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Corydalis
| Perennials for the Beginner...
Even if you're not a beginner you might just learn something!! Read on!!
Welcome, Beginner, to the wonderful world of Perennials!!!!
What is a perennial you ask...
A perennial is a kind of plant that grows for many years and that comes back every year in your
garden.... example: Marigolds in your garden die when winter comes and in the spring they don't produce new growth. An Astilbe, for example, will die down at the end of the year all the way to the ground, but the roots are still alive. In the spring it will put out new growth and will be a bigger stronger plant. That is a perennial.
The first step in a great perennial bed is the soil.
DON'T TREAT YOUR SOIL LIKE DIRT!!!!!!
Because...
The key to healthy, disease resistant, beautiful perennials absolutely covered with flowers, is a soil that's rich in nutrients and organic matter, full of helpful bacteria and worms.
Compost is the key to achieving this type of soil!!!!
What is Compost??
Compost is a homemade, or store bought mixture made of decomposed organic matter(formerly living plants). Adding it to your soil is returning the nutrients and energy from the dead plants, so that the new plants can take it up and use it
How to make compost: Composting is a VERY simple process. Kind of like recycling...
Just take your raked leaves from the fall, your grass clippings from your newly mowed lawn, and any weeds you pull. Also good is VEGETABLE and FRUIT kitchen scraps NOT MEAT OR DAIRY...
This mix of stuff will break down over time to make the perfect stuff to add to your soil...
You'll see the results, and it cuts down on garbage much...the ultimate form of recycling!!
Your pile will just sit there for a few months, possibly steaming with the heat from the bacterial action escaping out the top of the pile. Water it occasionally (bacteria get thirsty too). After those months have passed, dig into your pile. If you find rich dark sweet smelling stuff you've successfully made compost!!! Congratulations!
ATTENTION!!! IT is a myth that compost smells bad!!!!!! Don't let this story discourage you. The pile will NOT smell UNLESS you've added meat or dairy products.
So make some compost today!!!!
When you go to plant your new perennials, add a scoop of this to the soil, it'll benefit the plant a lot. But when you go to make a whole new bed, after digging out the grass, add a few inches of the compost and mix it in with the old soil, it's an investment for the future.
Add lots of compost to your soil and mix it in well, you'll have really good plants!!
Ok so now that you have nice soil, you're ready for the plants.
A word about perennials, as said earlier, they survive the winter and grow back in spring...but some plants can survive a harder winter than others. A perennial that can survive a winter where frost and snow is present is called a hardy perennial. There are varying degrees of hardiness though...a perennial that can survive in zone 2 (way up north) is very hardy whereas on that can only survive a zone 6 (Mid Range...here in NJ we're in zone 6) will not be hardy much farther north. Here is a map of the USDA Hardiness zones. After you've determined your zone, you can buy plants with the confidence that they will last a long long time in your garden. Most informative plant tags will tell you what zones they can be expected to grow in.
Buying plants
Remember!!! Big doesn't necessarily mean healthy when buying a perennial!!! You want one with a good shape, not too tall and skinny, not too short and fat. Select a medium sized one. Next remember that a perennial that's flowering may not be the best choice. Disturbing a plant that's flowering may stunt it's growth, causing it to be less healthy than others. For first year perennials, healthy lush foliage is more important than flowers.
Keeping this in mind then look for diseased ones.
A lush looking plant close up may reveal little holes or fungus or spots or discoloration of the leaves. Be careful of these things, if a nursery cant keep them clean and healthy, they're probably not resistant to diseases.
Also check for bugs. Look for signs of them; holes or streaks in the leaves, and look under the leaves and around the soil for them. Often you'll find some slugs, but those can and should be removed. Be wary of more serious things like aphids covering the undersides of leaves. They will spread to other plants.
Last but certainly not least is the roots of the plant. If the pot is cooperative you can tip the plant over right at the nursery and knock the rootball out of the pot. If roots have twined around the bottom of the pot and are sticking out the drainage holes then this plant has been stunted, possibly severely, so reconsider if you'll wait for it to catch up with a better plant.
Back to the roots. After you've popped the rootball out of the pot; if you see a few roots twined around the bottom that's not that bad, if those roots look healthy and white and fuzzy then the plant will recover well in transplanting. Little white hairy roots all around the sides of the pot less than 1/2 an inch or so long are a good sign. This shows a healthy root system that's ready to grow. If the roots twining around the bottom have done a few "laps" around the pot, and the roots are turning yellowish and brittle, you don't want that plant.
Note: If they have to sit when you get home put them in a shaded place and water them well.
Planting
Don't plant in the hot sun if you can avoid it, the plant may dry out and wilt after transplanting, this may stunt it's growth considerably.
Before planting take a good look at the plant, decide which side is it's "good side" and put it so that it looks best when viewed from where it will be viewed from. Also closely inspect it and cut off any damaged or sticking out branches.
Now dig the hole...make it deep enough so that the plant will rest at the same depth where it was in the pot, and make it wide enough so that you can fill the space around it with lots of compost and soil.
Get out your knife. Pop the plant out of the pot and slice up the bottom of the rootball if their are roots visible. This seems severe but it will shock the roots into growing stronger. Don't hesitate, it works!!
Now place the newly butchered ball of soil in it's hole, make it level to the soil level and pack compost and soil from the hole around it. Water it very well. If the soil settles too far down, add some more soil and water some more, don't drown it, but lots of water is beneficial to settling the soil and feeding the roots.
Water the plant daily. It may wilt a little, called transplanting shock, but keeping it watered will insure that it gets back in the growing groove as fast as possible.
Great job!!!
As far as weed and keeping the soil moist goes, Mulch is a great idea!!
Mulch can be compost or pine bark or wood chips. You'll find lots of other ones available on a regional basis, things that are available in your area are usually cheaper.
Put mulch around the plants but not right on the stem. It will keep moisture in, weeds out, and look really nice too!
So there you go!!
You've got a beautiful perennial garden that can only get better as time passes. Enjoy it and remember, be flexible, if something doesn't look quite right or dies somehow, you can replace it with something else, try stuff and you'll get great results!!!!
Have fun and Happy Gardening!! | 
