Perennials surround us on our homesteads and play an important part in the ecologies of our local areas. The trees that line our driveways? The gorgeous fields of lavender that brighten up the landscape? We see perennials nearly everywhere once we start looking for them! Knowing how to care for perennials is an important homesteading skill and one we should take care not to lose!
What is a perennial plant?
Perennial plants live for at least two years (distinct from annual plants that live only one). Perennials are either woody or herbaceous. Woody plants are automatically perennial because they grow robust tissues, from which stems repeatedly sprout year on year. Herbaceous perennials do not have a woody exterior so die into the ground each winter and re-emerge the following spring.
How long do perennials last?
Most perennial plants die after around three or four years, although some can live for far longer than this. While it is good that perennials last longer than annuals, the downside is that they tend to bloom for a shorter period of time than annual plants.
Perennial plants can be grown from either seeds or cuttings, or they can be divided to make new plants.
How should I choose a perennial plant?
Choosing a perennial plant is much the same as choosing any other type of plant. You want to pay attention both to plant health factors and to environmental factors. This is critical if you’re thinking about how to care for your perennials in the right way.
Plant health factors
The first thing to look for is a plant that looks healthy and has green foliage. Any plant that looks floppy or weedy is best avoided. Likewise, there should be no visible signs of disease or insects on the plant. Signs to look out for include blackened leaves, holes (especially in the leaves), spots, and sticky areas.
It is also a good idea to check the roots, too. If the plant is growing in a pot, check if its roots are trailing out of the bottom. In this case, it can be a sign that the plant has undergone some type of trauma. If the roots are few and far between, the plant should be easily lifted out of the pot. In this case, this is often an indication that the plant has only recently been repotted. This means that it should remain in the pot for a while longer before it is moved to the garden.
Looking at the stem can also reveal a lot about the plant. If the stem is thick, check to see if there are any visible scars or cracks on the stem. These are generally a bad sign. Even small signs of damage may have long term effects on the plant.
Other things to look out for include weeds growing in the same pot as the perennial plant. If they are, the weeds could be stealing vital nutrients from the perennial. This will impact its growth and general health. If the plant is in bud, it should stand a better chance of surviving the move to the garden.
Environmental factors
It is a good idea to choose your perennial plant according to the conditions of your garden. For example, if your garden tends to be sunny, you should choose a perennial plant that thrives in sunny conditions. Likewise, if your garden is shady, choose a perennial plant that prefers to live in those conditions. Many people make the mistake of planting shade-loving perennials (such as bleeding hearts) in a garden that receives a lot of sun. This will not provide the optimum conditions for the plant to flourish.
To help choosing perennial plants that will be able to thrive in your garden, use the USDA hardiness zone map. The map separates the US into different zones according to the average minimum temperature during the winter. It is best to choose a perennial that will live happily in the same hardiness zone as your garden. For example, if your garden is in zone 3, choose a perennial plant that will thrive in the same zone. To find out which zone your garden falls under, contact a garden center for advice.
Other tips for choosing a perennial plant
- Look for a plant with health suggesting a long life cycle.
- Find a plant that will be resilient against potential hazards. Hazards include children and animals on a lively homestead.
- Consider whether the plant needs to be able to survive even when there is little or no rain. Similarly, different soil conditions.
- Choose plants that offer color and atmosphere to your garden. It makes more of a difference than you think!
- Pick a plant that aligns with your availability for care. The best type of perennial plant for very busy farmers is one that needs only the minimum amount of care! Perennials that fall into this category include Russian Sage, Yarrow, Daylily, Stonecrop, and Blanket Flower.
How to care for perennials: spring or fall planting?
When should I plant a perennial plant?
Many people like to plant perennials that bloom in spring, such as peonies, irises, or carnations. These will make your garden look pretty during the spring, but if the vast majority of your garden contains spring blooms, there will probably not be much variation in your garden during the summer months. To combat this, you can choose a mixture of spring blooms and summer blooms.
There are also plenty of perennials that can be planted in the fall to provide a welcome color explosion. This is great when the summer is over! These include Ceratostigma, Cimicifuga, Coreopsis, Russian Sage, and Michaelmas Daisy.
Knowing how to care for perennials in both seasons is key to ensuring the long-term health of your garden.
How to care for perennials: time to trim!
When should perennials be cut back?
A good gardener will carefully assess which of his or her plants should be cut back on a regular basis. Cutting back is vital to protecting plants from diseases as well as helping them prepare for a fresh start the following spring.
That said, not all perennials are happy with a winter trim! Some plants really need their foliage to protect themselves against the harsh winter conditions. Cutting back in these cases could threaten their survival. Perennials like anise hyssop, garden mums, red-hot pokers, and Montauk daisies should not be cut back for this reason.
Perennials that are safe to cut back are those that are hardier and can withstand winter without their foliage or those that might attract disease if left alone. Bearded iris, for example, is likely to harbor diseases and fungus if it is not cut back immediately when it finishes blooming. Bee balm may get mildew for the same reason.
How to care for perennials: location, location, location!
Where to plant perennials
Choosing where to plant perennials can be a tough decision, but it really needs to be determined by the plant itself. Different perennials can cope with different environments.
As a general rule, plant perennials where they can keep most of their roots near the surface of the soil. Typically, their roots will not go down very far, so you don’t need to dig an area with great depth.
Will perennials grow through mulch?
Healthy perennials should be able to grow through a few inches of mulch without a problem. Younger plants, on the other hand, may not have the strength yet. If your plants are young (and especially if they are seedlings), you should clear away some of the mulch to allow them to grow through without constriction.
Will perennials grow through river rock?
Generally, perennials will not be able to grow through river rock (at least not very successfully). Perennials can be quite robust, but their shallow roots and typical growth patterns are not suited to the rugged edges and heaviness of rocky layers.
Can perennials grow in pots?
Perennials are usually fine to grow in pots, assuming the plant pot size is appropriate to the growth stage of the plant. The thing to be careful of is temperatures. Pots do not insulate roots against the cold, so if you want to pot perennials you need to choose plants that are hardy to at least two zones colder than your USDA hardiness zone.
What else do I need to know to care for perennials?
Bear in mind that a perennial plant will likely be in the same place in your garden for several years, so it is important that you are sure about where you are intending to plant it. Whereas annuals can exist in most types of rich soil (as long as they are watered and fed on a regular basis), this is not necessarily the case for perennial plants.
You will need to pay close attention to the labels, as the amount of sun, water, and pruning that it needs will affect where you can position the plant to help it to grow better.
Perennial plants that prefer to grow in the shade include foxglove, goatsbeard, and Japanese painted fern. The best perennial plants for growing in cooler conditions are Coral Bells and Joe Pye weed.
It is easy to fall into the trap of thinking that your garden will look better with more perennials, but most of the time this is not necessarily the case. If you are aiming for the aesthetically pleasing look for your garden, it is worth remembering that gardens often look better with one or two colorful perennials repeated across the garden, rather than a diverse range of different perennials with different colors.
How to care for perennials the easy way
Contrary to popular opinion, there are many perennial plants that are easy to look after. In this sense, knowing how to care for perennials becomes quite straightforward if you are starting with an easy plant!
If you have chosen a plant that is suited to the conditions of your garden, it should be low maintenance and easy to care for. Obviously, you will still need to water and feed it appropriately. If you are determined to choose one of the low maintenance perennials, any of the following is a good idea: Sea Thrift, Turtlehead, Globe Thistle, Siberian Iris, Blazing Star, Peony, Russian Sage, Meadow Rue, and Allegheny Foam Flower.
Perennials surround us on our homesteads and play an important part in the ecologies of our local areas. From the trees that line our driveways to the gorgeous fields of lavender that brighten up the landscape, we see perennials nearly everywhere once we start looking for them. Knowing how to care for perennials is an important homesteading skill and one we should take care not to lose!
What is a perennial plant?
A perennial plant is one that lives for at least two years (distinct from annual plants that only last one year). Perennials fall into two categories: woody and herbaceous. All woody plants are automatically perennial because they create robust tissues, from which stems repeatedly grow, that lasts for several years or more. Herbaceous perennials, on the other hand, do not have a woody exterior so die into the ground each winter and re-emerge the following spring.
How long do perennials last?
Most perennial plants die after around three or four years, although some can live for far longer than this. While it is good that perennials last longer than annuals, the downside is that they tend to bloom for a shorter period of time than annual plants.
The good news, however, is that you can grow perennials either from seeds or cuttings. This is a great way to extend the life of the plants.
How should I choose a perennial plant?
Choosing a perennial plant is much the same as choosing any other type of plant. The first thing to look for is a plant that looks healthy, and has green foliage. Any plant that looks floppy or weedy is best avoided. Likewise, there should be no visible signs of disease or insects on the plant. Signs to look out for include blackened leaves, holes (especially in the leaves), spots and sticky areas.
It is also a good idea to check the roots too. If the plant is growing in a pot, and its roots are trailing out of the bottom of the pot, it can be a sign that the plant has undergone some type of trauma. If the roots are few and far between, and the plant can be easily lifted out of the pot, this is often an indication that the plant has only recently been repotted. This means that it will need to remain in the pot for a while longer before it is moved to the garden.
Looking at the stem can also reveal a lot about the plant. If the stem is thick or woody, you should check to see if there are any visible scars or cracks on the stem, as this is generally a bad sign. Even small signs of damage may have damaged the plant in the past.
Other things to look out for include weeds growing in the same pot as the perennial plant, as they could be stealing vital nutrients from the perennial plant, which will have an effect on its growth and general health. If the plant is in bud, it will often stand a better chance of surviving once it has been moved to the garden.
Look for a plant that will have a long life cycle, and will be able to protect itself against potential hazards, such as children and animals. In addition, it also needs to be able to survive even when there is little or no rain. Lastly, they should offer some much-needed color and atmosphere to your garden.
It is a good idea to choose your perennial plant according to the conditions of your garden. For example, if your garden tends to be sunny, you should choose a perennial plant that thrives in sunny conditions. Likewise, if your garden is shady, choose a perennial plant that prefers to live in those conditions. Many people make the mistake of planting a perennial plant that thrives in shady conditions (such as bleeding hearts) in a garden that receives a lot of sun. This will not provide the optimum conditions for the plant to flourish.
To help you choose perennial plants that will be able to thrive in your garden, the USDA hardiness zone map separates the US into different zones according to average minimum temperature during the winter. It is best to choose a perennial plant that will be able to live happily in the same hardiness zone as your garden. For example, if your garden is in a zone 3 area, choose a perennial plant that will thrive in the same zone. To find out which zone your garden falls under, contact a garden center for advice.
Once you have done the necessary background research, the best type of perennial plant to choose is one that needs only the minimum amount of care. This means selecting a perennial plant that does not need watering too much, and can defend itself against most diseases. It should also be equally happy in different soil conditions. Perennials that fall into this category include Russian Sage, Yarrow, Daylily, Stonecrop and Blanket Flower.
When should I plant a perennial plant?
Many people like to plant perennials that bloom in spring, such as peonies, irises or carnations. These will make your garden look pretty during the spring, but if the vast majority of your garden contains spring blooms, there will probably not be much color and atmosphere in your garden during the summer months. To combat this, you can choose a mixture of spring blooms and summer blooms.
There are also plenty of perennials that can be planted in the fall to provide a welcome color explosion, even when the summer is over. These include Ceratostigma, Cimicifuga, Coreopsis, Russian Sage and Michelmas Daisy.
What do I need to consider before I plant a perennial plant?
Bear in mind that a perennial plant will be in the same place in your garden for several years, so it is important that you are sure about where you are intending to plant it. Whereas annuals can exist in most types of rich soil (as long as they are watered and fed on a regular basis), this is not necessarily the case for perennial plants.
You will need to pay close attention to the labels, as the amount of sun, water and pruning that it needs will affect where you can position the plant to help it to grow better.
Perennial plants that prefer to grow in the shade include foxglove, goatsbeard and Japanese painted fern. The best perennial plants for growing in cooler conditions are Coral Bells and Joe Pye weed.
It is easy to fall into the trap of thinking that your garden will look better with more perennials, but most of the time this is not necessarily the case. If you are aiming for the aesthetically pleasing look for your garden, it is worth remembering that gardens often look better with one or two colorful perennials repeated across the garden, rather than a diverse range of different perennials (with different colors).
Are there any perennials that are easy to care for?
Contrary to popular opinion, there are many perennial plants are easy to look after. If you have chosen a plant that is suited to the conditions of your garden, it should be low maintenance. Obviously, it will still need to be given water and food. If you are determined to choose one of the low maintenance perennials, any of the following are a good idea: Sea Thrift, Turtlehead, Globe Thistle, Siberian Iris, Blazing Star, Peony, Russian Sage, Meadow Rue and Allegheny Foam Flower.