Select VarietiesChoose flowers with a reputation for being sturdy and dependable. Coneflowers, Astilbes, Coreopsis, Creeping Phlox, Veronica, and Black-Eyed Susans are beautiful flowers you can count on. Select a mix of tall and short plants, since you'll put the tall ones in the back and the short ones up front and along the sides of your garden bed.
Choose Your LocationMost people put their perennial gardens against a backdrop. Fences and garden walls are good examples. Try to pick a spot that provides at least six hours a day of sunlight for your sun-loving plants. If you area is too shady, plant shade-lovers, such as Hostas and Bleeding Hearts.
Amend Your SoilMany perennials do well in soil with good drainage. Where your soil stays wet, plant Cardinal Flowers and other damp-loving varieties. You can enrich your soil with organic materials and slow-acting granular fertilizers. Miracle-Gro® Garden Soil for Flowers and Vegetables and Miracle-Gro® Organic Choice Garden Soil can amend your soil well.
PlantPerennials are hardy. They're not too fussy about when you plant them or move them. Most perennials can be planted any time from the last frost through autumn. When planting or transplanting, dig a hole that's twice as big as your container, then back-fill the hole.
Water and FeedYoung perennial plants need plenty of water.
You can easily water and fertilize at the same time with Miracle-Gro® Liquafeed®. If you choose to feed your plants organically, use Miracle-Gro® Organic Choice All-Purpose Organic Plant Food followed by a healthy dose of water.
After your plants have matured, apply a pre-emergent weed preventer, such as, Miracle-Gro® Garden Weed Preventer®, throughout your garden bed to prevent weeds.
It also helps to spread approximately 2 inches of mulch around the plants, which prevents weeds and keeps the soil moist.
As plants mature, divide perennials for additional starts.
