A beautiful perennial bed is a well planned perennial bed.

 

 

Most perennial beds, depending on width, have different height levels starting with the low edging plants, then mid sized plants and at the back is the tall border plants. Another part of the planning is choosing colours and the bloom times of the perennials so that there is always something blooming throughout the season.

 

There are early bloomers, mid season bloomers, and the late bloomers. There is also the option of picking out perennials that have beautiful foliage that will add season long interest. Hostas are a good example of a foliage plant that is planted for their foliage rather then their blooms. Ornamental grasses is another.

 

Another thing to look at when choosing plants is the growing conditions. Sun or shade, type of soil, and how much work (or how little work) you want to spend in the garden. Some perennials need more maintenance than others.

 

There are perennials that are very drought tolerant once they have been established, such as many of the native plants, sedums, yarrow, coneflower, daylily, Ladies mantle, Sage etc. Other perennials such as Jacobs Ladder, Jumping Jacks, Maltese Cross and Campanula are easy self sowers. If the finished flowers are left on to form seeds there will be dozens of new little plants next season, which results in extra weeding. Most perennials will need to be divided every few years, to keep them growing well. Peonies is an exception as they can stay in the same spot for many years.

 

When looking for perennials with differing heights the list for short, edging plants and mid sized plants is much longer then the very tall plants that go in the back border. The tall border plants play an important role in the garden as these are the backdrop for the smaller plants in front, and in some cases hide an unsightly wall. They also need to grow very quickly in our short season, and ideally it would be nice if they do not need staking for those gardeners who are looking for low maintenance.

 

An old time favourite perennial for the back border is Delphiniums. They can grow up to 2 meters tall. They bloom in late August and the long spikes of flowers come in shades of blue, purple, pink and white and make nice cut flowers. They often need staking to stop them from falling over.

 

Hollyhocks also have long spikes of flowers. That come in a variety of colours and make nice cut flowers. They look beautiful growing up against a fence and can reach heights of 2 meters. Meadowsweet is a perennial that can be seen blooming now. The ‘Queen of the Prairie’ is blooming in our front yard with large plumes of pink that resemble cotton candy. The foliage is also attractive with dark green toothed leaves, that deer do not like. The plant grows up to 2 meters tall when in the right location. They do well in moist areas.

 

A tall perennial (2 m)for the shady area of the garden is BugBane. The ‘Brunette’ variety has purple foliage making it very attractive especially when the creamy white flowers appear like small bottle brushes above the foliage.

 

The other tall ( 2m) shade perennial is Ligularia. There are a few different varieties available including ‘wilsonia’ which have long spikes of yellow/gold flowers that look like fireworks shooting up. They like a rich moist soil, and can remain in the same spot for years.

 

Keep these tall perennials in mind when planning your perennial bed, or if you are wanting to hide a fence, or unattractive wall.