You’ve got your perennial bed planned out. You’ve picked the best and healthiest plants for your garden. Now you need to get those beauties into the ground!
Transferring perennials from their nursery pots to your planting bed is an easy process – you just need to take the time to do it right.
Photo Credit: ©2001 Dolezal Publishing/John M. Rickard
Once you’ve got your plants home, verify individual specimens against your garden plan. Then transfer the measurements from your design into your planting area. (There can be a big difference between a design on paper and seeing the plants placed out in your garden – but that’s okay. Just make any necessary adjustments, then dig in!)
Photo Credit: ©2001 Dolezal Publishing/John M. Rickard
As planting day draws near, allow sufficient time to set in each plant properly – you’ll avoid undue exertion, and your plants will get off to a fine start. Divide large areas into manageable sections, and work on them one part at a time.
The day before planting, water your plants – they should be moist, but not soggy. If you’re planting perennials into unamended soil (as is often the case around existing trees or shrubs), be sure to dig the planting hole twice as wide as the nursery container and 18 inches deep. (For larger nursery-container plants, dig the hole one and a half times as deep as the measurement from the soil surface in the container to the bottom of the container). Then add amendments to the removed soil and backfill to the proper planting depth so the new plant will be surrounded with rich soil. Use care to avoid disturbing existing roots.
If you’re planting your perennials from nursery containers into a bed or border, just take the steps shown in the following pictures and described in their captions. Then on planting day, gather your garden plan, a yardstick, a shovel or border spade, a hand trowel, a hand fork, granular and liquid fertilizers, a hose-end sprayer, organic mulch, a rake, and your plants – and get your perennial garden off to a blooming good start!
Planting a Perennial Garden
Planting Perennials - Step 1
In a properly prepared and amended planting area, set out your nursery containers according to your garden plan. Use a yardstick to space plants correctly. Mark locations of any missing plants with bamboo stakes.
Photo Credit: ©2001 Dolezal Publishing/John M. Rickard
Planting Perennials - Step 2
Once you’re satisfied with your bed’s design on a sketched plan, begin digging. For each plant, dig a hole that’s twice as wide and one and a half times as deep as the plant’s root ball.
Photo Credit: ©2001 Dolezal Publishing/John M. Rickard
Planting Perennials - Step 3
Gently remove the plant from its nursery container. Check the roots: If they fill the root ball, loosen them using your fingers or a hand fork.
Photo Credit: ©2001 Dolezal Publishing/John M. Rickard
Planting Perennials - Step 4
Set the plant in the hole. If the soil is undisturbed, place the top of the root ball so it’s even with the surrounding soil. In loose, amended soil, set the plant in the hole so it rests above the soil line. (It will sink deeper when watered.)
Photo Credit: ©2001 Dolezal Publishing/John M. Rickard
Planting Perennials - Step 5
Fill the hole halfway with soil around the plant. Firm the soil lightly using your fingers. Sprinkle complete fertilizer on the soil around the root ball, avoiding the roots. Carefully follow all package instructions for fertilizing new plantings.
Photo Credit: ©2001 Dolezal Publishing/John M. Rickard
Planting Perennials - Step 6
Fill the rest of the hole with soil to the top of the plant’s root ball. Thoroughly water the plant and surrounding soil with a half-strength solution of liquid fertilizer in a hose-end sprayer, again, following all package instructions for new plantings.
Photo Credit: ©2001 Dolezal Publishing/John M. Rickard
Planting Perennials - Step 7
Install supports for your plants, if needed. If you have a drip irrigation line, adjust emitters so they’re watering the root ball – not the stem or crown of the plant – and pin in them place.
Photo Credit: ©2001 Dolezal Publishing/John M. Rickard
Planting Perennials - Step 8
Allow the soil to settle. Add 2 inches of organic mulch in a layer around each plant, keeping it at least 3 inches away from the plant stems.
Photo Credit: ©2001 Dolezal Publishing/John M. Rickard
