Plant Gardens 101

If you’ve been growing a vegetable garden for a while, you might be feeling slightly disgruntled at how plain it is to look at. I too began my gardening career with a vegetable garden, but I decided that it wasn’t quite as pleasing to look at as I would have liked. I heard from a friend that the use of perennial flowers could be a great way to liven up my garden without adding any extra work for me.

Perennial flowers are strong, local flowers that come back every year without having to replant or do any extra work. During their off seasons, the flowers and stems die back and you can hardly even tell the plant is there (rather than just dying and looking like hideous brown clumps in your garden). When it’s time to bloom, entirely new flowers shoot up where the old ones were.

Before deciding whether to put in perennials or not, you need to make sure that your soil has proper drainage. If the water stays saturated for long periods of time, you should build a raised bed. To test, dig a hole and fill it with water. Wait a day, and then fill it with water again. All traces of water should be gone within 10 hours. If the hole isn’t completely dry, you will need to build a raised bed. (more…)

For many people perennials are a great way to accomplish a certain look they want for their yard and garden. One area of the yard that many people have a hard time with is the shady areas. There are plants that thrive in such conditions and one form of these are the shade perennials. These types of perennials will grow from two to four years before they need to be replaced and grow well in shady areas of the yard. If they receive to much sunlight they will have a hard time growing and may even die.

Lavender is considered one of the most beautiful of the shade perennials. Lavender is known for its beautiful flowers that can be any color of the rainbow. It also grows lush green stems that make a striking backdrop for the flowers. As with all shade perennials, Lavender needs to be planted in rich and moist soil. It also needs regular attention and watering. In fact if kept constantly moist Lavender can be kept in the more sunny areas of the yard. At its mature height it will grow to 15 to 20 inches tall. (more…)

Learning the art of perennial gardening is much like learning to do anything else. A certain amount of knowledge and skill is required to create a perennial garden but only by doing research into the types of perennial plants and actually making the attempt will this skill and knowledge grow blossom into that flower garden you always dreamed of. Learning the ins and outs of perennial gardening will take time but once you have the basics down your imagination is your only limit to creating a beautiful garden that blooms every year with a minimum amount of work.

The first thing to do before you even begin to dig in the dirt is do some research on perennial plants and gardening practices. Go to your local library or gardening center to find books related to this subject. You can also find a wealth of information on the internet about this type of gardening.

When it comes time to start selecting the plants for your garden the idea is to take the vision that you have in you head and transfer that to an actual living garden. By doing your research up front and selecting the flowers and plants that fit your vision you will see that vision come to life much quicker and easier. As such it is important that you make a list of those plants that you find most desirable during your research. This will help you not only arrange your perennial garden in a design that is most pleasing to you but it will also make it easy to find and purchase them at your local garden store. (more…)

Colorful perennial plants can be used for both shade gardens and backyard areas getting constant full-sun. It is important to select the right one for the specific area of your yard you want to dress-up.

By choosing the right perennials, you can combat three landscape problems—hot and dry locations, wet and swampy areas, and windy or exposed sites.

Most perennials that will work best in dry and sunny spots flower during the summer months. Some of these perennials that are both heat and drought-tolerant include: blanket flower, a daisy-like, yellow-and-red plant; coneflower with pink, rose, or white flowers;daylilies coming in numerous colors; evening primrose or sundrops in yellow, pink, or white flowers; fairy fan-flower that has blue or white flowers and blossoms from spring to fall; gazania rigens with yellow, orange, red, or pink flowers; globe thistle that has round blue flowers; lavender, an aromatic plant with purple, pink, or white flowers; red-hot poker with red, orange, or yellow flowers; Russian sage with light blue flowers flowering from summer into fall; yarrow that flowers in many colors; blazing star or gayfeather, a liatris having purple or white flowers during the summer; and butterfly weed named so because it attracts butterflies, flowering orange blossoms throughout the summer. (more…)

Perennials are a favorite type of garden plant for many gardens as they will bloom for several seasons without replanting. Perhaps one of the best qualities of perennials is that you can divide them and make more plants for free! Dividing your perennials periodically is important as it will keep them from getting overcrowded and help insure healthy lush plants.

Many perennials can be divided easily, but this does not hold try for every variety. In general, division is easiest with perennials that grow in clumps or ones with an expanding root mass. Perennials which stem from single taproot typically cannot be divided but can be duplicated by using root cuttings or seeds.

It is important to divide the plant at a time when the plant is most likely to be receptive to this procedure. Fr plants that come up in spring and summer, the best time to divide them is in the fall Perennials that bloom in the fall or late summer should be divided in the spring. (more…)

Perennials are one of my favorite types of plants to have in the garden.

Perennials are flowering plants that go dormant in the winter and return each spring. There are literally hundreds and hundreds of different types of perennials. Perennials have as many different blooming seasons, colors, textures and sizes as there are types. This is what makes perennials so fabulous. Complete gardens can be created from using strictly perennials.

By planting different types of perennials in your gardens you can have color from the first of spring until a hard frost in the fall. If you are lucky enough to live in Planting Zones 8-10 you get to have color all year long!

Some perennials are grown for their striking and beautiful foliage, others for their flower. Some perennials will only bloom once per season, but the show is spectacular! Many perennials will bloom repeatedly throughout the growing season. Dead-heading the spent flowers will encourage more to bloom. Use a good, sharp pair of pruning shears or garden scissors to remove the spent foliage. (more…)

Every perennial flower has its own growing requirements and some perennials are much easier to grow than others. When you design your perennial flower garden, select plants suited to the growing conditions you have. If the plant is not suitable to your site, it will not be perennial for you! Here I have selected some lovely and colorful yet easy, low maintenance perennial flowers that are widely adapted and should be successful in a sunny location for most gardeners.

Beginning perennial gardeners find the wide selection of plants bewildering. So, here are eight reliable perennial performers for a sunny site: peony, Siberian iris, daylily, bulb lily, black eyed Susan, purple coneflower, cranesbill and sedum. These are widely adapted, easy to grow, and beautiful.

# Peony (Paeonia) zones 3-8
# Siberian Iris (Iris sibirica) zones 3-8
# Daylily (Hemerocallis) zones 3-8
# Bulb lily (Lilium) zones 3-8 (more…)

Perennials have long been one of the most popular classifications of flowering plant, and this is likely to continue for some time. There are many advantages to using perennials in the garden, not the least of which is their ability to regenerate year after year. The ability to plant once, and enjoy season after season of beautiful flowers, is one of the things that make perennials so popular with beginning and experienced gardeners alike.

Another great thing about perennials is that they are usually very easy plants to care for and to work with. Most perennials have needs that are quite undemanding, requiring little more than good soil, sufficient water and adequate sunlight. Even so, perennials also have their own issues, and one of the biggest issues is that perennials, due to their nature, are more prone to insect infestation and disease infection than are annuals, which have a much shorter life span. The very fact that perennials remain in the ground season after season means that infection can gain a foothold, even in the off season. (more…)

Here are some tips for growing perennials and herbs in containers.

For: Rose Mallow or Hibiscus. Spectacular for tall, bold effects. Large flowers, like single hollyhocks, appear during late summer and fall in red, rose, pink, and white. Hybrids measure nine and more inches across. Good for screening hedges. Plants like rich soil, abundant moisture, and full sun though partial shade is endured.

Select some perennials with good all-season foliage. When daylilies, peonies, phlox, coral-bells, gas plant, astilbe, and hardy candytuft finish flowering, their leaves remain attractive. With Oriental poppies, bleeding hearts and primroses, the leaves turn yellow once blooming is over, though this does not mean they are undesirable. Bare spots left by them can be concealed by other plants like quick-growing annuals.

Perennials like daylilies and iris thrive where it is hot; lupines, delphiniums, and astilbes prefer cooler temperatures.

You can have some biennials, too foxgloves, cantetbury bells, sweet Williams and verbascums and discard them after flowering.

Today, nurserymen and garden centers offer mature perennial and biennial plants in tins, baskets, tar paper, papiermache, and other temporary containers. They provide for quick, colorful effects.

PERENNIALS

Acanthus or Bear’s Breech. Tall and striking from southern Europe, whose leaf the ancient Greeks adapted for the capitals of Corinthian columns. Arching, deep-cut, thistlelike leaves, two feet long, shining dark green, are surmounted with tall, white, rose-tinged spikes. Give plants large pots with good drainage and full sun. Not hardy in the North where they need winter protection.

Asters. Handsome with starry blossoms for rich purple, lavender, rose, pink, and white autumn displays. Many varieties vary from nine inches to four or more feet. Plants need full sun and respond to feeding and watering, but are otherwise easy. They are best divided each spring.

Bearded Iris. Number one favorite, beloved for its exquisite blooms in rainbow colors. Hardy and easy to grow, spearlike leaves provide accent among other plants. Clumps need dividing every third year.

Chrysanthemums. Free-flowering and invaluable for the pot garden. With these alone, you can enjoy riotous color from August even to December. Grow your own or buy plants in bud from commercial growers. They move easily when in bloom, if you take care to keep them moist. After flowering, plant in garden or cold frame and give winter protection or discard the roots like annuals.

Daylilies or Hemerocallis. Thriving in hot and cold climates, in shade or full sun. Straplike foliage remains attractive all season. For warmer regions there are evergreen varieties. Trumpet flowers, mostly yellow and crimson, open over a long period, even though each bloom stays fresh but one day. The Greek name, hemerocallis, means “beautiful for a day.”

Delphinium. Regal plant with tall, stately spikes in shades of blue, purple, and white. Sow seed in February or March for flowering plants the same season or purchase seedlings in spring for large containers. Seed sown in June or July will bloom the following summer. Delphiniums need sun and staking up to their heads. Try some of the gorgeous Pacific Hybrids.

Hostas. These handsome perennials have broad leaves, green or variegated. Low growing types are ideal to edge large planters. Hardy, pest free and easy. Consider the August lily, with fragrant white bells in summer; Honey-bells, with tall spikes of purple flowers; and Thomas Hogg, with green leaves edged white.

Phlox. Dependable for bright color in July, August, and September. Thrives in sun or partial shade and needs plenty of water. Allowed to dry out, phlox wilts and the lower leaves turn brown. Comes in pink, salmon, rose, red, scarlet, lavender, purple, and white. If tips are pinched when plants are six to nine inches high, flower heads will be more numerous, though smaller.

Herbaceous perennials are valuable in the container garden. In planters, raised beds, and large boxes, they contribute greatly to the garden design with their distinctive foliage and attractive flowers. As a group, perennials are adapted to a variety of conditions, tolerating sun or shade, moist or dry locations. For the most part, they are hardy, but some require winter covering.

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About Gerald Mason
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If you’ve been growing a vegetable garden for a while, you might be feeling slightly disgruntled at how plain it is to look at. I too began my gardening career with a vegetable garden, but I decided that it wasn’t quite as pleasing to look at as I would have liked. I heard from a friend that the use of perennial flowers could be a great way to liven up my garden without adding any extra work for me.

Perennial flowers are strong, local flowers that come back every year without having to replant or do any extra work. During their off seasons, the flowers and stems die back and you can hardly even tell the plant is there (rather than just dying and looking like hideous brown clumps in your garden). When it’s time to bloom, entirely new flowers shoot up where the old ones were. (more…)