How to Pick Low Maintenance Perennials for Your Garden
Find out your zone., Determine your soil conditions., Check the light conditions where you’ll be planting., Consider space limitations when planting.
Step-by-Step Guide
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Step 1: Find out your zone.
Different kinds of perennials, much like most flowers, do best in certain climates.
These different climates are divided into “hardiness zones” in gardening.
The best way to figure out your zone is by looking it up on the National Gardening Association homepage.
Many websites offer a color coded map where you can check your zone.
This is usually supplemented with a zip code lookup feature, where you can type in your zip code to find your zone.There are a total of 12 zones, each of which is subdivided into “a” and “b” (e.g. zone 1b, zone 4a, zone 7b, and so on).
This scale is used internationally. -
Step 2: Determine your soil conditions.
Although there are many contributing factors that influence your soil condition, you can generally break soil down into six categories.
When choosing your perennials, keep these categories in mind.
Each plant will have a soil condition in which it thrives.
This will be listed on its care instructions or tag.
The six categories are:
Clay soil, which will feel clumpy and sticky when wet.
It is very hard when dry, and drains poorly.
Sandy soil, which has a gritty feel.
It drains and dries easily.
This soil takes little effort to cultivate.
Silty soil, which has a soft, slimy feel.
It absorbs moisture easily, is high in nutrients, and is easy to cultivate.
Peaty soil, which is generally darker with a spongy feel.
It is acidic, and may require pH balancing.
Chalky soil, which will be grainier and stonier than other soils.
This soil will likely also need pH balancing.
Loamy soil, which has a fairly even mix of sand, silt, and clay.
It has a fine, slightly damp feel.
It’s ideal for gardening., Just as some plants do best in certain climates and soils, so too will certain perennials thrive in different amounts of light and shade.
This information can be found on the care instructions of most plants or their tags.
Full sunlight is generally defined as a total of 6 to 8 hours of sunlight throughout the day.
Partial sunlight requires less than 6 hours of sun throughout the day.
This includes light that filters through cover, like branches or leaves.
Shade generally means there is no direct sunlight.
Direct sunlight, especially during the hot afternoon hours, can scorch less resilient plants even if the plant is only receiving partial sunlight., Your plants will need room to grow.
Not having enough room can stunt your perennials or cause them to die.
Use a tape measure to determine how much space you have in your garden, and keep this in mind when selecting plants so they have plenty of room to grow.
For larger garden plots, it might help to draw out a simple diagram of your garden on graph paper.
Use one square on the paper equal to one square foot (.093 square meters).
The size requirements for most plants can be found on their care instructions or tag.
If your plant doesn’t have this information, look up the plant online.
The size of your plant may be slightly larger or smaller depending on your situation.
Soil, climate, and other factors can influence the size of your plants. -
Step 3: Check the light conditions where you’ll be planting.
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Step 4: Consider space limitations when planting.
Detailed Guide
Different kinds of perennials, much like most flowers, do best in certain climates.
These different climates are divided into “hardiness zones” in gardening.
The best way to figure out your zone is by looking it up on the National Gardening Association homepage.
Many websites offer a color coded map where you can check your zone.
This is usually supplemented with a zip code lookup feature, where you can type in your zip code to find your zone.There are a total of 12 zones, each of which is subdivided into “a” and “b” (e.g. zone 1b, zone 4a, zone 7b, and so on).
This scale is used internationally.
Although there are many contributing factors that influence your soil condition, you can generally break soil down into six categories.
When choosing your perennials, keep these categories in mind.
Each plant will have a soil condition in which it thrives.
This will be listed on its care instructions or tag.
The six categories are:
Clay soil, which will feel clumpy and sticky when wet.
It is very hard when dry, and drains poorly.
Sandy soil, which has a gritty feel.
It drains and dries easily.
This soil takes little effort to cultivate.
Silty soil, which has a soft, slimy feel.
It absorbs moisture easily, is high in nutrients, and is easy to cultivate.
Peaty soil, which is generally darker with a spongy feel.
It is acidic, and may require pH balancing.
Chalky soil, which will be grainier and stonier than other soils.
This soil will likely also need pH balancing.
Loamy soil, which has a fairly even mix of sand, silt, and clay.
It has a fine, slightly damp feel.
It’s ideal for gardening., Just as some plants do best in certain climates and soils, so too will certain perennials thrive in different amounts of light and shade.
This information can be found on the care instructions of most plants or their tags.
Full sunlight is generally defined as a total of 6 to 8 hours of sunlight throughout the day.
Partial sunlight requires less than 6 hours of sun throughout the day.
This includes light that filters through cover, like branches or leaves.
Shade generally means there is no direct sunlight.
Direct sunlight, especially during the hot afternoon hours, can scorch less resilient plants even if the plant is only receiving partial sunlight., Your plants will need room to grow.
Not having enough room can stunt your perennials or cause them to die.
Use a tape measure to determine how much space you have in your garden, and keep this in mind when selecting plants so they have plenty of room to grow.
For larger garden plots, it might help to draw out a simple diagram of your garden on graph paper.
Use one square on the paper equal to one square foot (.093 square meters).
The size requirements for most plants can be found on their care instructions or tag.
If your plant doesn’t have this information, look up the plant online.
The size of your plant may be slightly larger or smaller depending on your situation.
Soil, climate, and other factors can influence the size of your plants.
About the Author
Matthew Baker
A passionate writer with expertise in practical skills topics. Loves sharing practical knowledge.
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