Perennial Flower Tips

Growing perennials adds variety to the yard that lasts for several years, acting as a backdrop for additional landscaping and flowers. Perennials live for at least three years, with some living considerably longer.

Hardiness

• Pick perennials that are hardy in your planting zone. This means the plant survives the winter without any protection. Choosing perennials from outside your USDA Hardiness Zone requires either additional maintenance or the use of the plant as only an annual.

Planting Time

• Plant perennial flowers in the fall or early spring for best results. Early spring allows the flower adequate time to become established before hotter weather begins, while fall planting in warmer locations provides the plant with even more time before facing stressful environmental conditions, reports the Clemson Cooperative Extension.

Mulch

• Mulching around perennial flowers adds organic substances to the soil over the years while protecting the plants from excessive weed growth and moisture loss. Keep mulch at a depth of 2 to 4 inches and add new mulch every spring, as needed.

Transplants

• Consider transplants to quickly create a new garden. Although perennials grow from seed, these take additional care and often do not bloom for the first one to two years after planting, Purdue University says.

Blooming

• Perennials bloom best when provided with ideal growing conditions, so pick perennials for the available conditions, including light, soil, water and temperature requirements. Encourage prolonged blooming by deadheading flowers as they lose vigor.

Division

• As perennials continue growing over several seasons, they spread and often crowd an area, resulting in poor growth. Division solves this problem but must be completed correctly to avoid damaging the current or new plants. The Clemson Cooperative Extension recommends digging up the plant, cutting it into sections and replanting every three to five years.