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| Photo Credit: Felder Rushing |
| Blue star not only blooms in spring, it provides great fall color with its foliage. |
So you’ve wisely decided to plant perennials in your garden (or maybe you’ve inherited a few). But now what?
When planting perennials, the most important issues revolve around using the right plant for the right place. Sun-loving perennials will obviously not prosper in a shady spot, and shade-loving plants may wither, yellow – or even die – in full sun. Know your growing conditions before you plant! There are perennials for every climate and condition – just make sure you match them up. For example, I have a continually moist place in my garden that receives a lot of sun. I needed a perennial planted there that would like those conditions, but I also wanted one that would grow no taller than about 12 inches, have fine texture, offer seasonal interest, and sport pink or purple flowers. I chose germander (Teucrium chamaedrys), and it’s flourishing. Your garden soil is like your house foundation. Make sure your soil is right, and plants should thrive where they’re planted for years. I like to work compost, manure, old leaves and even shredded bark mulch into the soil before planting to increase organic matter content. (Give that a try, and your perennials will thank you for it.) Where I am in Ohio, we must be vigilant about good drainage in our clay-heavy soils. I used to tell my students, “Twice as wide, about as deep and a mound in the middle.” That means the hole should be dug twice as wide as the rootball to allow for a nicely mixed backfill of garden soil, maybe some peat moss or compost and a little granular fertilizer – all tossed like a salad before putting back in the hole around the plant.
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