Perennial Care
What is a Perennial?
A Perennial is a plant that once planted, will come grow back again after each winter without reseeding or any winter protection. Some perennials grow, bloom, and then die back to ground level each year (called herbaceous perennials), while others are evergreen and produce new foliage even when they are not blooming. Whatever their growth habits, Perennials require some grooming during the year to keep them healthy and good looking. Some may even need dividing or transplanting when they begin to look crowded. Aside from the obvious necessaries of plant care (watering, fertilizing, etc.…), Perennials will appreciate a little extra care throughout the year. Follow these few basic care techniques below to ensure the beauty and health of your Perennial plants.
Three Basic Care Techniques
- Deadheading - Shear dead flowers from plants once the flowers have faded or died. After blooming, the natural process of a plant is to spend as much energy as it can on creating seeds. Unless this is your desired goal, cut the flowers off. Not only will this make your garden look much cleaner, but your plants will focus their energy on the next bloom instead of producing seeds.
- Cleaning - Cut back or remove dying and damaged parts of plants. This may seem obvious, but the health benefits for your plants are numerous. Old, dead growth can harbor insect pests, disease, or simply shade the new growth underneath, smothering and preventing it from developing.
- Propagate with Cuttings - Many perennials quickly form new roots if you break off healthy shoots and stick the broken end into moist sand or prepared sand and soil mix. Some perennials that root easily are Arabis, Aubrieta, Bergenia, Chrysanthemum, Delphinium, Dianthus, Geranium, Iberis, Geranium and Sedum. Remove healthy shoots from the plant. Have a new pot filled with soil mix ready for the cutting. Poke a hole in soil mix large enough for each cutting. Once in place, gently firm soil around each cutting. Remove plants when they have grown 2 inches. Replant to large container. or directly into the ground.