What could be better than seeing the work, creativity and loving care of a passionate gardener create an ever evolving work of art. To achieve this, there are challenges that every gardener must overcome in order to have a beautiful garden. Too much sun for some, too much shade for some, some are a deer problem, some are a rat problem, and some have to deal with freezing temperatures quickly, causing some plants on the ground to die.
Growing vigorous plants is one way to overcome some of these problems. Choosing hardy plants that are right for your region will help you create your masterpiece. This is why some gardeners have better gardens than others and some mix perennials.
The first thing you need to do is think about your position and the challenges you will face. Is it sunny or do you have shadows? What kind of garden would you like to have? Have you ever seen a neighbor's garden or a photo in a magazine that you would like to replicate, or have an idea in mind? It can be helpful to have an idea of what you hope to achieve over time.
You need to pay attention to how much sun your lawn gets at different times of the day. Morning sun, afternoon sun, daytime sun or mostly shade. Some plants like the morning sun wilting under the hot afternoon sun, while others like to get all the sun they can get. Many annuals like zinnias, marigolds, ageratums, petunias, sunflowers, and perennials like daylilies, Russian sage, lantana, and sage will need sunlight during the day. Hospice, begonia, coleus, fern, hosta, astilbe, goat's beard, streptoderma, lobelia, foamflower, and Indian rose prefer shade.
Last week I visited a skilled magic garden (interesting, beautiful and informative). Developed. I saw this garden in all its glory in the autumn and was delighted to be invited to view it in the early summer. The most prominent part of the park gets about 6 hours of morning sun and this sunny area is full of colour. My friend Stan inherited some very large pine trees in the back yard, which gave his yard some respite from the scorching afternoon sun. Over time, she planted trees underground to provide the shade she wanted to create a beautiful shady garden where ferns and other shade-loving plants mix in a magical space. The shady gardens are a place to relax and shelter from the sun during the hottest hours of the day.
Like Stan, I've collected both annuals and perennials in my floral borders and have yet to create a 100% perennial flower bed. There are several reasons why I have both annuals and perennials in my garden. One is that I like having annuals that I can cut and take home, and I like the unions to give me color all summer long. I have a big problem with mice eating the roots of many perennials, but these critters don't seem to bother annuals.
Now, by planting cruciferous plants, I can count on a beautiful garden year after year. Hardy plants I can always count on are daylilies, batissima, lavender, black-eyed Susan, purple phlox, Shasta daisies, and sedum. These are hardy perennials that come back year after year and are low maintenance plants that offer great floral power. These plants can withstand extreme conditions like drought, poor soil, harsh winters and come back fine. Plus, when you choose some of these low-maintenance plants, they usually don't need as much water and pampering as the more exotic plants you mix. Since I have a mice problem, I planted a few plants in three-gallon pots and buried them in the ground to keep the mice away from the roots of my favorite perennials.
If you're just starting out with gardening, it's a good idea to test your soil's pH. You can add as much fertilizer as you like to your garden, but if you're growing plants that like more neutral soil and very acidic soil, no matter how much fertilizer you use, it won't help with the pH or anything. Right. Before you can get the fertilizer your plants need to help them grow, you first need to get the soil pH right. Some plants like acidic soil and where I live the soil is very acidic. But I've found that most perennials do best by sprinkling a little lime into the flowerbeds every few years to bring out the color I want, as most perennials thrive in soil that isn't too acidic.
Once you know this, your local garden center can be very helpful in advising you on which plants are best for your sun exposure and soil pH. Annuals will give you lasting color if killed regularly. Annuals often go to seed if not harvested, because when a plant sets seeds, the energy in the plant runs out and the plant stops flowering and may die. I've listed some of the easier perennials above: zinnias, marigolds, petunias, ageratum, verbena, cosmos, lantana (some have grown as annuals, some are making a comeback). They are durable and hardy enough to thrive when summer seems intent on roasting us.
So make sure you pick some hardy plants that will help get your garden going through the summer and give you the extra color and texture you've been missing.
Betty Montgomery is a gardening expert and author of Hydrangeas: How to Grow, Cultivate and Enjoy and The Four Seasons Southern Garden. He can be reached at bmontgomery40@gmail.com.
This article originally appeared in the Herald-Journal: Gardening Tips. Why perennials are good for the garden.
