MAKE your garden sing with Perennials!!

GROWING

Soak bare-root perennials in a bucket of water for an hour before planting. Shake the potting mix off the roots of potted perennials and plant them like bare-root perennials. Larger perennials sold in 1- or 2-quart-size containers are perfect candidates for this.


Space large, slow-growing perennials properly at the start. Big hostas, goat's beard, gas plants, and roses, for example, can be hard to move once they are established. Ask at the nursery or check in a garden encyclopedia for information on how big the plant will get. Then be sure to allow enough space for the plant to reach its mature limits without overcrowding.


Plant tall perennials together so they can support each other and need no staking. Make an artificial bog for plants that need constantly wet soil. Then you will be able to grow swamp irises, variegated cattails, ligularias, and other water-loving plants.