Perennial Growing Guide

PERENNIALS

Looking to grow beautiful, healthy perennials in your garden? You've come to the right place! This comprehensive growing guide will walk you through everything you need to know, from planting to harvest.

UPON ARRIVAL

When your perennials arrive, it’s important to handle them properly to ensure successful growth and establishment. Here’s what to do: If You’re Not Ready to Plant If outdoor planting isn’t possible yet due to weather or soil conditions:
• Store the roots in a cool location, ideally in a refrigerator or cold room around 1°C
• Ensure the packaging stays slightly moist, but not wet. Avoid letting the roots dry out or become soggy If You Want to Pot Them Up You can plant the perennials into pots indoors to give them a head start.

Place them in a sunny spot and transplant outdoors once the garden soil is workable and frost risk has passed. Do Not Soak the Roots Why not? Soaking bare-root perennials can cause more harm than good.

These roots are in a dormant state when shipped, and prolonged soaking can:
• Overhydrate the roots, leading to root rot or mold
• Disrupt the plant’s natural transition from dormancy to growth.
• Strip away natural protective coatings or beneficial fungi on the roots. Instead, plant them directly into moist soil or potting mix, and water them in well after planting. This ensures the roots receive the right amount of moisture to wake up and grow without being overwhelmed.

PLANTING

Soil should be well worked and free of weeds. Separate cedar packing material from roots and discard, it should not go into planting hole. When planting, the crown should be set 1/2 in. deep and well-watered.

Seedling plugs (plastic pots), should be transplanted covering plants with 1/2 in. of soil also. As most perennial gardens are planted randomly, spacing is not rigid, but when unsure of distance between plants, space them by looking at the height of that particular plant and habit. It’s ideal to space plants at least 12 in. apart for shorter plants and 3ft. apart for the taller.

OVERWINTERING

Cover perennials with straw or leaves for extra winter protection.

FERTILIZING

T&T Rose & Strawberry Fertilizer (10-52-17) (item #3256) and Evolve Bone Meal (2-14-0) (item #3261) are ideal for perennials.

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