The de Gersdorff Perennial Border

Sun-loving herbaceous perennials and ornamental grasses stand in large drifts against a backdrop of flowering shrubs and trees. The colors keep changing all summer long. Designed by Lyle L. Blundell, 1954.

In 1934 the Lenox Garden Club helped to found the Berkshire Garden Center, later renamed the Berkshire Botanical Garden. The Garden's early years were focused on planting, planning and developing educational programs to advance the art and science of gardening. This perennial border honors former Lenox Garden Club President Helen Suzette de Gersdorff, who became one of the Garden's first trustees.

Planning and Patience

Perennial gardens are composed of plants that come back year after year. These plants often take time to establish and mature. Perennial borders require ongoing maintenance such as mulching and dividing to keep plants healthy. and benefit from transplanting individual plants to balance color, texture, height, and form. Large drifts of plants of the same species or variety give this garden its distinctive character. The cool blues, purples, and pinks of bear's breeches (Acanthus hungaricus), blue false indigo (Baptisia australis), and wild geranium (Geranium sanguineum var. striatum) dominate in spring. And the warm yellows and oranges of oxeye sunflower (Heliopsis helianthoides), Helen's flower (Helenium 'Mardi Gras") and goldenrod (Solidago rugosa 'Fireworks') preside over summer. Silver and maroon foliage and white flowers work all season long to moderate and unify the palette.

Did You Know?

This perennial garden attracts and supports a variety of pollinators. Selecting plants with different bloom periods provides pollinators with a source of pollen or nectar throughout the season, while a variety of flower shapes and colors broadens the range of bees, butterflies, hummingbirds, moths, and other pollinators attracted to the garden. The use of native plants helps attract native pollinators as well as other insects and birds that depend on indigenous species for food or as hosts for their larvae.