Meadow View Greenhouse & Garden Center

ETMV June 2010

June is officially Perennial month, so I have decided to focus this month on those plants and hopefully clear up some confusion. We have many customers who come to us wanting perennials so that they don’t have to plant things every year. The problem is that many of them don’t really understand how perennials work. Therefore I am going to provide you with some basic information so that you can make better decisions about what you are going to plant.

Types of Perennials:

Perennials are not easily grouped, but most fit one or more of the following descriptions:

Tender perennials are usually sold with annuals.  These may or may-not survive, depending on how bad our unpredictable winters are.

Ephemeral perennials may live a long time, but their blooms and foliage last only a short time each year.  They may come up, bloom, and disappear in a span of about three months, only to repeat the show year after year.  Virginia bluebells fall into this category.

Evergreen perennials are the opposite. They keep their leaves year round and can be used as ground covers.  Lenten rose, dianthus, and candytuft are examples of evergreens.

Shrubby perennials develop woody stems.  They usually need pruning to keep them vigorous and full.  Tree peonies and lavender are in this group.

Short-lived perennials last just 2-3 years and then should be replaced.  Cardinal flowers and Homestead Verbena tend to fall into this group

Long-lived perennials can last for decades.  Peonies are among the most durable of these.

Biennials are often sold with perennials because they usually reseed.  These are plants that produce foliage the first year and bloom the second. Three popular biennials are foxglove, hollyhock, and Sweet William.

How can we help you?

Before you come into the garden center to get perennials, there are few basic questions we will need to know the answer to:

1. How much sun does the area get and at what time of the day?
2. What kind of soil do you have?
3. When do you want the plant to bloom?
4. What other plants do you have in that area?

Knowing the answer to these questions will make your selection process easier.

How can you have a better perennial garden?

*The primary suggestion I have is to stagger bloom times. Customers who come to the garden center wanting a perennial that blooms all summer are often disappointed. Most perennials bloom a few weeks at best, but if you choose from a variety of early to late season bloomers, you can have a continuous show of color. For example, a bed that has candytuft, daylilies and mums will have something blooming all the time.

*My second suggestion is to be patient. Many perennials need a couple of years before they will really put on a show. Don’t hesitate to keep planting annuals in with them until they begin to spread. On the other hand, some will need to be divided in 3-5 years so that they aren’t overcrowded and to rejuvenate them.

*Many perennials do not mind being moved to a better spot if they, or you, are not happy where they are. There are a few however, such as Butterfly Weed, which will not survive being moved.

*Perennials are not completely care-free. While some are drought tolerant, they will need to be watered until established. Some prefer moist areas in your yard. Some may need to be pruned, and some may need to be staked. If you have questions, ask us. I can also recommend a good book called “The Well Tended Perennial Garden” by Tracy deSabato Ault. Your local library or bookstore will have many others you can choose from, but please check what area of the country the author lives in. Perennials that do well in Seattle won’t necessarily do well here.

*Working some good stuff into your flower beds such as topsoil and compost will help the plants. Many perennials grow wild, but they are in areas where there is actual soil, not a yard in a new neighborhood where the builder scraped every inch of topsoil off before he began building.

My final suggestion for would-be perennial gardeners is to not try to do everything at one time. Don’t be afraid to go slowly. Visit us frequently to see what is blooming and just take a couple, so that you have continuous color. And most important, have fun with it. That’s what gardening should be about.