Perennials can be found in gardens all over the world, and they often serve as the main flower throughout a landscape. Annual plants must be replaced with each passing year, but perennials have hearty roots that regrow another beautiful set of flowers year after year.
Perennials are easy to grow, low maintenance, dependable, and did we say beautiful? Not to mention, perennials also come in a wide variety of colors, sizes, textures, and overall appearances. Do you want to add potted perennials to your landscape? If so, here we provide 7 must-know facts and tips for growing perennials in pots.
1. Pick the Right Perennials For Your Garden
Perennials come in different shapes, sizes, and colors. Plus they last year after year thanks to their root system. It’s no wonder perennials are so popular, but with such diversity every perennial is slightly different. Some prefer plenty of shade and moist soil, while others thrive in full sun and moderately dry soil. There are a few important questions to address before selecting the best types of perennials for your yard, such as:
- What type of soil do you have? Is it sandy or clay-based?
- Does the soil tend to be dry or moist?
- What are the pH levels? (On average perennials prefer a pH of around 6.5, but not all are the same)
- Are you planning to put it in the sun or shade?
- Is the location level? Or is it on a hill or slope?
- What hardy zone do you reside in? (If you don’t plan on winterizing your perennials you will want to get ones that can survive in hardy zones that are 2 levels lower than where you live.)
Once you have the answers to these questions you can use any reference book or online search to find the right perennials for your location. By doing your research ahead of time your chances for growing successful perennials increase by a whole lot.
Side Note: Some perennials only bloom for a few weeks each year, while others bloom for months at a time. Pick a nice selection of various bloomers in order to keep your landscaping full of color all spring and summer.
2. Perennials to Match Every Color Of the Rainbow
Since perennials offer so much diversity in terms of color, it’s not uncommon for people to get a little over excited and add an assortment of different colors throughout the yard. Too many colors can overwhelm the eye and actually take away from the natural beauty of your landscape. On the other hand, if all of your perennials are the same color your yard can look a bit monotonous. Finding just the right collection of multicolored perennials guarantees a great looking garden.
3. Watering Perennials
Perennials require less water than other plants—say for instance your tomato plant. When watering your perennials try not to get the actual plant soaked. Providing small amounts of water at a time can be beneficial, as you don’t want to give a perennial too much water at once.
Perennials require the most water for the first few weeks after they are planted or transplanted. During this time you want to make sure that the plant is watered thoroughly all the way down to the roots, this helps the roots and surrounding soil make a solid connection for many years to come.
4. Add Mulching
If you have a group of tightly clustered perennials they will likely block out the sun enough to keep any weeds from popping up. But, in newer or less full perennial gardens, adding mulch to the soil will help prevent weed growth. Mulch will also help hold moisture in the soil. What makes for a good mulch mix? Dry grass clippings, leaves, peanut shells, or small pieces of bark serve as nice mulching materials. You want to avoid mulch that will overpower your perennials such as straw, over-sized chunks of bark, or newspaper clippings.
5. Deadheading Perennials
If your perennials are clinging tight to long-dead buds, it’s time to get rid of these with some pruning. This makes room for new blooms to flourish, as well as improves the aesthetics of your plant.
6. Give Your Perennials Time To Flourish
Don’t expect too much from your perennials right away, the first year of their life may not see too many big blooms. But with time, plus proper tender love and care, they will turn into magnificent beauties. Be patient, many perennials eventually grow so vast that they overtake entire container planters or gardening squares. (See more on how to grow perennials)
7. Winterizing Perennials
After perennials bloom throughout spring and summer, winter arrives at which time they need to be properly protected. Before the shorter days and cold nights arrive, you want to start prepping your perennials for winter. At the end of summer and throughout fall you do not want to fertilize perennials, or water them much either. Otherwise, they will continue to grow as opposed to preparing for the pending cold weather. Of course, you don’t want to stop watering your plants all together; they still require enough water to prevent from drying out. Once temperatures drop below 30 degrees for more than a few nights in a row, this is a key indicator that perennials are fully dormant.
Once dormant, you may want to store your perennial planter somewhere else, such as in an unheated garage or shed. Just don’t forget about your plants all winter. Even though it is in a state of hibernation, you still want to check on the plant every so often to ensure that the potting mix does not become too dry. Even when stored away for the winter, your perennials require light watering. (Learn more gardening tips for growing perennials)
The Power Of Perennials
All over the world perennials are called by the very same name, in fact the same is true for all plants. In most cases, scientific plant names are the same across the world and derive from Latin and Greek origins. This helps prevent confusion over a certain breed of plant. Perennials are a beautiful flower adored by many people from around the world. With the right techniques and planning you can grow your own gorgeous perennial container garden.
For the right potted plants to house your lush flowers look no further than TerraCast Planters. We offer the highest quality selection of planters in every shape, size, and color. Pick the planter that fits best with your perennials and we guarantee our containers will outlive your plants, to prove it we offer a one of a kind 10-year warranty.