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Perennial Flower Gardening 
Mother Natures Fountain of Youth Gardening Newsletter Perennials Introduction: Perennial flowers can grow and bloom for several years. Some have shorter lives of only 3-4 years. In the fall these flowers die but the root system stays alive through the winter. In the spring you are rewarded because the flower grows new leaves from its roots and the cycle continues.
Advantage of Perennials - They do not have to be planted every year. Once you do the work of getting them established they will reward you for years.
Disadvantage of Perennials - Many perennials only flower for a few weeks each year. Imagine the heartache if you planted an entire garden with perennial flowers that all bloomed & died in that same 2 week period. 
Planning Your Perennial Garden Your goal should be to plant a variety of perennials that will bloom at different periods throughout the entire growing season. This will allow you to have a beautiful garden all the time. Free Newsletter Please sign up and enjoy our Gardening Advisor Newsletter. In this you will read both fun and serious gardening information covering a wide range of topics.
We will gaurd your Email with great care and NEVER send spam or sell your information.  NOTE: The following paragraphs will cover these topics on perennial flowers:
[1] Site Selection
Selecting where you will plant your perennials is important to how well they will do. This is especially imoportant with perennial flowers because they are destined to a particular site for years. Some of the more important factors to consider in site selection are:
An example of potential problems is where tree roots compete for mositure. Tree roots will tend to keep coming back if your garden site is both near trees and in an area with low mositure.
The key is to understand particular types of perennials you'll be growing. Many perennial flowers need a well drained soil. If there is extended periods of extreme wet, perennials will get "wet feet" and die. [2] Site / Bed Preparation for Perennials
If you prepare your site adequately you'll have an easier time when your perennials start growing. Good site preparation will include:
[3] Weed Control
You want perennial flowers to come back year after year but you don't want perennial weeds to do the same. It's bad enough havingto deal with them one time, let alone year after year. The bad news is that you will have to battle weeds in your perennial garden no matter what. The good news is that you can take certain actions to take control. Steps for getting rid of weeds: The 1st thing you can do is to rid as many weeds as possible on the front end of planting your perennials. This can be done by:
Hand - Physically pulling the weeds out and by tilling the ground. Not too deep, just an inch or two or you will disturb hundreds of dormant weeds. There are a variety of garden tools for this kind of work.
Chemical Herbicides / Weed Killers - Apply the herbicide in the area where you will be planting your perennials when temperatures are above 50 degrees. This can be done in the spring or fall.
Note: It will take up to 14 days before the weeds will begin to turn brown. Once the weeds are mostly brown, you can till the area.
Note: Some weeds are extra tough & aggressive. After tilling leave the garden unplanted for a few weeks to see if any of the perennial weeds re-grow. If they do, apply a secong round of herbicide to take care of these.
Please note, you will always have siome type of weeds trying to enter your perennial flower garden. This is mainly because you have provided a great place for things to grow & thrive. Get out your gloves and any garden tools you have to do regular maintenance.
Note: There are certain types of plant & flower foods that can both help your perennials thrive and helpdrive out unwanted weeds. [4] Mulching Mulching provides these benefits:
Many different materials can be used for mulching including:
Mulching Tips
Mulch should not be appplied right up to the crown of the plant to avoid crown rot.
Brand new perennial beds can be mulched right after planting with approximately 2 inches of mulch.
Each yar additional mulch can be applied as long as you don't exceed inches.
In the spring, apply additional mulch as the soil starts to warm.
Most perennials do not need extra mulching in the winter if soils have been properly prepared and drainage is good. An exception would be for perennials planted late in the fall. In this case, apply a 3-4 inch layer of loose mulch after the soil is frozen to help reduce frost damage. [5] Watering Tips for your Perennials
Soak newly planted perennials and check them often to prevent them from drying out
Mulching can help to cut down on watering frequency.
A rule of thumb is to water one inch per week for established perennials.
Less frequent but deep watering will encourage perennials to root more deeply and thus make them better able to handle drought conditions.
A very efficient way to water perennials is to use soaker hoses. Do this by snaking te soaker hose through your garden - you can easily hide this kind of hose just beneath the surface under your mulch. Free Newsletter Please sign up and enjoy our Gardening Advisor Newsletter. In this you will read both fun and serious gardening information covering a wide range of topics.
We will gaurd your Email with great care and NEVER send spam or sell your information. [6] Water Drainage for Perennial Flowers
Proper water drainage is important because wet soil in the winter will kill your flowers. Wet soil over the winter kills more perennials than cold temperatures because the moist ground heaves when freezing.
To ensure your perennial garden has proper drainage do the following:
Avoid planting in low lying areas that naturally collect water.
While preparing your perennial site add plenty of organic materials to help create water drainage. Add about 3-4 inches of organic materials and work that into about the top 10 inches of soil.
Raising your perennial flower bed is another option when water drainage is an issue. You can do this with rocks, landscape timbers, bricks, etc.
Check water drainage in your soil. Do this by digging a hole approximately 8-12 inches deep and fill with water. Let this drain, then fill it again while timing the drainage rate. A rule of thumb is if it drains in an hour or less your perennial flower bed has proper drainage. [7] Organic Material for your Perennials
This is an easy step to miss when you are developing your perennial flower garden. Organic materials will improve your soil and include such matter as:
Organic matter imporves the soil when added in sufficient amounts and depths by:
[8] Fertilizing Perennial Flowers
Having the proper nutrients in your garden's soil is important for healthy perennials. Fortunately, most perennials do not need large amounts of fertilizer if the soil has been properly prepared.
If over-fertilized, perennials will produce excessive soft growth with very few flowers. This can also cause perennials to lodge or open up too early.
If you test your soil to find out exactly what it is deficient in, you can use a customized fertilizer. Most of us will not do this, so a good rule of thumb in fertilizing is: 1 pound of nitrogen per 1000 square ft. Granular fertilizers are sufficient with a formulation of:
[9] Dividing Perennial Flowers
Many perennials need to be divided after 3 years. Note: Some perennials are best not divided at all like Globe Thistle, Blue Wild Indigo & Baby's Breath. The best time to divide most perennial flowers is in the spring when new shoots are 2-3 inches tall. You could do this in the fall when they start to die back.
How - Division is normally done by digging and dividing the clump into several smaller clumps. As long as the main clump is left in the ground you can chop off pieces with a spade or shovel to divide.
Dividing Mature Clumps - Select only the more vigorous outer edges and discard plants from the center. Try dividing the perennial clumps into 3-5 shoots each. Gardening Newsletter |