10 Perennials To Plant In Your Garden This Spring
(Photo: iStock)
Perennials, like roses and peonies, are the investment pieces of the plant kingdom, but that doesn't mean they don't require plenty of care. To ensure your garden blooms beautifully year after year, consult these need-to-know, flower-specific tips from Sarah Nixon of My Luscious Backyard—and get inspired by these ten gorgeous perennials varieties you can plant in your own yard this spring.
Roses
Roses bloom well in most Canadian climates, but specific varieties thrive better in certain locations. Be sure to ask an expert at your local nursery which strain will work best for you. Also be sure to watch for rust (an orange fungus) and blackspot (a disease that causes black splotches on leaves), both of which have a fondness for roses.
Peonies
Plant these delicate blooms in full sun at the correct depth; Nixon suggests one to two inches below soil level. With proper care, peonies should flower for decades.
Poppies
Poppies thrive in cooler climates and go dormant around mid-summer. Nixon suggests scattering poppy seeds around the garden to fill in any spaces between larger plants.
Irises
Divide and plant irises between late July and late August to ready them for the following year. These flowers bloom in spring and last through early summer.
Hydrangeas
These bulbous beauties come in many different colours—pink, purple, blue and chartreuse, to name a few. Come fall, chartreuse hydrangeas will begin to fade to white. To preserve their colour through the winter, cut off any lingering blooms in the fall and bring them inside to dry.
Dahlias
Dahlias will thrive year over year in most parts of Canada provided their tubers are dug up and stored indoors in the winter. To extend their blooming season, start growing dahlia tubers indoors around April, and plant them outside when the weather and soil warms up (around May).
Day lilies
Day lilies are an easy flower to grow—hey, beginners!—and tolerate most soil conditions. Bonus: They produce lots of beautiful bright flowers.
Foxgloves
Foxglove seedlings can be planted right after purchase, or grown indoors starting in early spring. They should hit peak-bloom in late summer and begin flowering again the following spring.
Purple coneflowers
Purple coneflowers are easy to grow, even in poor soil conditions. And if you want your garden teeming with butterflies and bees, plant these!
Lupines
Some varieties of lupines thrive better as annuals, so check with your nursery before purchasing seedlings intended for a perennial garden. Lupines also favour cool summers, and seeds should be chipped or soaked before planting.
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