Perennials
"The best way to garden is to put on a wide-brimmed straw hat and some old clothes. And with a hoe in one hand and a cold drink in the other, tell your husband where to dig."
A beautiful perennial garden adds color, fragrance, and texture to the landscape and can transform a dull yard into an interesting place that you’ll want to spend time in. A good design can seem complicated and intimidating but a few key principles to keep in mind will simplify things. First, decide what you want your garden to do. For example, if you like to cut flowers to enjoy in a vase in the house, then you’ll want to plant perennials with different heights, shapes, and colors with lots of fragrance and different bloom times. On the other hand, if you want to attract hummingbirds and butterflies to your yard, plant nectar-rich tubular flowers.
Another key principle is to write a checklist. Is the area in full sun or shade?
What are the dimensions? Do you want to surround a patio with lots of color
or soften the edges of a swimming pool? First decide what the function of the
garden is before you buy any plants.
When you do start planting a perennial bed, the most important element is the
soil. Because perennials live for years, they need rich, organic soil that drains
well in order to perform at their best. Many perennials will tolerate poor soil but
this doesn’t mean they prefer it.
A good design incorporates annuals, perennials, shrubs, bulbs, and ornamental grasses together to provide year-round interest and structure. Experiment with different plants and remember a plant can be moved if it doesn’t look right in a perennial bed.
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Hall County Agribusiness of the Year 2007
- Full Bloom Nursery-
Photo: from left: Billy Skaggs
(Hall County
Extension Director)
Kellie and Tim Bowen
(Owners of Full Bloom Nursery)
“Your garden will do for you in proportion to
what you do for it”.
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Agastache
Ajuga
Artemesia
Astilbe
Bee Balm
Black-eyed Susan
Candy Tuft
Canna Lily
Chelone
Columbine
Coneflower
Coreopsis
Creeping Jenny
Daylily
Dianthus
Ferns, hardy
Foxglove
Gaillardia
Hens & Chicks
Heuchera
Hibiscus, hardy
Hosta
Ice Plant
Iris
Lamb’s Ear
Lamium
Lantana, Miss Huff
Lavender
Liatris
Mazus
Penstemon
Peony
Phlox
Pincushion Flower
Ruellia
Salvia
Santolina
Sedum, creeping & tall
Shasta Daisy
Spiderwort
Tiarella
Verbena
Veronica
Vinca Vine
Yarrow
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Remember the Rule of Planting
The #1 rule of gardening is to put the right plant in the right place with the right soil. This simply means that you will get the best results and have the healthiest plants when you choose plants that are best suited for the spot you’re working with. For example, if you have a hot, dry slope that gets full sun with no shade whatsoever, plant perennials like lantana, verbena, dianthus, or sedum. This is not the spot where plants like canna lilies, hardy hibiscus, or hostas would be happy. Putting the right plant in the right spot with good soil will produce a happy plant that needs much less attention and pampering from you.
Below is a listing of perennials we carry.
Member of
Nursery photos of fall crops- 2009
Our plants for sale displayed in a garden setting.
Pineapple Sage- one of the absolute best plants for attracting butterflies & hummingbirds. And the leaves really do smell like pineapple!
"Caramel" Heuchera- a wonderful evergreen perennial for shade and dry soil.
Tables of shade loving perennials
We grow our own perennials in our greenhouses
Helpful Links:
Fertilizing Perennial Plants
The two primary reasons for fertilizing perennials are to encourage growth, and create a healthy, vigorous, attractive plant that will produce an abundance of flowers. But be careful! There is often a temptation to over-fertilize in the hopes of producing more blooms, faster. If you force a perennial plant beyond its natural growth rate by over-fertilizing, you might end up with mostly foliage and no blooms. Too, over-fertilization can predispose the plant to insect or disease infestation, and reduce tolerance to drought or temperature extremes.
What Fertilizer Is Best For Perennials?
Most perennials would be happy with a good, all-purpose flower food or organic fertilizer; however, others may have specific preferences or needs. In general, using a natural, organic fertilizer is the preferred method because there is very little chance for burning your perennial plants. Other flower foods, such as the "Bloom Boosters" can be useful for development of stronger root systems and enhanced bloom production. Slow-release, capsule-type fertilizers can be applied once a year for season-long feeding.
In growing our perennials, we use the absolute best slow release fetilizers money can buy. It DOES make a difference. With fertilizer, you get what you pay for.
