Why Perennial Plants Survive Through The Winter

 backyard design  No Responses »
Dec 022010
 

Perennial plants are popular for ease in care and more important, there ability to survive year round in most weather conditions. Perennials live on through rain, drought, sleet, or snow, making them a perfect addition to the garden areas.

What is it about a perennial that enables it to survive a wide variety of weather conditions and still thrive? Annuals and biennials add to any garden but they do not hold up to climate changes like the hard perennial. And with a perennial plant lasting for years it will add beauty to a garden at a very reduced cost.

The perennial plant is able to thrive year after year due to a few survival tricks in its traits. Trees and shrubs drop their leaves and protect their next year’s growth with waxy scales. Examine the bud of a perennial plant and you’ll see that it covered with a sticky looking waterproof wax. When the bud begins to bloom, it scars as its scales fall off and the distance between its scars are an indicator of how many times a year that perennial plant grows.

The perennial plant gears up for the winter by draining its own food supply from its leaves down inside its trunk, branches, and twigs. As the weather gets colder, the tissues of the perennial plant will slowly change and become cold resistant in a process called “hardening.” During these changes, the chlorophyll of a perennial plant will decompose and lose its propensity to project a green hue – leaving the tree with its trademark red, yellow, orange, and brown autumn leaves.

And as with all plants, perennials also have their weaknesses. You need to study the climate areas that the plants will grow in and select plants accordingly.

Here are a few traits to look for:

  • Some perennials are not as hardy to cold or heat.
  • Most perennials have a shorter flowering stage and will need other perennials or annuals to add color or texture to the area when not in bloom.
  • Some perennials are spreaders and need to be retained so that they do not take over a garden or yard.
  • There are short life and long life perennials.
  • For perennials to grow well they need to be divided every 3 to 5 years.
  • Most perennials do better with a compost or ground cover applied around them. This keeps weeds down and lets the plant thrive.

A basic rule of thumb to any plant is to do research and know its strengths and weaknesses. This will let you know if the plant will be a good addition to your landscape.

Posted by Denise at 1:17 am  Tagged with: , , , , , , ,

Growing tips for healthy Perennial flowers.

 Backyard Garden  No Responses »
Mar 142010
 

Perennial flowers have an advantage over annuals if you’re looking for low maintenance gardens. I often place perennials in tucked away areas of the yard or on hillsides. I also find a perennial garden work perfectly for a small space garden.

Lupins en fleur.
Creative Commons License photo credit: DubyDub2009

But just because a flower is a perennial does not mean they take no care. I also add a few annuals to a perennial garden area to fill in holes and give you those bright splashed of continuous color annuals are known for.

Perennial planting tips:

  1. Perennial flowers are best planted in mid to late spring. This gives them time to adjust to their new home and get a solid roothold before the heat of summer.
  2. Perennials are generally in a root ball form. You will not see many roots unless the plant is root bound and this will create problems with the plant growing properly. You may have to divide the plant to loosen the roots.
  3. Plan ahead and count how many plants you plan on putting into the ground. If there are more than 5 medium sized plants, you want an area about 7 1/2 feet to plant in. Measure out the area of your yard that gets good morning light and evening shade. Perennials thrive in this lighting situation.
  4. Find the area in your yard that will accommodate the area needed for your number and size of plants. If your perennials were bought in a store, refer to the tag as to how much water and light each plant will need. You may want to research the perennial plant varieties more to aid you in plant placement.
  5. When planning your garden area create the garden in an oval or flowing shape instead of square or rectangular, unless you are setting up a formal garden look. Flowing lines create a more natural look.
  6. Plant you perennials varieties in groups of 3, 5 or 7. Odd planting numbers look more natural.
  7. Group perennial varieties instead of spacing them out one by one have a richer fuller look in the garden.
  8. A good rule is for small plants are to plant them 6 to 12 inches apart. For medium plants, space them 12 to 18 inches apart and for large or tall plants 1 1/2 to 3 foot apart. This will give the plants ample room for roots to expand and grow.
  9. Remember that if you plant your perennials too close, you will have to divide them up later so the roots do not become overgrown.  If you must divide, do so in the late spring and early summer with plenty of water available. As a rule of thumb most perennial varieties will need divided every 3 to 5 years.
  10. After you have divided the plants move them to a portion of the yard that has ample light and room for the plants to grow. If you have more plants than you want you can always trade them with neighbors for new perennial varieties you may not have.
  11. If you are planting seeds and have no plant tag, read the instructions on the seed pack for the type of flower you are raising or research online.
  12. When I plant perennial seeds I always add annuals to the garden area. Perennials grow slow form seeds and will not be as showy the first year so annuals will add color and a full look while the new plants take root.

Each perennial has different specifications for light and water. Check with a local greenhouse for more information on specific flowers, or use the Internet to search your perennial plants needs.

Posted by Denise at 4:44 pm  Tagged with: , , , , ,

Why Do Perennial Plants Survive Through The Winter

 backyard design  1 Response »
Dec 032009
 

One reason why the perennial plant is sought after is because of its remarkable ability to survive year round through most weather conditions. Another reason is perennials save time and money.

My Favorite
Creative Commons License photo credit: Rowdy Rider

What is it about perennials that enables it’s winter survival abilities, whereas other plants will shrivel up and die as soon as the going get tough?

By understanding our plants in the backyard we can take better care of them and plan for further plants to add to our backyard oasis.

As with most things in the natural world, not all plants are created equal, however some biologists have succeeded in re-engineering annual and biennial plants to last longer.

Although stretching the life of a non-perennial would certainly make the plant and floral businesses flourish, marketing isn’t the only reason scientists and many others have this question. If we had vast amounts of plants that have medicinal and life saving properties, we could study their curing capabilities at an exponential rate. The longevity of the perennial plant is definitely an exciting curiosity for many people.

Withered, Weathered and Worn
Creative Commons License photo credit: prudencebrown121

Interestingly enough, the perennial plant is able to thrive year after year due to a few survival tricks it has up it’s sleeve. Trees and shrubs are a perfect example. These drop their leaves and protect their next year’s growth with waxy scales.

If you examine the bud of a perennial plant and you’ll see that it covered with a sticky looking waterproof wax. When the bud begins to bloom, it scars as its scales fall off and the distance between its scars are an indicator of how many times a year that perennial plant grows.

The perennial plant gears up for the winter by draining its own food supply from its leaves down inside its trunk, branches, and twigs. As the weather gets colder, the tissues of the perennial plant will slowly change and become cold resistant in a process called “hardening.”

During these changes, the chlorophyll of a perennial plant will decompose and lose its propensity to project a green hue – leaving the tree with its trademark red, yellow, orange, and brown autumn leaves.

At this time of year I am re-evaluating the backyard and plants. I plan to start several shrub seeds I have and work with perennials in the mini greenhouse. This will give me more shrubs and plants for the yard and a head start on changes for the backyard garden areas.

Posted by Denise at 8:33 pm  Tagged with: , , , ,
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