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Hints on Growing Perennials Successfully

  • Use liquid fertilizers rather than slow release or granular. Remember, perennials don't like a lot of fertilizer to begin with.
  • Do not over water.
  • Have a well-drained soil area.
  • Divide every three years or when needed.
  • Cut for fuller growth.
  • Plant in proper conditions required by the plant (in sun for sun-loving, etc).
  • Plant only perennials for your zone.
  • Remember that some perennials only bloom in the spring and summer or in the fall, yet some bloom in all three seasons.
  • The same perennial in the south will not be as vivid as in the north.
  • Plant in the fall for a great spring performance.
  • If it blooms in the spring, divide in the fall. If it blooms in the fall, divide in the spring.
  • Prepare your initial bed with as much organic material as possible - plants do not like to be disturbed while growing. A little surface weed cultivation is OK.
  • Dead-head as you would annuals.
  • Prepare for winter months with good layer of mulch. No more than three inches. In the northern zones, the snow is a good insulation barrier. For the southern zones, if more severe weather is predicted use more mulch and perhaps even a covering of pine straw.

 

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