Benedict T. Palen, Jr - Tips On How To Grow Perennials

Perennials come back year after year, few are evergreen and keep their flora through the winter; others go inactive, dying back to the ground and will send up new shoots in the spring. They typically only bloom for one season every year, either summer, spring, or fall; though there are some ever-blooming and re-blooming arrays. Perennials tend to have lesser flowers than annuals, as their energy is put into developing strong roots rather flowers and seeds.

• Plant perennials by choosing a location where water drains fast after a rainfall. Prepare your planting bed by slackening and turning beneath the soil to a depth of 8 in. Level the soil with a rake to eliminate huge clusters of grass and large stones.
• Dig the hole a little larger than the root for each plant. Set each plant with top even with or somewhat under the level of the surrounding soil. Fill in about roots with fine soil and rigid lightly, leaving a slight depression around the plant to grasp and hold water. To increase drainage, add organic material such as compost or shredded leaves, to the soil. 
• Plants that have got leggy in their containers can be encouraged to grow healthier and fuller by cutting them back by one-third to one-half prior to planting.
• The most excellent time of day to water is in the morning. They will need the equivalent of 1 inch of water per week while becoming set in their first year. Water newly planted perennials shallower and more often for the first month as their roots are not very deep yet. After that, water deeper and less often to support the roots to go deeper; this will perk up their drought tolerance.
• The soil should never be overly wet or dry. Avoid getting water on the foliage to avoid illness. Fertilize with high-phosphorus, low-nitrogen, fertilizer to support more blooms and less foliage. Most perennials do not require heavy fertilization. A single application in spring is typically sufficient.
• Make a clean, neat edge between your flower bed and lawn. Use an edging tool or set up permanent edging.
• Put plant supports prepared early in the season, before plants get too big, so as not to upset their roots. Put supports close to the plant and quietly tie the stem to the support.

• To keep perennials look stunning, divide the largest plants every 3 to 4 years when they are not in blossom. The most excellent time to divide perennials depends on your region. In cold regions, early spring is typically the best time. The new divisions will have a more time to become established before the challenges of the lengthy, cold winter. In hot and warmer climates with hot summers and mild winters, fall may be a better time to divide, offering plants the mild winter to get established.

Benedict T. Palen, Jr., has thirty years of knowledge working in management, operations, and agricultural investments. Right now, Benedict T.Palen, Jr., serves as co-proprietor and manager for Great Plains Farms, LLC, administering all from the appraisal of farmland to offering proposal on operator training and irrigation development.