You don’t have to ground your perennial joy by relegating the plants to beds and borders. Properly maintained in a suitable climate, perennials can flourish in containers for 5 years or more before you have to move them into open soil. And potted perennials look beautiful in any container garden, allowing you to add their attractive blooms and wonderful textures just about anywhere in your landscape – from a sunny balcony to a shady garden nook.

When it comes to potting up perennials, be sure to select a container about twice the size of the nursery pot. (Keep in mind that with proper care, a healthy and maturing perennial may still likely need transplanting at midseason to provide it necessary room for root growth.)

Photo Credit: ©2000 Dolezal Publishing/Kyle Chesser

The thing that makes containerized perennials distinctively different from potted annuals and bulbs is that the roots of most of these returning plants like to spread wide and deep. In a container, this spreading tendency requires a watchful eye and a commitment to pruning, repotting and dividing to control growth and give the plant proper room to thrive. It’s a good rule to limit planting one or two perennials per container, or you’ll soon find yourself dividing and repotting. If your heart is set on multiple perennials in a single planter, choose a pot that’s at least 24 inches in diameter, and expect to repot or divide your plants every year or two.

By their second year, most blooming perennials burst with color that can last weeks – or even months. Prune back the plant just after its bloom to promote more prolific and compact blooms in subsequent years.

Because container plants are more exposed than those growing in an open garden, potted perennials won’t survive severe cold. They must be protected (or overwintered) during their dormant months to protect their root systems and latent buds from damage due to freezing. A cool space is best, and even a deep, covered porch close to the house may be adequate in mild-winter climates. Remember to water dormant plants during winter whenever their soil dries.

Dormancy is also the best time to repot your perennials. Use a sharp trowel or knife to divide the root masses into smaller clumps. Get a standard potting mix with a good dose of sand and perlite to help with drainage, then replant each root division in its own container (or directly into your garden) before watering thoroughly.

Just be sure to keep a close eye on your potted perennials. Each time you find your healthy plants on the verge of outgrowing their nursery vessel and needing the elbow room afforded by a new, larger container, transplant them by taking the easy steps shown in the following pictures and described in their captions.