"Perennial and Annual" are gardening terms used to describe a plants survival performance – "do they survive year to year?"
Sometimes the terminology can be confusing to the beginner gardener. One would think an "annual" plant would represent a plant which would last a twelve month period rather than "once yearly", or rather for the short growing season of Manitoba’s May to October. Annual plants are also known as plants that do not survive our colder temperatures. Sometimes rules are broken in this category as we sometime see annuals such as petunias and snapdragons – not surviving from the "mother plant" but surviving in from the seeds they have cast off from this mother plant.
Perennials on the other hand, are plants that return year to year. The thesaurus for "perennial" says it all as described with words such as– "continuing – persistent – constant – enduring".
Bergenia plants
Perennials:
Come in an array of colors. Of course, almost all perennials will produce blooms if not given right conditions. Many perennials will set blooms for duration of time. Planning for the blooming period will allow you to transition from perennials of one color to perennials of another color or shape. Early blooming perennials favor pallets of color seen in such plants as Brunnera (soft blues, Trollius (yellow/oranges), Doronicum (yellow), and Bergenia (bright pink/fuchsia). From colorful blooms in spring to bold and bright colors of a complete pallet, perennials give gardens a blast of color from spring through to fall. Perennial foliage is strong in color as well. Examples are as seen with plants selections of the Heuchera family with their bold burgundy to amber leaves; Ligularia varieties with their large Neanderthal gigantic leaves with burgundy hues on their undersides.
Underside of a ligularia plant
The benefit of perennials is their use in different soil conditions. There are numerous perennials which favor or will adapt to growing conditions which may be moist, dry, sandy, boggy, shady, sunny, or rocky.
Perennials have a wide diversity of shape, forms and heights. From the lowest of heights from 1" tall as seen with Veronica repens and Thymus ‘Elfin’ whose foliage adapts to soft treading will stand out in the garden when it’s blooming period appears. Perennial heights topping off close to 6’ tall are seen in plants known as Rudbeckia Herbstonne and Eupatorium atropurpurea; both resilient in strength to hold up to winds once established. Even paired together, their complementary colors of Herbstonnes bright yellow daisies and the soft pink clouds of the Eupatorium set a statement in the garden.
A giggle escapes me as once an elderly lady asked me years ago for the "outhouse plant". Never hearing of such a plant – after a bit of its description – it was concluded that it was indeed Rudbeckia ‘Herbstonne’. The reasoning – she remembers it "planted on the farm where the outhouse sat; giving the outhouse a bit of greenery coverage and making the building look pretty". Who knew? A perennial served a purpose!
Perennials possess growth habits from low ground hugging levels to those which tower above us making us take notice of their resilience and strength to which they grow. As winter sets perennials just as our trees and shrubs begin a dormancy pattern; preparing them for a much needed rest period after gaining root strength from the season past. It is this endurance combined with the winter’s protective snow cover that allows our hardy plants to return each year. Manitoba’s hardiness zone 3 gives us a wide range of perennials.
Pushing the limits from our hardiness zone 3 up to zone 5 is sometimes achieved. Creating a micro-climate in your garden allows the adventurous gardener to expand into perennials not commonly known to survive our winters. A micro-climate is achieved with the sheltering of our gardens with the use of other plant material ( trees and shrubs ), or by placing gardens in areas where structures such as our houses, sheds, garages and fencing may give shelter. Additional factors such as adding leaf mulch or adding additional snow cover during the winter months assists with their hardiness.
Venturing into perennial gardening grows into a passion. The adventure to find the color, height, leaf texture, shape and perfect bloom brings us into our gardens. As you plant one quickly we seek the perfect companion perennial suited to accent or compliment the first. Often ribbons of mass plantings of some varieties make statement pieces for larger gardens. Salvias, Echinacea ‘Pow Wow’, ornamental grasses and sedums such as ‘Autumn Joy’ suit this use.
Whatever you seek in perennial plants – guidance from your garden centre will inform you of their growth habit and root growth; helping you find the perfect plant for your needs.
St. Mary’s Nursery & Garden Centre carries a diverse selection of perennials spring through fall. Displays of companion plant perennials will have you venturing the aisles in suite of the chosen one! If you’re looking for the perfect perennial, or any other flower please drop in to St. Mary’s Nursery at 2901 St. Mary’s RD (just 2 kilometers south of the Perimeter) or visit them online www.stmarysnurseryandgardencentre.ca/
