A Prairie Garden Journal    by Dick Meyer

What
Makes A
Good
Perennial?

What makes a good perennial?  It can be so confusing--walking into a garden center and looking at the perennial display.  There is usually a wide assortment from which to choose.  The pictures and the information cards all seem to say that every perennial is equally good for your garden.  And perennials are all supposed to be easy to grow.    But take five new perennials home and the chances are good that you’ll only end up liking one or two.  At least one will spread too aggressively, another will bloom only for a short period and then seem to disappear for the rest of the year, a third may seem to struggle in the location in which you plant it. 

 The key to being successful with perennials is to understand that all perennials are not created equal.  While it may be true that every perennial has a garden spot somewhere in the world for which it is perfect, not all of those perfect garden spots can be found in Wyobraska.   A perennial that is good in Boston or Chicago or Seattle may not be good here.  So the real question is “What makes a good perennial in Wyobraska?”

Here are six qualities that I have found make for a “good”  Wyobraska perennial.

Previous Articles

Yes It's Time March 12

Pruning Trees March 26

Plant a Tree in 2009 April 02

Great Old Trees April 09

"Nightmare on Elm Street?"
Elms & Oaks for WyoNeb
April 16

Green, Easy & Cheap April 23

No GardenSpace? No Problem
April 30

A Mother's Garden May 07

2008 Articles

2007 Articles

2006 Articles

1.  Good perennials stay under control (more or less). 
In a garden or landscape setting this means that a good perennial doesn’t reseed and volunteer too aggressively nor does it spread too quickly via its root system.  Good perennials know their place in a garden and stay in it.  This information usually won’t be found on the plant tag—so ask the garden center staff or do a little research on the internet before you go shopping.

2.  It will bloom sometime between June and September.
Wyobraska has the perfect climate for most summer blooming perennials—warm, sunny days with cool evenings.  My suggestion is—don’t fight it.  Look for perennials that bloom in the months of June, July, August, and September. 

3.  It will be more than 12 inches tall.
Gardeners and homeowners are often afraid of perennials that get big.  But many of the best perennials for Wyobraska are prairie wildflowers that had to get tall in order to compete with tall prairie grasses for sunlight.  Another reason to think big is that perennials are increasingly being used to replace small and medium shrubs in the landscape, and the shorter groundcover-type perennials just never grow tall enough to do the job.

Coneflowers and Feather Reed Grass
 

4.  It should retain a somewhat attractive appearance before AND after it blooms
Many of the traditional spring perennials are notorious for disappearing after they finish blooming.  That leaves a big hole in your garden or landscape for the next three seasons.   One easy way to get a perennial that has a long period of effectiveness is to select at least some that bloom in late summer or early fall.  These perennials often begin growing by late spring and add their interesting foliage to the garden all summer before blooming in late summer. 

5.  It will retain some structure in winter.
Winter is not usually considered to be a garden season.  But it is a good idea to consider what your garden or landscape will look like in winter when you plant more perennials, because in Wyobraska, winter is a long season.  You’ll be pleased to know that there are a number of perennials that continue to offer visual interest in a garden or landscape well into the winter season.  Again, it is the larger perennials with thick stems that tend to hold up to the snow and wind of winter without breaking.  Of course, most ornamental grasses remain attractive well into winter and I think they should be a part of most perennial plantings. 

6.  It should have attractive foliage as well as an attractive flower.
A good perennial contributes foliage interest as well as a pretty flower to a garden scene.  In fact, with certain perennials such as ornamental grasses and hosta, the foliage is the primary reason for using the perennial.
 

My list of (some) good perennials for Wyobraska