Perennial Gardening for the Faint of Heart

22/09/08 20:17 Filed in: planting, perennial gardening
Perennial Gardening for the Faint of Heart
Haven’t we all looked at photos of someone’s garden and thought we want that for our yard? Well I have tried and while my perennial beds never looked magazine ready I have learned some of the “secrets” of those flowering beds.
Perennials require 3 things: Planning, Amendments, and you’re not going to like this one, Patience.
Planning involves observation of the site. How much direct sunlight is it getting? Do larger trees throw shade on the area for part of the afternoon or in the morning? Perennial plants will be more particular to these considerations than are shrubs. Next step is research. For the novice I would recommend looking for Perennial Plant winners http://www.perennialplant.org/ppy/ppyindexs.htm or GA Perennial Plant Association http://www.georgiaperennial.org/data/top_tens/index.htm . There are several that are repeats on these two lists and that is going to be good news for the beginner. Start drawing your plan with plants that have the same light and water needs. Tall and or woody plants should be placed in the back, medium plants next than short plants in the front. Sounds simple right? Also work in odd numbers so you avoid the soldiers in a row appearance. Our mind’s eye is able to see when things do not look balanced so trust that. Here is a suggestion for a space that is mostly sun. Back row… “Limelight” Hydrangea, Baptisia australis, Phlox paniculata 'David', and Chrysanthemum superbum 'Becky' Shasta Daisy. Middle row Daylilies! There are so many kinds, colors, scented and not! Some bloom early season, mid season and late season and some are even semi-evergreen. Mix in some Coneflowers, Veronica ‘sunny blue border’, Bearded Irises, and Siberian Irises. For the front row Veronica peduncularis 'Georgia Blue' – Speedwell, Delosperma – ice plant, and Dianthus gratianopolitanus 'Bath's Pink' - Cheddar Pinks. ‘Firewitch’ is another winner that has many of the same attributes as Bath’s Pink with a dark pink bloom.
Amendments are the back breaking part of the perennial border and if you choose to skip this part the results will be plant loss. I speak from experience on this one. Dig a minimum of 6” down into the existing soil and add compost or cow manure(sold by the bag at Wal-Mart, Home Depot, Lowe’s etc.) so the resulting soil is 1/3rd amendments. Plant your perennials and top with mulch. I recommend you use mulch that with add to the soil as it disintegrates so consider sticking with pine bark mulch. I HATE the red mulch that you see. That is not a mulch you want in a flower bed as it is made of chipped pallets and trash wood that has been sprayed red. It is splinter hell!
Last is the patience part. Perennials often work on a three year program. The first year they sleep, the second they creep and the third they leap. You will see blooms on most of the plants before the 3rd year it just takes them that long to get to their potential.
Oh and I guess there is a fourth thing… don’t forget to weed, but learn to identify your plants in all their stages or you may be weeding out new plants growing from the seed of your older plants!
It is a lifetime of learning and living in your garden! Enjoy!

Sue Trinrud
Vision-Landscaping of Athens Georgia
GA Green Plant Professional
Athens, GA
Sue Trinrud is a GA green plant professional!

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