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eden72

new to perennials

eden72
18 years ago

I just planted some of my first perennials, since we have always rented before, and I don't know how to care for them. I am not sure of the differences in care from the annuals I am used to. I have 2 different types of salvia which flowered, the flowers died, and I just instinctively cut below the flower base. Now I have these tiny little nothings of cut back leaf stubs in my already bare garden!! Do most perennials reflower after cutting like my annuals???? Or am I stuck with one short bloom cycle followed by ---- well, nothing. :) Help!

Jennifer

Comments (4)

  • jerseygirl07603 z6NJ
    18 years ago

    Many perennials will provide a second bloom if deadheaded. My salvias re-bloom and flower for most of the summer. It depends on the variety of salvia though. One of the longest flowering perennials is coreopsis. With deadheading, this plant will bloom all summer. In general, most perennials have a shorter bloom period than annuals, say a few weeks for each type. The trick is to plant different kinds so you always have something in bloom.

  • eden72
    Original Author
    18 years ago

    Thank you:)
    Jen

  • blueketty_hotmail_com
    18 years ago

    it really depends, some rebloom, some don't. some flower bloom for a while some flowers only one day, in general i'd say the blooming season is definalty shorter than annuals. that's why it's good to sort of plan ahead and grow many different perennials together in the same bed, so you can have flower bed that blooms throughout the whole year which is easy, but it does need some research and plan. because different hight and width, blooming time.
    if you wanna beautiful perenial garden, make a note this year, how much sun does it gets, the color you are thinking of. get a book on perennials( most have info)and strat planning. if you go to a nursery they'll more likly have mid-late summer bloomers and fall start planting those but leave a room for spring/ early summer bloomers next year. then by next year this time you'll have first year of your whole season garden.

    on salvias, reblooming might not be as big as the first one. perenials in general, different plants need to meet different requirement. that's when a book comes in handy.
    general tip - this is undying truth. sun is critical for flower ( how many, the color) the most important thing the health of the plant is good drainage. don't get caught up on fertilizing, they don't really need it much if you have worked on soil.
    so try differnent perennials, mix and match, it'll take about 3 years for plant to reach full size, so be patient and enjoy.

  • Skybird - z5, Denver, Colorado
    18 years ago

    Hi Jennifer,

    Here's a link to perennials.com where you can look up basic information about many, many different perennials. Just type the common or botanical name in the #2 search box. There's lots of other good information on this site too.

    Have fun,
    Skybird

    Here is a link that might be useful: Perennials.com

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