Recipe for a Well Designed Landscape
Are you are looking for a way to dress up your landscape that doesn’t cost a fortune, doesn’t require a whole new design, and isn’t super high maintenance? Perennial plants are just the thing. Perennials are durable and diverse plants that can provide four seasons of color to any landscape. What Makes Perennial Plants a Powerful Addition to the Landscape?
Perennial plants work in so many different situations and they just go and go and go. They are like the Energizer Bunny of the landscape. Shade or blistering sun…drought tolerant or soggy soil lovers…stocky and colorful or tall and wispy…there is a perennial that will fit the bill. But perennial plants are more than just pretty. They are tough, time-proven plants that provide multi-seasons of color. Ornamental Grasses, for example, provide striking foliage that stirs in even the slightest summer breeze, shimmering flower displays in the late summer and fall especially when back-lit by the golden hue of the setting sun, and finally nothing says autumn like the multitude of colors that grasses provide in the fall.
Many flowering perennials are re-bloomers that provide color through more than one season. Dianthus, for example, provides an unrivaled display of fragrant flowers in the spring and early summer and when cut back after blooming will return and surprise you with another set of blooms in the fall as the evenings begin to cool.
The Secret to a Perfect Perennial Display in your Landscape
The most talked about landscapes have clean lines and incorporate combinations of plants that define spaces and create visual interest. And while there could be several elements that make the landscape memorable. Perhaps a specimen Japanese maple, a bright border of multi-colored Azaleas, a lush carpet of pristine turf. It could be the seasonal waves of color and brightness that only mass groupings of perennials can bring to the mix that pushes your garden to a whole new dimension that you never knew existed. That’s the secret to using perennials.
Individual perennial plants aren’t substantial enough to make a statement on their own, but when they are used in the landscape in large groupings or masses they can really catch the eye of passersby. As you observe the natural landscape, these combinations come into play without you even realizing it. As we plan our gardens, perennials are the plants of choice to fill in those lower and mid layers with whatever form, color and texture desired. They are what ties gardens together in a pattern of rhythm, balance and even punctuation.
A well done mixed Border
Benefits of Planting Perennial Plants
- They come back on their own to fill the landscape with color, texture, and fragrance
- Lower maintenance and more durable than annual plants
- Variations of flower and leaf color are endless
- Foliage provides much-needed homes to beneficial insects. (Yes, there are beneficial insects ladies and gentlemen – ladybugs, bees, lacewings, and a host of others that keep the bad insects at bay.)
- Deep root systems help to prevent erosion
- Perennials provide food and nectar for pollinators
Perennials and grasses planted in large natural groups
The Keys to Your Perennial Success
First, know what growing conditions you have for the area you want to plant. A perennial plant requiring full sun and well-drained soil will languish in a shady or boggy site, so plan accordingly. Conversely, a plant that prefers shade will appear washed out and stunted when grown in full sun. Next, pick perennial plants that are suitable to your climate. A perennial that’s hardy in zone 7 may die in zone 5, so do your homework first and make sure the plants you like are suited for your region or even micro-climate.
If you think perennials might be just what the doctor ordered to liven up your landscape, or you’re just not sure and have some questions, give us a call or send us an email and one of our nursery professionals can talk to you about how adding perennial color now can increase your curb appeal and give provide benefits for years to come. We are here to answer all of your questions.
