Quick Facts About Perennial Gardening

Our next few posts will be extracts of a great article written by D. Waltman, J.E. Klett and R.A. Cox (12/09) about perrenial gardening.

D. Waltman, Colorado State University agriculture graduate student; J.E. Klett, Colorado State University Extension landscape horticulture specialist and professor, horticulture and landscape architecture; and R.A. Cox, Extension horticulture agent, Araphaoe County. 6/00. Revised 12/09.

Quick Facts...

• Choose your Garden location before designing it.
• Consider sun, wind, soil type, soil amendments and irrigation.
• Plan the area to scale on paper.
• Perennial beds are easier to maintain when easily accessible.
• Consider the amount of time needed to maintain the Garden.
• Prepare a list of desired perennials.
• Add organic matter to improve soil aeration and drainage.

A well-designed perennial garden can provide many years of beauty and enjoyment. Careful selection of plant materials and thoughtful planning can result in a full season of color.

Perennials often require less maintenance than most annual flowers. Once established, they generally require less water than annuals and often have fewer pest problems.

Perennial gardens may serve as borders along a fence or property line, thus easing mowing,trimming and water requirements that a lawn may present in such areas. It is also visually pleasing to locate the garden against a background such as a fence, wall, shrubs or evergreens.

Click on the link to download the complete fact sheet. http://www.ext.colostate.edu/pubs/garden/07402.pdf