Deadheading is an important part of perennial gardening. Deadheading some perennials will cause them to bloom longer because they are not using their energy on seed production. Other perennials may not rebloom but your garden will look neater if deadheaded. Deadheading can also reduce disease that might otherwise develop in the dying blooms. The only reason not to deadhead is if you want the flowers to produce seed and self sow into your garden. Read the rest of this entry »

In addition to having an obsession with plants, I also have an obsession with gardening books. A new book on perennial garden design, that I highly recommend is The Perennial Gardener’s Design Primer by Stephanie Cohan and Nancy J. Ondra. This is one of the best books on garden design I have seen. Read the rest of this entry »

Keeping a perennial garden looking good should not be to difficult if you choose and plant carefully.

The following routine tasks should be performed. Read the rest of this entry »

Early spring is considered a good time to plant perennials. Planting early, just after killing frosts have passed, is better than planting later in the spring, as the plants have more time to adjust befor warm weather arrives. Large container grown plants will bloom the first year. Perennials started from seed in January and February will be small plants in late spring. These can be planted in April and May. However, many will not bloom much the first year and, in some cases, will not bloom at all until the next year. Read the rest of this entry »

I really like using several different plants in combination when planting in containers. The only problem is I sometimes can’t visualize how the plants will look together after they grow some. I came across this site this weekend and if you like the look of different plants combined in pots and planters, but need a little design help, you will love this site as much as I did.