Check for these common missteps if your perennial garden isnt as lush and colorful as you hoped.
Perennials are the come-back stars of the garden.
Ignoring Your Zone
Every perennial has ahardiness zonerange based on the lowest average temperatures in each region.
Credit: Clint Farlinger
Choose plants that thrive in your zone to maximize the success of your perennial garden.
Knowledge about your zonal climate also helps you to plan when to plant perennials in your area.
It helps, too, to know when soil temperatures will warm in spring.
Credit:Peter Krumhardt
Most perennial plants bloom for about three weeks.
To stagger blooming in your landscape, choose perennials that flower at various times of the year.
Pair flowering perennials with perennials prized for their foliage, such as hosta andsedum.
Credit:The Spruce / Evgeniya Vlasova
Their leafy color and texture add dimension to the garden while complementing plants with more showy flowers.
Choose sites based on the plants mature size, considering nearby plants, structures, and pathways.
This helps prevent illness in your plants, as crowded perennials createconditions that encourage disease.
Credit:Matthew Benson
However, avoid mulching 2-3 inches from the crown of each plant.
Mulching too close to or over the crown can slowly suffocate the plant or allow diseases to take hold.
Mulch breaks down over time, so spread a fresh layer annually.
Credit:Frederic DidillonPhotolibrary/Getty Images
A thick 6- to 8-inch layer of mulch helps insulate fall-planted perennials from harsh winter conditions.
Prevent this by staking the stems before the plants flowers bloom.
Credit: Doug Hetherington
Credit:Katie Burdett / BHG
