How to Start a Perennial Garden
A beautiful, thriving perennial garden doesn't just happen. It takes planning, soil preparation and good planting practices to create a stunning garden. Once established, a perennial garden bed will bloom and grow for many seasons with minimal care. Unlike annuals, which are replaced each year, perennials in cooler climates die back in winter and regrow in spring. In a Mediterranean climate, many perennials display year-round greenery and often blossoms. Plant perennials in late fall so the plants can get established over the mild, wet winter.
Make a list of plants to grow. Consider cold hardiness, sun requirements, soil requirements and moisture needs. Combine low-growing ground covers with medium-size and taller plants to create height and variety.
Plant hostas in areas shaded by taller shrubs, landscape trees or buildings. Hostas (Hosta spp.) are low-growing foliage plants that are hardy in U.S. Department of Agriculture plant hardiness zones 3 through 9, depending on the variety. Hostas come in a variety of leaf patterns and create a lush foliage cover in the garden.
Incorporate taller plants, like pineapple sage (Salvia elegans) and columbine (Aquilegia "Swallowtail") behind the lower-growing plants and along a fence or wall that lines the garden. Pineapple sage has bright yellow flowers and a pineapple scent. It grows 2 to 4 feet tall and is hardy in USDA zones 8 through 10. Columbine "Swallowtail" has yellow flowers and grows 2 to 3 feet tall. This columbine cultivar is hardy in USDA zones 5 through 10.
Bring color to the garden with delicate bellflowers (Campanula "Kent Belle"). The small purple flowers bloom in summer and nod gently toward the ground. Bellflowers grow 1 1/2 to 2 1/2 feet tall and are hardy in USDA zones 5 through 9. Another midsize perennial to incorporate in a perennial garden is nepeta (Nepeta x faassenii.) This 1- to 2-foot-tall perennial grows in a bushy mound and is hardy in USDA zones 3 through 8.
Plant low-growing ground covers around taller plants to cover the soil. An interesting ground cover is brass buttons (Leptinella squalida "Platt's Black") hardy in USDA zones 4 through 10. Brass buttons grow just 2 inches tall with purple feathery leaves. Spaced 9 inches apart, this spreading ground cover will create a dense mat over the soil. Another ground cover is the 2- to 3-inch-tall trailing snapdragon (Asarina procumbens), hardy in USDA zones 6 through 9.
Prepare the garden bed one to two weeks before planting. Clear the planting area of weeds and grass. Use a tiller or garden fork to turn over the top 12 inches of soil.
Spread a 1-inch-layer of compost or seasoned manure over the garden bed and dig it into the top 12 inches of loosened soil. Work the organic matter into the soil until it is well-blended.
Dig planting holes for each new perennial plant. Make the holes the same depth as the nursery pot. Check the label on each plant to determine how far apart to space them. If spacing is not listed, grow average-size perennials 12 to 18 inches apart. For tall perennials, a spacing of 18 to 36 inches is sufficient, while dwarfs can be grown 6 to 12 inches apart.
Remove the new perennial from the nursery container and place it upright in the hole. Handle plants by the root ball so you don't damage the stalks. Back-fill the hole and pat down the area. Continue planting until the garden bed is finished.
Soak the garden bed thoroughly after planting until the soil is damp as deep as the planting holes.
Spread a 2-inch-deep layer of mulch over the soil in the garden bed, keeping it 1 to 2 inches away from the base of each plant.
- Garden fork or tiller
- Compost or manure
- The U.S. Department of Agriculture plant hardiness zones are based on low winter temperatures. Select plants that are hardy in your area or the roots will die over the first winter.
- Determine how much sun the area gets before you start as it will affect what you can plant. Full sun is six or more hours per day while full shade is two hours of sun or less. Part sun is four to six hours and part shade is two to four hours.
- Select a variety of plants that require similar growing conditions like sun, moisture and nutrients.
- Santa Clara County Master Gardeners: November Gardening Topics
- Seasonal Celebrations: Seasonal Planting Calendar
- Missouri Botanical Garden: Salvia Elegans
- Missouri Botanical Garden: Aquilegia "Swallowtail"
- Missouri Botanical Garden: Leptinella squalida "Platt's Black"
- Missouri Botanical Garden: Campanula "Kent Belle"
- Fine Gardening: Genus Hosta
- Missouri Botanical Garden: Asarina Procumbens
- Missouri Botanical Garden: Nepeta x Faassenii
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