Springtime is a call for planting and at times it can be hard to know what to plant this early on in the season. Though, don’t worry, we’ve come up with a small list of perennial flowers and shrubs that are perfect to plant this time of year.
When and How do I plant perennials?
When?
Spring is generally the best time to plant, for obvious reasons. The soil is warming, the sun is shining, the days are lengthening and the rain if falling. Spring is also a good time to divide existing perennials that have gotten bigger and better and plant the smaller pieces in other locations.
How?
Container-grown perennial plants are the ones you buy at a nursery or plant center, already growing in a pot. They’re the easiest to transplant successfully. Dig a hole twice as wide as the container but no deeper. Pull the plant out of the pot, gently loosen the roots and place in the hole. Fill the hole with soil mixed with compost and water well. Fertilize a week after planting.
Bare-root perennial plants are less expensive than the container-grown ones, but they’re a little trickier. They are just as billed: a clump of plant roots. They’re not for beginners. Soak them in water before planting them in the ground. Add compost to the soil at time of planting and pamper them till they sprout leaves.
Seeds are the least expensive way to start a garden of perennial plants. Growing from seed takes more skill and patience than transplanting container-grown perennial plants. Perennials are slow growing, so if you sow seeds directly in the ground after the last frost you won’t have adult plants till late in the season. Best to start them in the winter, indoors, in small pots and pamper them until they are large enough to transplant outdoors.
Perennial Shrubs
1. Azalea
No garden is complete without beautiful, beloved azaleas. These evergreen perennial shrubs grow as tall as 15 feet, depending on the variety, and are covered in blooms in pink, purple, white or pink in the spring. They’re in the rhododendron family and there are varieties that will can grow in nearly every region.
2. Camellia
This gorgeous evergreen shrub grows eight to 15 feet tall, depending on the variety. It bears rose-like blooms in red, pink or white, depending on type. Camellias are a fixture in old-fashioned southern gardens where they bloom midwinter. They’re a great cut flower, but only winter hardy to Zone 6.
3. Hydrangea
One of the most popular perennial shrubs, hydrangea produces big, showy clusters of flowers on a plant that grows from three to 20 feet high, depending on the variety. They like light shade and need a medium amount of water. Hydrangea blooms in blue, pink, white and purple-blue. They make good specimen plants or arranged in groupings.
Perennial Flowers
1. Coneflower
A staple of summer gardens, this wildflower native to prairies blooms all summer. It’s a sun worshipper that comes in shades of purple, white, magenta and occasionally orange and red.
2. Daylily
One of the most popular flowering perennials, daylilies come in an endless variety of colors and flower types. Some bloom just once, others bloom all summer. They look great in mixed beds.
3. Chrysanthemum
This plant blooms in the fall in shades of orange, purple, red, white and yellow. Mums tend to be a short-lived perennial flower, dying back after a few seasons, so this is a perennial flower you’ll need to replant every few years.
4. Asiatic Lily
Bright blooms grow from bulbs and give summer color in shades of orange, yellow, white, red, purple, rose and bicolors.
Informational Credit: diyNetwork “List of Best Perennial Flowers”