Today’s Garden Ideas | Let This Sunny Perennial Garden Bring You “oo’s and ah’s”

Let This Sunny Perennial Garden Bring You “oo’s and ah’s” - absolutely guaranteed!

Most gardens in your area are made up of primarily perennial flowers. They come in all different textures and colors. Most are sun-loving perennials and the myriad of possibilities for a full sun perennial flower design is only limited by your imagination.

Perennial Characteristics

Full sun perennials are fairly easy to grow with only a few conditions. Of course they prefer full sun of approximately 6-8 hours a day. Some plants may tolerate some shade in the early morning or late in the afternoon but full mid day sun for these full sun perennial flowers is a must.

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Perennials do not like clay soil. Clay soil holds moisture in the winter. This can lead to root rot and death for your sun perennials. They do love highly organic soils so it is a good idea to dress the soil with compost, rich topsoil or some other type of organic material.

Perennial Care

Once your full sun perennial plants grow it is very important to keep your garden maintained. Be sure to remove old flower heads from these plants. It is also a good idea to do some pruning so they will not grow out of control. Full sun perennials that have successfully blossomed for a few years may benefit by dividing the plants into smaller bunches to promote richer growth.

Perennial Garden Design and Flower Variety

When designing a perennial flowerbed it might be a good idea to intersperse your perennial sun plants with some sun loving greenery or shrubs to provide a vivid background for all the color perennials provide. Plant taller perennials in the back of your flowerbed. Some taller sun perennials include Adam’s Needle or Phlox. In front of these flowers plant some of medium height like Heartleaf or Avens. At the very front of the full sun perennial flower bed smaller plants like Bluebell or Blue Bugle will work very well.

Another fun way to design a full sun perennial flower garden is by color. A monochromatic garden might consist of Lenten Rose, Veronica or Heartleaf, which are all white. Or maybe mixing 2 colors might be to your liking such as combining the reds of Fantasia Mums with the yellow Golden Sedum. The possibilities are endless.

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Don’t forget when choosing your sun perennials to find flowers best suited to your area. Don’t be afraid to experiment. Most full sun perennials are fairly inexpensive and having to sacrifice a few plants because they did not thrive might be worth the cost just to find that one spectacular perennial that will make your garden come alive. Your limit is your imagination! Have fun!

PLANTS FOR A SUNNY PERENNIAL FLOWER BED

TYPE	PLANT	DESCRIPTION
	Delphinium	H: 3-4ft., S: 2ft; spikes of cup shaped or hooded flowers in shades of blue, scarlet, white or purple; may need staking; needs full sun; zones 3-10
	Tree Mallow (Lavatera)	H: 4-8ft., S: 3-4ft.; thick, bushy shrub dotted with delicate five-lobed flowers in red, lavender or pink; zones 4-9
	Coneflower	H: 18in., S: 1ft.; drooping white petals and brown centers; zones 4-10
	Sweet William	H: 1-2ft., S: 2ft.; clump forming perennial often treated as annual; red, white, pink or bicolored blooms; zones 4-10
	Queen-Of-The-Prarie (Filipendula)	H: 3ft., S: 4ft.; handsome clumps of light green foliage with clusters of pink flowers; zones 3-9
	Lady’s Mantle	H: 1ft., S: 2ft; sprays of delicate yellow blooms and attractive rounded leaves; zones 3-7
	Yarrow	H: 2-3ft., S: 2ft.; flat, light pink blooms on thin stems; zones 3-10
	Coreopsis ‘Moonbeam’	H: 1-3ft., S: 2ft; gold blooms; green or black stems; zones 3-10
	Boxwood	H: 2-6ft., S: 2-4ft; small leaved foliage on a dense green form; zones 6-9
	Crocosmia	H: 2ft; S: 10in; flame red sprays of flowers on thin stems; sword shaped foliage; zones 5-9
	Bellflower (Campanula)	H: 2ft. S: 18in; thick clusters of pale pink flowers on sturdy stems; zones 3-10
	Scabious	H: 4ft; S: 1ft; tall, fragile pale yellow flowers; ideal to complement stronger shades and shapes; zones 4-10
	Prarie Mallow	H: 3-5ft., S: 1ft; long, thin stalks on a shrub like plant; simple round white or pink flowers; zones 5-9