Perennials have a reputation… for dying back in the fall…
for sending up new foliage each spring… for blooming year after year. Most perennials live up to this
reputation, but this does not mean they are a permanent addition to your
backyard garden!
Some perennials (like Columbine) are considered short
lived. They may bloom for a few years,
coming back on the same root system but eventually they will die. Since Columbine is a prolific re-seeder, you
can allow the beige seed pods to fully dry and drop their tiny black seeds into
the same patch.
(Often new plants will emerge from these seeds the following
year, and you will have a thriving Columbine patch consisting of new seedlings.)
Often perennials are placed in one spot in your garden, and
it becomes “their happy place.” Plants
may thrive for years in one location, but don’t be shy about relocating a
perennial if it isn’t performing well.
A friend of mine who works at a botanical garden commented some
perennials are relocated three or four times until they find “their happy
place.”
Some perennials can be be divided periodically so you can
enjoy the original plant, as well as share a division with a friend or
neighbor. An example of this is Siberian
bugloss—with its heart shaped leaves and bright blue flowers in June—it handles
division and transplanting very well.
My favorite way to display a not-permanent perennial is to include it in a container
arrangement. A lime green hosta pairs
nicely with a grape-and-lime colored coleus; both prefer a mostly shaded
location, so they are quite compatible growing in one pot all summer long.
As autumn approaches, simply take cuttings
indoors for the coleus plant, and place in water; next, return the hosta to
your backyard garden so it can set roots before winter.
It’s early September so you might want to “autumn-ize” your
summer container plantings. My Persian
Shield annual is still doing well, so by adding a white pumpkin and some purple
ornamental peppers, the container transitions nicely into fall.
Get creative with your summer container
plantings… it’s time to “autumn-ize” them to enhance your fall décor!
M. Lynn Schmid,
Certified Master Gardener
A.A.S. Landscape/Horticulture/Arboriculture
A.A.S. Landscape/Horticulture/Arboriculture
