the spacing on the tag — plant at the recommended distance even if the plant looks small today. Perennials fill out fast, and good air circulation keeps disease at bay as the season heats up.
- Mulch for moisture and temperature control — a 2–3 inch layer of mulch around your new plants keeps moisture in, weeds out, and soil temperature steady through Niagara’s hot July and August.
- Leave some seed heads standing through winter — echinacea, rudbeckia, and sedum all provide important food for overwintering birds and add beautiful structure to the winter garden. Resist the urge to cut everything down in fall.
THE LONG WEEKEND PLAN
Head to The Watering Can’s Vineland Seasonal Garden Centre any time Thursday through Monday and take 20% off every perennial on the benches. Wander the rows, ask questions, fill a cart — and leave with plants that will reward you for years to come. This is exactly what long weekends were made for.
Come Wander the Garden Centre This Weekend
The Watering Can is at 3725 King St, Vineland — open Thursday through Monday with 20% off all perennials at our Vineland Seasonal Garden Centre. Give us a call at 905-562-0088 or visit us online to plan your trip.
