Starting and Growing Perennials from Seed Successfully
Greetings fellow Gardeners!
The following tutorial will help take the mystery out of perennials. Basic info on when to start seeds and other info I thought you might find helpful. Be advise that I can only give general guidelines so you must make the decision as to whether they are applicable to your gardening area and weather conditions. Enjoy!
Perennials are plants that live year after year. Trees and shrubs are perennials.
Many garden flowers are herbaceous perennials. This means the tops of the plants - the leaves, stems, and flowers die back to the ground each fall with the first frost or freeze. The roots persist through the winter and every spring, new plant tops arise. There are advantages to perennials, the most obvious being that they do not have to be set out, like annuals, every year.
Culture and maintenance of Perennials: Site location is very important. Some perennials prefer full sun and well-drained soil, while others will tolerate partial shade and like a more moist environment.
Check your garden books for specifics on the particular plant you are interested in or try a search on my favorite search engine at: http://www.google.com. Maintenance is easy on established plants. A little fertilizer, water and weeding is generally all that is needed.
Here are some perennials to consider for your garden area: peonies, irises, daylilies, hellebores, crocuses, Bleeding hearts, Columbines, alliums, Garden phlox, coneflowers, and delphiniunms. To put a perennial garden under shade trees, choose woodland wildflowers and shade tolerant plants like hostas. Ornamental grasses are stars of the autumn and winter garden; many bear spectacular brightly colored flower heads that remain showy on the plant well into winter.
About Perennial Seeds: Perennials drop seeds at different times throughout the growing season, depending upon the species.
The fate of those seeds usually follow two different directions. Some seeds remain in the soil throughout the winter and germinate in the spring, while others perennial seeds will germinate shortly after dropping on the ground and grow quickly so as to have some food storage before dying back for winter, then flower the following year. The ones that drop their seeds and don't germinate until spring have tough outer husks that can withstand winter, then germinate in the spring and flower.
Many cultivated perennials are easily and optimally started from seeds in July and August. This allows the plant a chance to grow and get their root system established before dying back in winter. Of course, only the top part of the plant above ground is affected while the root system is safely tucked away underground and quietly waits for the warm days of spring to start growing it's top again.
Seeds that you save from your own plants often will not produce the exact same plant as what you got the seeds from. So expect instead to save money compared to purchasing plants from divisions, and enjoy witnessing plant genetics in progress!
Planting Times. Generally, late-summer or fall flowering perennials are planted in the spring, while spring-flowering perennials are planted in late summer or early fall. It is wise to check exact planting dates for specific perenniais. Regardless of the time of planting, perennials should be allowed sufficient time to establish themselves before blooming or the onset of cold weather.
How to start seeds: Seeds can be sown directly into a prepared bed.
Clear the space of weeds, old mulch, and any neighboring plants. Sow the seeds generously to compensate for unpredictable germination percentage and thin-out afterwards. Maintain frequent irrigation until seeds have germinated and seedlings become established. Protect the seedlings with a light mulch to enhance winter survival. In most cases, you can expect flowering the following season.
Here are a couple of hints for you to try: For tough seeds that require scarification, soak seeds in black tea ( the tannic in the tea does the trick!).
When sowing fine seeds, mix them with unflavored Knox powdered gelatin, orange or red is best as it is easy to see, and will actual nourish the seedlings by releasing a little nitrogen as it breaks down.
Planting Seed Outdoors. Perennials seeded in the garden frequently fail to germinate properly because the surface of the soil cakes and prevents entry of water. To avoid this, sow the seeds in vermiculite-filled furrows. Don't let the seeds dry out completely or your seeds will dry. Keep seedlings covered with shade cloth or remay while they are young and tender to prevent sun burn or breakage from wind, animals, etc.
As with any new plant introduced to the garden, watering is very important so they can establish a good root system. Be very vigilant about weeds so they don't take over or compete with your new seedlings.
Perennials will come back year after year, but often it is a good idea to replace a few of them each season as they usually will not look good and do well after three years in one spot.
The National Gardening Association has a very nice chart on perennials that covers Latin name, common name, optimum germination temperatures, light or darkness needs for germination, average days to germinate, weeks to sow before planting in your garden, average heights and outdoor lighting requirements.
Visit their page online at: http://www.wowpages.com/nga/EDIT/seeds/seedprn.html.
Well, there it is. I hope you enjoyed this article and got a few ideas.
Happy Gardening!
Joyce Moore
www.virtualseeds.com.
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