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Perennials
  How
to Plan for A Perennial Garden
One of the fastest growing segments of landscaping is the perennial
garden. Features such as low maintenance and excellent variety make
perennial gardens a wise choice for those interested in unique beauty
and low maintenance. Perennials offer a vast array of colors and texture
that can meet any landscaping need. The proper choice of perennial plant
material can mean beautiful blooms from spring through summer and into
the fall. Perennial garden designs are only limited to your imagination.
For the proper selection of perennial material visit your local garden
center or retail nursery, they have lots of exciting plants and planting
ideas.
Site
Selection
There are several things that need to be considered when selecting a
site for a perennial garden. Factors such as how much sun or shade the
site is exposed to plays a big role in the types of perennial plants you
can choose. Before you select your plant material determine how long the
selected site receives sun during the day. This information will be
invaluable to the Illinois Certified Nursery Professional who assists
you with plant selection. Another key to proper plant selection is
proper drainage. The site selected should have good drainage so the
plants do not sit in water. A good way to determine if your site has
good drainage is to dig a hole at the selected site and fill it with
water. Let the water drain and fill the hole again. If the water drains
out at less than 1 inch per hour then you need to ask your certified
nursery professional what can be done to improve drainage on the site or
which plant material will thrive in wet conditions.
Designing Your Garden
After you have selected the site and determined the needs of the site as
explained above you can now lay out your garden. The easiest way to
accomplish a flowing design is to take your garden hose and lay it out
in the desired shape of the garden. When designing your garden keep in
mind the shapes and textures of the garden's surroundings. If your
garden is close to the house and the house has a lot of rounded corners
you need to integrate your design so it fits with the house. If your
design is away from the house you can be a little more creative but the
design should create some harmony with the rest of the landscape.
Whatever design you create be sure that it is one that you like and will
enjoy.Plant Selection
Plant for color from Spring through Fall. A well designed perennial bed
will have waves of color. Since most perennials have a bloom period of
from 2 to 4 weeks, you can't expect all the flowers to bloom at the same
time, but you should plan for a succession of bloom. The idea is to
select plants with different bloom periods, starting with Spring bulbs
and ending with mums, asters, sedum or other late Fall bloomers. You
need to mix the plants so no part of the season looks sparse, and to
consider which plants are blooming at the same time. This is the fun of
perennial bed planning: you get to choose perennials for the whole
season, and to choose from among a wide range of changing color schemes.
Have a main theme for your garden. A repetition of theme colors
can unify your bed. Also, think about how colors will blend or contrast
with the surroundings (for example, a dark fence background). Light
colors may brighten up a shady area, while blues and purples may be lost
in the shade. Bright colors (such as yellows and oranges) draw your eye,
add excitement, and may even draw people toward them along a path. Warm
colors (red, yellow, orange) will make the plants seem closer. A bed
viewed from a distance may need more warm colors, where a small bed
viewed from close up may use more cool colors. Cool colors are often
considered to be calming and relaxing. Foliage is an important part of
perennials. Colorful foliage may be one way to have continuous color in
your garden. There are many shades of even the basic green!
Have a Variety. Plant for some contrast and drama. This can be
done with contrasts of color of bloom, but also colors of foliage. A
variety of different plant heights, shapes, fragrance, and textures will
add interest to your garden. (Texture can be from foliage or bloom.)
Plan Plant Placement-Plant in drifts and tiers. Perennials
planted in drifts (groups of 3 or more) produce a more visual effect
than individual flowers. You can have the shape of the drift mirror the
shape of the bed, so the long side faces the viewer. Drifts can overlap
for pleasing color contrasts, and to make beds look rich and layered.
Perennials show best when they are planted in tiers, or
according to height. Small plants go in the front of the bed, medium
sized plants in the middle, and tall plants in the back. In island beds,
tall plants go in the center. Create a little variety by putting a few
plants out of place. You can plant a few medium sized plants (perhaps
with delicate foliage) in the front to break up the predictable pattern
of tiers. Both tall and short vertical plants will add excitement to the
bed by breaking out of the gardenŐs rounded form, taking your eye with
it. They can be used to give parts of your garden emphasis.
Have a Focal Point. Just like a room should have a focal point,
your garden should have a focal point. Take advantage of a natural focal
point, or create one with a statue, birdbath, or fountain. Plants can be
used to create a focal point, either using colors, texture, shape
(especially verticals), or height.
Plantings along an inner curve can become a focal point, or a specimen
plant can be used.
Site Preparation
For the most part perennials are planted in the spring or in the fall.
Because of this time-frame you have plenty of opportunity to improve
your planting site. Experts recommend that site preparation begin
several months before the actual planting. If you plan to plant in the
fall you can prepare your site in mid-summer. If your plans are to plant
in the spring then begin your site preparation in mid to late fall.
Till your bed about one foot down and be sure to mix the soil
thoroughly. The next step is add some type of organic material such as
peat moss or leaf compost. Keep the soil loose until you are ready to
plant. For more exact fertilizer requirements take a soil sample to your
local garden center for analysis.
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The plants listed
often come in many different colors and can be purchased in
different sizes. Remember to ask the size of the plant when full
grown. See your local garden center and Illinois Certified
Nursery Professional for a more complete list of available
perennials.
Perennials for
Sun and Part Sun
-
Achillea m.
"Paprika" (Yarrow)
-
Alcea rosea
(Hollyhocks)
-
Aquilegia
alpine (Columbine)
-
Asclepias
tuberosa (Butterfly Weed)
-
Aster alpinus
(Alpine Aster)
-
Baptisia
australis (False Indigo)
-
Buddleia
(Butterfly Bush)
-
Calthus
palustrus (Marsh Marigold)
-
Campanula
persicifolia (Bells of Heaven)
-
Catananche
caerulea (Cupid's Dart)
-
Chrysanthemum
luechanthemum (Ox Eye Daisy)
-
Delphinium "Bellamosa"
(Larkspur)
-
Digitalis
"Giant Shirley" (Foxglove)
-
Echinacea p.
"Alba" (Coneflower)
-
Erigeron
(Fleabane)
-
Gaillardia
pulchella (Daisy Indian Blanket)
-
Geranium c.
ballerina (Hardy Geranium)
-
Gypsophila
"Pacifica" (Baby's Breath)
-
Hemerocallis
(Daylily)
-
Heuchera
(Coral Bells)
-
Hibiscus
(Hibiscus)
-
Iberis
sempervirens (Candy Tuft)
-
Iris hybrids
(Iris)
-
Liatris
pycnostachya (Kansas Gayfeather)
-
Linaria
vulgaris (Butter & Eggs)
-
Monarda (Bee
Balm
-
Oenothera
(Missouri Primrose)
-
Paeonia
suffruticosa (Tree Peony)
-
Papaver
alpinium (Alpine Poppy)
-
Phlox maculata
(Garden Phlox)
-
Rudbeckia
hirta (Black Eye Susan)
-
Salvia
coccinea (Salvia/Sage)
-
Sedum
(Stonecrop)
-
Sempervivum
arachnoides (Hens & Chicks)
-
Stachys lanata
(Lambs Ear)
-
Veronica
incana (Speedwell)
Shade and Part
Shade
-
Anemone hup.
(Japanese Anemone)
-
Aruncas "Kneiffi"
(Goatsbeard)
-
Astilbe c. "Pumila"
(Dwf. Chinese Astilbe)
-
Bergenia
(Morning Red)
-
Cimicifuga
"White Pearl" (Bugbane)
-
Convallaria
majalis (Lily of the Valley)
-
Fern-Athyrium
Filix-femina (Lady Fern)
-
Filipendula
vulgaris (Meadowsweet)
-
Geranium
sanguineum (Hardy Geranium)
-
Hosta
lancifolia (Hosta)
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