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Perennial flowers are strong, flowers that come back year after year without having to replant or do any extra work. During their off seasons, the flowers and stems die back and you can hardly even tell the plant is there (rather than just dying and looking like hideous brown clumps in your garden). When it’s time to bloom, entirely new flowers shoot up where the old ones were.

Before deciding whether to put in perennials or not, you need to make sure that your soil has proper drainage. If the water stays saturated for long periods of time, it’s best to install a raised bed. To test, dig a hole and fill it with water. Wait a day, and then fill it with water again. All traces of water should be gone within 10 hours. If the hole isn’t completely dry, you will need to build a raised bed.

Choosing your perennials can be a complicated process. The goal should be to have them flowering as much as possible during the year, so create an outline of the calendar year. Research the different types of flower you want, and create a timeline of flowering. If you plan it right, you can have a different variety of flower blooming at any point in the year. Getting just the right mixture of seeds can give your yard a constantly changing array of colors.

When you go to purchase the seeds from your local florist or nursery, you might be able to find a custom seed mixture for your locality. This takes the really tough research part out of the task. Usually these blends are optimized for the local climate, and do great jobs of having flowers always grow in your yard. If one of these isn’t available, you can ask the staff for advice on a good mixture. They should be happy to help you put something together which will be optimal for whatever you require.

You should definitely use mulch when planting perennials. This will reduce the overall amount of work that is needed, by reducing the amount of weeds and increasing the water retention. Bark or pine needles work great, and depending on the rest of your yard you might have them on hand at no charge. As for fertilizer, you should use it sparingly once your plants start to flourish.

When you actually go to plant the seeds, it’s best to put them in small, separate clumps according to the directions. This is because they tend to spread out, and if you have too many too close together then they will end up doing nothing but choking each other out. As you plant them, throw in a little bit of extremely weak fertilizer. In no time at all you should start to see flowers blooming up.

And why not try your hand at indoor gardening too. Growing orchids can be so rewarding – and not as difficult as you might think. Discover more
Care of orchids
Care for orchids
Care of orchids