Perennial=Perpetual

‘First year sleeps, second year creeps, and third year leaps.’ It sounds rather like something you would expect a second grader to say isn’t it? It is in fact an old adage that the English have for describing perennials. Pretty concise isn't it?

The word "perennial" is latin, for the word ‘perpetual’. And in a sense, that's just what they are perpetual, long lasting, forever. Well, not quite forever, but close enough for the enthusiastic gardener to enjoy periodic, year after year growth..

Perennials are hardy plants and can survive up to 10-12 years with care and attention. Most perennial flowers will be in bloom for at least one part of any given season, so if you plan ahead you can take full advantage of this and have blooming flowers throughout the whole year.

Foxglove, Columbine, Asters, Daylilies, and Hostas are but a few of the variety of Perennials available. The varieties are too numerous to list here, but be assured that there’ll always be some new perennial to catch your eye, and enhance your garden.

Growing your perennials from seed is a cheap and easy way to get started. You must be patient though, because it's customary for perennials grown from seed to take about two years to show any signs of growth.

Take a trip to the nursery or browse through nursery catalogs. These methods are more expensive, but they will give you the satisfaction of actually seeing the plant already above ground. Whether it’s a catalog or nursery, it's a matter of choice and depends entirely on your personal preferences.

It is now time to plant your perennials. If you bought your perennials as saplings, you should already have an idea as to the height they might grow to be. Taller plants should be planted towards the back and the more ground hugging varieties in the front. This way you’ll get to enjoy all your perennials and won’t need to uproot them at a later date.

Taking care of your perennials isn’t hard. Uprooting mature plants, though, is a sure fire way of upsetting the balanced periodic growth pattern they’ve achieved through the years, and will most likely lead to their fast decline.

Most mature perennials will start to die off from the center outward like a doughnut shape. When this happens, it’s time to divide and replant your perennials. Prune dead flower heads to encourage more blooms, and stake the taller plants to avoid damaged stalks.

Perennials are a great way to maintain a green, and flowering garden throughout the year. You can also be guaranteed many admiring looks from friends and neighbors who didn’t have the forethought to plan their own garden so meticulously and delightfully. Sometimes it’s nice to just sit back and accept all that deserving praise! After all, you earned it.

By the way, don't forget to check out the benefits of raised-bed gardening.