Established perennial flowerbeds offer a variety of textures, shapes, sizes and above all colors throughout the growing season. When people envision what a flower garden should look like they usually imagine a lush and beautiful bloom filled perennial flowerbed. It takes patience, a lot of trial and error and time to establish a perennial flowerbed but the rewards are plenty.

What are Perennials?

Perennials are plants that die back in the winter (except for their roots) and comeback in the spring. They send up new shoots every year, then flower and once again die back to their roots in the winter time. Some perennials like delphiniums live for only a few seasons whilst others like peonies can live indefinitely.

Choosing the Right Perennials for your Zone

There are thousands of perennials to choose from. Luckily the choice is narrowed by your gardening zone. You zone determines your local climate specifically freeze dates and average temperatures. Soil type, garden design (cottage, formal, woodland) also help narrow your perennial plant choice. Local nurseries can help decide which plants are suitably adapted to your region.

Starting your Garden Right

People say that plants grow in spite of the soil but growing healthy plants requires healthy soil. Take the time to learn your soil type and pH. Amend your soil when necessary. If you have time and your soil is sub par, take the time to build your soil fertility. Add manure for nutrients and compost for organic matter. Well developed soil retains moisture and nutrients which means less watering and feeding for the perennials. If you don't have the time to develop your soil consider purchasing quality top soil.

Other Considerations

Choosing a location with optimal light allows for a wider choice of plant types. However, there are many different plants that are suited to grow in less sunlight. These perennials are just as colorful and also offer interesting textures to the shaded garden space.

Getting Started with your Perennial Garden

Once you've amended your soil, determined your zone, chosen your garden design and plants, its time to get started planting. Use the standard rule of planting; short plants in the front and taller ones in the back. Space the plants are directed. Initially the garden bed may look sparsely populated but perennials will grow and spread and fill in the gaps. In the meantime you can buy annuals which are fast growing to fill in the gaps.

Mistakes in Gardening are Allowed

If you notice that some of the plants are not doing well, it is okay to remove them and plant them elsewhere. Mulching the flowerbed can help keep the weeds down but will stop the self seeding perennials from multiplying. Mulching also benefits the flower bed by adding much needed organic matter to soil. Some plants may fair better than others and become invasive. In those cases, keep invasive plants confined to containers within the flowerbed. Invasive plants include plants such as mints and ajuga.

It may take a couple of years to establish a perennial garden, but once established the garden will need little or no maintenance as it grows the way nature intended.