Grow Gorgeous Gardens: Your Guide to Planting & Caring for Perennials from Greenwood Nursery
Unlock year-after-year beauty in your garden with our stunning selection of perennial plants at Greenwood Nursery, your trusted online nursery! With a little preparation and care, these reliable beauties will grace your landscape for 3 to 5 years, and often even longer. Here's how to ensure your perennials thrive and flourish:
Setting the Stage: Preparing Your Garden for Perennials
Choose a well-ventilated spot in your garden or landscape with good air circulation. This simple step is crucial for preventing common perennial diseases and ensuring healthy growth. Perennials thrive in soil that is rich in organic matter and offers excellent drainage.1 This balance provides the nutrients they need without suffocating their roots.
Prepare the Soil:
Use a spade, hoe, or fork to thoroughly loosen the soil in your planting area. This makes it easier for roots to penetrate and establish. Mix in plenty of organic matter such as aged manure, aged compost, leaf mold, or pine bark humus. These amendments improve soil structure, drainage, and fertility – all vital for happy perennials.2 Improve drainage in water-retentive soil by incorporating some coarse sand or creating raised beds to ensure proper drainage and prevent root rot.3 Most perennials prefer a soil pH between 5.5 and 6.5. If you've conducted a soil test, follow its recommendations. Without a test, use a neutral, balanced fertilizer such as a 10-10-10 formula in a timed-release granular form, following the label directions.
Planting Your Perennial Treasures:
Plant your perennials in holes that are several inches wider and deeper than their nursery containers. Ensure the top of the potted soil area of your perennial is planted 1 to 2 inches above the surrounding ground level. This helps with drainage and prevents the crown of the plant from staying too wet. Carefully fill the hole with the amended soil, gently firming it around the roots. Water thoroughly to eliminate any air pockets that can hinder root establishment. Add more soil to bring the level to the desired height. Water every day or every other day for the first few weeks, unless there is sufficient daily rainfall to deeply soak the soil around the root system. After 2 to 3 weeks, gradually reduce the frequency of watering to every few days for the following 3 to 4 weeks, depending on your local weather conditions. Allow the top inch of soil to dry out slightly (about a day) between watering sessions. Avoid getting water directly on the leaves or flowers to help prevent fungal diseases. Water at the base of the plant. Apply a 1 to 2-inch layer of compost, straw, or other natural mulch around your newly planted perennials. This valuable step helps suppress weeds, conserve soil moisture, and keep the ground cool.
Ongoing Care for Lasting Beauty:
The best way to manage weeds, especially in the first year, is by hand-pulling them. Regularly remove (deadhead) spent flowers. This encourages the plant to produce new blooms and often promotes additional growth. If a perennial looks somewhat tired or withered after its main blooming period, cut it back by about half. This often stimulates fresh, new growth and can even lead to a second flush of flowers. In the fall or early winter, remove all dead foliage and stems from your perennials. Then, apply a layer of mulch around the base of the plants for seasonal protection against harsh weather and temperature fluctuations. Taller growing perennials may need support to prevent flopping.4 Use bamboo stakes or other wooden or metal stakes and soft string to gently support stems.
Ready to create a vibrant and long-lasting perennial garden? Explore the stunning selection of perennial plants available now at Greenwood Nursery, your premier online plants nursery!
