Duluth Perennial garden design

• The cottage garden was a riot of color and texture

Perennial gardens are an English tradition

modifications

• We are in a much colder zone so the plant list is different

• In the USA gardeners enjoy mixing perennials with annuals and vegetables

Vocabulary

• Annual• Perennial• Bulb• Corm• Hardy • Tender

Bulbs

Bulb longevity

• The best for re-flowering are :• Snow drops, scilla, grape hyacinth• Crocus• Daffodils• Tulips and hyacinths don’t re-bloom very well

Plants that are tender but tempting

• Dahlias, • Caladium• Canna • Gladiola• Begonia• Freesia

Attributes of perennials

• Attract people , pollinators• May be fragrant• Have a variety of textures• Can have interest in all seasons• Can be used as cut flowers• Gardening as recreation

Perennial garden types

• Rock garden• Water garden• Border• Island beds• Containers

The plan

• Location: know your soil, sun/shade, slope• Soil prep: – Get a soil test – add organic material , – pH 6.5 for most perennials, – Install in ground irrigation

The plan

• Start small: there is a learning curve• Think about maintenance• What time of year are you viewing the

garden? Plant for the time you are home.• What is your budget? If you need to plant over

a couple of years. Get plants from friends.• Study the plants and gardening skills• Draw your design on paper or computer

Design rules

• Balance: Height, color, texture• Unity through repetition• Tie in colors to those in the surroundings.• Proportion: 60% rule the mature height of a

plant should not be more than 60% of the bed width

• Always remember a plant can be dug up and moved

Design rules

• Least, little, lots• It is most pleasing to the eye to have an odd

number of the same plant in a grouping.• Space plants to allow them to get to their

mature size• Perennials don’t get full size in one season• “sleep, creep, leap”

Planting times

• Most (especially if bare root) get planted when the soil can be worked in SPRING. That gives them all summer to get a good root established.

• If potted they can get planted most of the summer ( harden off before planting).

• Plant at the same level as the pot• Peony and iris get moved or split in August

Staking

• Single• Corset• Brushwood• Push the stake in the ground early spring to

reduce root breakage

mulch

• Reduces weeds• Holds moisture• Can add organic matter to the soil• Can help keep diseases off the plants• Can keep soil cool

Nutrients

• The best N:P:K is 5:10:5, or 10:10:10 or 5:10:10

• High N means no to few flowers and a plant that will attain less hardiness

Propagation and acquisition

• Division when plants are just coming up• From seed, this takes longer to get a bloom• Buy them from a garden center or mail order• They can be bare root or potted