Perennial Garden Plans

The variety of colors, sizes, shapes, textures and flowering habits make them indispensable in any garden plan. And the number of perennial garden plans that you can choose from are just as limitless.

Using just a few guidelines, you can plan a beautiful perennial garden.

Perennials for Location

Ideally, most perennials prefer a rich soil with good drainage and full sun. But there are several that prefer a shaded site, like bleeding heart, primrose and Virginia bluebells. Still other types include those that prefer dry or moist soils.

Many combinations of these conditions can be found in most landscapes, and there are perennials that are suited to each of them.

Understanding the individual needs of specific plants is the key to selecting and planting the correct types for your site.

Purchasing and planting them at the right time is the next consideration. When perennials are available in garden centers, it's time to plant them in your garden.

Don't wait too long, as they may pass their prime bloom time before you get them in the ground.

Perennials for Fragrance

Fragrance is another characteristic to consider in placing perennials in the garden. Some flowers and leaves are highly fragrant, like dianthus and sweet woodruff.

Others, like phlox and English wallflower, have a more delicate fragrance. Even if you enjoy the scent of the flower, you may not want a mass planting of it near your patio table where it can overpower your meals.

However, you may want to plant these in an area where the scent may be more appreciated, perhaps near a street to block car fumes or at the front door to enjoy as you come and go.

You can find fragrant plants that suit your taste and your needs and include them in your perennial garden plans.

Perennials for Color

The palette of colors available in perennials is spectacular. You can select various plants from one color family, grouping similar colors of flowers with different heights, textures and bloom times in a bed or border.

Other options are to find one plant that can be found in an array of colors, or several different plants in one color.

A grouping of pastels will have a calming effect, while a vibrant mix of bright colored blooms will be alive with excitement.

An example would be an all pink garden bed, with pink asters, geranium, veronica, astilbe and phlox offering a variety of height and texture. Or try bright colors together in a mix of yellow rudbeckia and coreopsis with red monarda.

The combinations and options are limited only by your imagination. Create different perennial garden plans for various areas of your landscape.

Choose plants based on the site, the scent or the colors of your choice. Don't be limited to any one plan.

Create small havens at the front door, bordering the driveway, along the back fence and off the deck. Wherever you have a place, you can find the right perennials. It just takes a little planning to achieve great results.

More Garden Info

Perennial Shade Plants
There are plenty of beautiful plants that thrive in perennial shade gardens. By selecting plants that offer different bloom times and serve different functions in the garden, you can fill the shadiest beds with continuous color.

To keep your perennial landscape design full of color the entire growing season you may add in annuals and bulbs.