My Garden Perennials...and loving my gardens

Image of my middle garden taken July 25, 2009

Isn't the above quote so true? How many times have I been disappointed with my garden perennials...

• horrible spring frosts that kill so many annuals and freeze the buds off my lilies (even though I cover them)

• ordering sterilized soil only to find it contaminated with weed seeds

• purchasing perennials, only to have them infested with some form of 'bug' (like the white stripped flea beetle)

• a golden elder reduced to a folded mess after a 'borer' ate the entire stems insides.

But alas, I love my garden...

• we lovingly re-plant the 'lost' annuals and nip off the frozen lily buds. After all, they will bloom again the next year, right?

• we accept the fact that pulling out weeds is part of the gardeners workload

• caring for the infested perennials (the white stripped flea beetle) by hand picking every darn beetle for days on end

• after shedding a tear or two, chopping down the golden elder to its foundation and know that it will grow bigger and stronger next year

But alas, I love my garden...

So as not be be repetitive on this garden perennials page, you can find great information, definitions, soil admendments and much more on:

My Perennials for 2008 Gardening Season Page.

However, because most garden perennials have a certain bloom time and cost more than annual plants, the following tips are worth repeating:

• the foliage: will you like looking at the foliage once the bloom time is over?

• bloom time: if you plant perennials that all bloom at the same time, you will wind up with a colorless flowerbed at some point. Inter-mix bloom times. Read the tags.

• plant supports: a common mistake is not inserting plant supports early. For instance: if you are planting a Peony, make sure to include the support ring. Or if you are planting Delphiniums or any other taller garden perennials, include the stake. It is very difficult to add supports once the plants have grown to their maximum width or height. You can do damage to the roots by inserting the supports later.

• groupings: plant in three's. This gives your flowerbed a unified (tied together) look. It doesn't have to be exactly the same plant, but of the same species family. For instance: the Coresposis Moonbeam planted with the Coreopsis Zagreb.

• never stop checking your perennials (underside of leaves, buds or new leaves) for unwanted pests, like aphids.

• record your plantings: I mention this in other areas of this web site. Record a video, keep the plants tags in a shoe box or album or simply take pictures and write down the plant names.

Listed below are the garden perennials that I planted for the 2009 Gardening Season:

Athyrium Ghost Fern
Brunnera
Bellflower Cherry Bells
Coneflower Meringue
Coral Bells Harvest Burgundy
Coral Bells Georgia Peach
Dianthus Flashing Light
Pink Coneflower
Forget Me Not Victoria Rose
Geranium Rozanne
Hens and Chicks
Hydrangea Quick Fire
Phlox Rubymine
Little Joe Pye Weed
Lamium Golden anniversary
Ligularia Rocket
Liatris Blazing Star
Living Carpets
Loosestrife Yellow
Golden Variegated Sweet Flag Ogon Grass
Palm Sedge
Phlox David
Phlox Rubymine
Hardy Plumbago
Russian Sage
Salvina Eveline Sage
Scabiosa Butterfly Blue
Sedum Dragon's Blood
Sedum Kamschatka
Spiderwort Sweet Kate
Thrift Dusseldorf

Check out the great gardening tools and accessories available through MasterGardening.com...

For instance:

Scissors: Floral Snips
Moisture Meter
Fertilizer: Osmocote Vegetable & Bedding Plant Food
Loppers: Medium Bypass Spear & Jackson
Microsprinkler: Garden Kit
Greenhouse: Mini with Heated Seed Germination
Soil Tester: PH
Soil Tester: Electronic
Fish Pharm Organic Fish Oil Ready to Use 35 oz.
9 Selection Pre-Set Water Timer
Automatic Water Shut-Off
Deluxe Automatic Water Shut-Off
Plant Sitter Automatic Watering Sensor 3 Pk

...and so much more!

Image of my south flowerbed taken September 1, 2009

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