Basic Principles of Perennial Gardening
This section will address the overall design of your perennial garden. This design could have been previously thought out and put on paper, or come about through the haphazard expansion and making room for specimen you had to have. Either are equally acceptable, providing you keep a few of the following points in mind. There are many different schools of thought on design.
The design scheme that will be discussed will concentrate on the informal perennial or mixed border theme.
The Principles
1. Provide a background for the perennial bed-this could be achieved through the use of walls, fences, or late blooming perennials such as asters (possibly the best perennial for this) or mums. Avoid shrubbery for this as it will take over the perennial bed.
2. Emphasize and repeat. Incorporate drifts of the same type of plant throughout the perennial garden. This doesn’t mean to duplicate the same five-foot design over a thirty-foot garden so it is repeated six times. It merely means to make sure at least one variety of plant is found throughout the border; all the other varieties can be different. This promotes a feeling of continuity.
3. In general, the wider the border, the better. To maximize the visual appeal of the garden, the border should be roughly 1/3 wider than the tallest plant in the border.
4. When planting your perennial garden, make sure that you keep foliage in mind. A good variety of shades and textures of foliage in the garden is important in the overall design. (perennials with excellent foliage will be listed later in the booklet)
5. Arrange plants as if they are growing naturally throughout the garden by different heights, colors, and varieties.
6. Bear in mind the blooming time when placing plants.
Getting Started: Soil Preparation
Soil preparation is one of the single most important factors in the creation of a successful perennial garden. Take your time and make sure the soil is rich and supplemented with organic material before planting your garden, and your perennials will reward you with lush growth and abundant flowers. This may seem basic, but it is essential to the success of your garden. Make the soil as rich and fertile as you can, then plant.
Admittedly, some perennials prefer soil that is poor, such as Sea Pinks, however, the vast majority of perennials will thrive only in rich soils. Different soil types require different additives. Humus and organic material can be added to all soil types.
Clay:
Lime is able to loosen clay soils. In addition to this, lime counter-acts the addition of manure, PH-wise. Manure, as well as peatmoss, has an acidic effect on the soil, while lime has a basic effect on it. Therefore, whenever you add manure or peat moss, be sure to add a little lime to balance the PH level.
- Sand also can help break up clay soil and makes it less dense.
- Gypsum works very well in breaking up clay soils. Although it is a little pricey, the cost can be justified when the soil is almost complete clay. In these situations, we would recommend tilling gypsum in with the clay and then adding a foot of topsoil and other organic matter, and then tilling that in.
Humus and compost improve clay soil by opening it up and making it more porous. Peat moss is especially good for this because of its ability to correct “mechanical ills” of the soil by causing increases in bacterial action.
Sandy Soils:
Humus and other organic material, such as peat moss and compost should also be added to sandy soils because they will give the soil more bulk.
If there is one thing you learn reading this booklet, it should be that rich, fertile soil is vital to growing perennials successfully. Take the time to improve your soil.
Advantages of rich, loose soil for perennials
1. Will help drain away excess water that will kill perennials in the winter.
2. Allows for easy, strong, root growth.
3. When you wish to divide them, the process will be much easier as the roots won’t be cemented into clods and easily break.
4. Easier weeding because you always get the roots.
