Perennial Garden Color

4. Buying, Planting, and Caring for Perennials

Perrenial PDFs FCID.indd 54 11/28/12 4:42 PM Gardeners may choose plants, cunings or seeds co start their pcrcnniallandscapes. There is a great sarisfanion in growing one's own plants from seed, but for coday's busy famil ics, plams offer easier and faseer results . In some instances, however, plants may nOt be available; with rare and prore<:red plants, it may nOt be legal to collect morc (han se<:d. Our ancesrors often grew new plams from seed, then traded or shared plants with friends and relatives. This practice of sharing plants is very much alive today among dedicated gardeners and can add grearly to the joy ofgrowing perennials. Basic information on starting plants from seed, cunings and division will be discussed later in this section. Retail garden centers and nurseries have sprung up throughout the U. S. since World War II. Until that time, the only source o( plants (or most gardeners, besides exchanges with (riends and (amily, had been mailorder nurseries. Today, most communities o( a (ew thousand population or more have a seasonal or year-round retail garden center. Usually these small outlets offer only a minimal variety o(plant materials, since they can stock only those items that their wholesale suppliers find Buyingt Plantmgt and Carmg tor PlerlenruaXs it profitable ro deliver in relatively small quantities. But sometimes they grow unusual plants that arc favorites in the community. With this thought in mind, good gardeners often enjoy visiting smaller nurseries and may have obtained some of their favorite perennials from them. Recent years have seen a marked increase in the quantity and selection o(lx:dding plants. Sales o( these "color plants," usually offered in 6-packs, 4-packs or individual 4-inch containers, have grown much (aster than other parts o( the nursery industry. It appears that homeowners have grown weary o( large expanses of turf relieved only by a scattering o( trees and clipped evergreens . Well-planned commercial and community landscapes are using seasonal color in large quantities and homeowners like what they are seeing. While the bedding plant segment o( the nursery business continues to grow, customers are asking why they cannot have more perennial plants that provide seasonal color year after year. Thus, we are seeing retail garden centers and mailorder sources offering many more perennial plants. Perrenial PDFs FCID.indd 55 11/28/12 4:42 PM BUYING, PLANT/NG , AND CARING FOR PERENNIAI..5 45 CONTAINER-GROWN PLANTS Another major change within the nursery industry in recent years has been an increased use ofcontainergrown plants. These offer advantages to both nurserymen and customers, since container-grown plants are easier to maintain in the sales yard and suffer almost no shock in transplanting. As a resuit, the vaSt majority ofplants now sell in the containers in which they are gcown. Only a few years ago certain bedding plants such as pansies were offered as bare-rOOt plants and sold in bundles of25. SO, or more. However, the shelf life of bare-root plants, even when well packaged, is only a few days; those grown in containers keep for several weeks or morc. Bare-root divisions or seedlings of most perennials still enjoy seasonal sales during the cool weather ofJate fall, winter and early spring when they may be easily and economically rransporred through the mail and held for a week or more without serious damage. Container-grown plants, however, may be transplanted successfully far later in the season, so they extend [he nurseryman's season while providing gardeners with the opportunity to try a new plant as soon as they discover it. Containerized perennials are usually sold in peat or paper-based containers that can be set directly into the garden without being removed. Plants growing in the small. restricted areas of these potS may need watering once or more per day during dry weather. Usually. sphagnum peat moss is the main ingredient of the medium in which the plants are grown. Since this resists moisture once it has dried, it is essential (Q water container-grown plants regularly, as ofcen as once or twice a day in hot weather. It may also be necessary to soak the containers in water for a few hours prior (Q planting to make sure they arc thoroughly moistened. For all but a few plants such as Asclepias (butterfly weed), it is beSt (Q loosen or cut some of the roots in the container so chac they will move out into the surrounding soil more easily after transplanting. This practice is recommended primarily for transplanting during the cool seasons since in the stress ofextreme heat any disturbance to the root mass may be tOO much for young plams. Perennials grown and sold in plastic pots as packs mUSt be removed from their containers when planted. Generally the root mass will slip easily from [he pot if the plant is held upside down and a few gende raps are delivered to the container's bottom. It is equally important for the rOOt mass to be loosened or cut when plants are grown in plastic containers. The COSt of plants relates basically to the size of rhe container. Although a one gallon or 6-inch pot of perennials may create more ofan instant effect than a fou r- or six-pack, the COSt is usually much less for the smaller plants. Most perennials grow quickly, and to create··drifts" and other mass color effects in the landscape requires considerable numbers of plants. If the desired plants are available only in large sizes, these may sometimes be divided after a shorr period of time to quickly increase numbers. Conr~m('r-8 ro....n p('renm~ 1 5 can bc:easily rran$pt~n, ('d inro the g~rden . Perrenial PDFs FCID.indd 56 11/28/12 4:42 PM 46 BU}'ING, PL.!I.N-r/NG. liND CARING FOR I'I!J?ENNIALS WHEN TO PLANT With most plants now being grown in containers, planting may be done at mOSt any rime. The amount of care necessary to eSTablish a perennial Juring August may, however, be several rimes that of the same pIam set nur during Octoher. A simple rule to keep in mind is thar ideally, perennials should be set out" ll.bout six months prior to bloom. Perhaps more easily remembered is thar spring-flowering perennials should be set our during rhc fall, and fall-flowering species should be S('f our during spring. Summer-flowering perennials an: usually set our in early spring. \Vith our relatively mild winters, spring-flowering plants may sometimes be set out during late Winter or very early spring, although fall plaming allows the p[anr more time to acclimate and grow before Aowering. This, ill turn, usually results in more flowers and larger prams. When growing perennials from seed, start a season or at least a few weeks earlier f()f most species. The individual plane descriptions of perennials featured in this book suggest the best times and methods ofpropagation. When new planes arc ser our, rhe fi rst few days and wteks are crirical and are somerimes referred co as "hudening off." This process is especially importane fOf bareroor planes and seedlings siOl:e rhey must establish nt'W roots to take up m()isture befot(· they wither and die. To help your newly planted perennials, itis important that they be kept uniformly moiSt. For especially render spe- ('ies it may be necessary to provide temporary shading for a f(·w days until the rOOtS can begin to function efficiently . Our ancestors sometimes did this by placing a standing shingle in the ground adjacent to the plant, to shade it through much of the afternoon. To keep wind and sun from the plant, old-lime gardeners also sheltered them in cylinders they made by cutring rhe topS and botrOms from cans. After a few days. when the plams had seuled in, they would remove these prOtective devices, Special care Juring the esrablishment period is especially importane for planes that are being brought from a greenhouse directly to the garden. It is best for greenhouse-grown planes to spend a few days om ofdoors in partial shade before they are set into the landscape, PREPARING THE SOIL Most of the perennials describeJ ill this book tlfe adapted to a f:lirly wide range ofsoil and cultural COnditions . It is vl'ry imporranr, however, to know rhe preferences and requirements ofplants before selecting them. Many soil types, from heavy clays to sands at(' common to our region. Soil is composed of panicles that range in size (rom relatively large, in the casc ofsands. to medium in the case of silts, to very small in days. Heavy clay is a term sometimes used to describe soils high in clay COntf:nL Few soils in Texas contain a sufficiel ][ amount oforganic mutnitd and nutrients co support really vigorous growth. Loam-type SOIls afe ideal and