Tips on Caring for a Perennial Garden

Take photos of the garden. Lots of them and all year round. A photographic record shows where the tulips are planted, where the gap in the daffodil bed was this Spring and how large that hydrangea really is once it’s leafed out. Photos can help when planning new purchases and to make sure there are no holes or gaps in the garden.

Keep a Plant Diary

A large binder filled with plastic sleeves works well. Take notes, not only on which plants do well, but jot down those that whither away or are attacked by insects Refer to this list before buying new plants and try something different instead of repeating the failures.

Don’t toss out all those plastic markers stuck in with the plants. Instead, keep one from each variety and stash in those plastic pockets. Refer to these for plant height, spacing and cultural requirements. And use them as a reminder of plant names and varieties when the time comes to add more.

Learn When to Divide

When plants develop a hole or dead spot in the center, it’s time to divide. If plants that were covered with blossoms and gloriously productive last year produce fewer flowers this season, it’s time to divide.

Dig up the entire plant and use a sharp shovel or pull them apart with your hands or a pitch fork. Replant the strongest shoots and take the extras to another part of the garden or trade with other gardeners.

A good rule of thumb for timing: If a plant blooms in the Spring, divide in the Fall. If it blooms in the Fall, divide in the Spring. Alternatively, divide perennials immediately after their individual bloom period. Experienced gardeners know it’s best to divide plants on cool, cloudy days which gives the transplants time to recover before the sun beats on them again.

Buy a Few Good Garden Reference Books

Ask at your local nursery or book store for recommendations on the best how-to books. Seek the advice of seasoned gardeners. Before investing, take the book out of your local library and make sure it meets your particular research needs.

There are many books with pretty pictures. But instead, choose at least a few for solid how-to advice.Two stand outs are The Well-Tended Perennial Garden, Planting & Pruning Techniques by Tracy DeSabato-Aust (Timber Press inc, 1998). It lists the cultural requirements, botanical and common names, spread, height, exposure and bloom time for hundreds of favorite perennials and provides detailed advice on how and when to prune, deadhead and divide.

The Long-Flowering Garden by Professor Marshall Craigmyle (MetroBooks, 2001) lists over 500 plants and describes when to divide and how to propagate perennials.

Deadhead

Learn how and when to deadhead. Deadheading is the process of removing spent flowers from plants that have completed the bloom cycle.

Not only does deadheading neaten the appearance of a garden, but some perennials will respond with a repeat bloom. (Good candidates include Coreopsis, Salvia and Dianthus, to name just a few.) Others, such as Baptisia, Peonies, Hemerocallis and Iris, will not respond with a new bloom, but will look better. When plants are not putting effort into producing seed pods, the foliage remains in better shape.

Cut the spent blooms off with a sharp scissor. For plants that re-bloom, cut at a lateral bud or leaf axil. For plants that do not rebloom, cut down to the basel foliage.

Insure perennial gardening success by learning a bit more than the basics of plant, weed, water. Keep a photo diary and a garden journal. Learn how to divide and when to deadhead and enjoy the rewards of an attractive and thriving garden for years to come.