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Perennial Plants and Flowers

A perennial plant is a plant that lives or continues to grow for more than two years. Some perennial plants retain their leaves during the winter months, while others lose their leaves or flowers during the first freeze.

Unlike annuals that must be replanted each year, once perennial flowers are planted, they return on their own each season. Consequently, perennial gardening is a good way for an amateur gardener to get started.

Preparing a Perennial Garden

A few strategically placed perennial plants can facilitate any landscaping project around the home. A perennial garden is much easier to manage when you keep the size of the garden small. A smaller garden ensures that you give the attention to your perennial plants that they need.

The key to a successful perennial garden starts with the bed preparation. One of the first steps to preparing your garden is to eliminate weeds before you start working the soil. Make sure that the area you chose allows for good drainage of the soil so your perennial flowers won't get over-watered.

Since most perennials require a lot of sun, the area you choose should get about ten hours of sun during the summer. If you're planting shade perennials like ferns or hostas, an area with less sun or filtered shade is best. Air circulation is also important when choosing a site for your perennial garden: still, warm air causes disease problems for your perennial flowers.

As you would with most other gardens, prepare the soil by adding compost or other organic matter. Organic matter is the key to improving less than ideal soil.

Choosing Your Perennial Flowers

Once you've prepared your perennial flowerbed, you can start choosing and planting the flowers. Because perennial plants live for many years, select types of perennials that bloom in different seasons to keep color in your garden all year long. With literally hundreds of types of perennial flowers available, choosing a perennial plant can seem a bit overwhelming. The following are some common perennial flowers:

asters: Asters are one of the hardiest perennials available to gardeners today. These daisy-like flowers produce white, purple and yellow blossoms any time from mid to late summer.
chrysanthemums: Chrysanthemums, commonly also called mums, bloom during the fall. These pink, white or yellow perennial flowers grace gardens in September and October.
daylilies: Daylilies, one of the best performers in the perennial garden, are hardy, carefree and profuse bloomers that do well during the hot summer months. They come in many colors, including yellow, orange, red and pink.
ferns: Ferns are perennial plants that don't produce flowers. They've been around for millions of years and fit easily into today's modern gardens as borders or groundcovers.
hydrangea: Hydrangeas are hardy perennial bushes that produce pink or blue flower clusters. Many hydrangeas begin flowering in June and continue until the first frost.

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