Perennial Flowers

A perennial is a herbaceous plant that thrives for three or more years. Perennials come in a variety of sizes, shapes and colours. By choosing your perennials carefully you can have a garden full of colour from early Spring to late Fall. Here at the Country Basket Garden Centre our staff are pleased to offer you advice on which perennials will suit the growing conditions in your garden. We have perennial groundcovers, those that are drought resistant, and some that prefer "wet feet".

Perennials are one of the easiest plants to grow. Sun or shade, clay or loam, there is a perennial for almost all of your gardening needs.

We make it easy for you to succeed! Our staff is always available to mentor you to choose the right plants for the right spot. Take advantage of our expert tips so that your flowers will flourish.

Six Steps to Beautiful Perennial Beds: Printable Format

Prepare your beds for great root growth.
Most perennials love soft well-drained soils. To turn even the worst dirt into “Super Soil”, add organic matter.
Select Well
Sun-loving plants generally do poorly in shade, and shade-loving plants scorch in the sun. Our staff is always there to help you out if you want. Most perennials have a set bloom time each year that does not encompass all the seasons. Be sure to include Spring bloomers, Summer colour, and Fall flowers in pleasing combinations. It also is perfectly legal to mix some annual flowers (which tend to bloom over a longer period of time) with your perennials to extend colour. We have signage, labels and information sheets that help you with your decisions.
Repeat after me - Sit down in the front.
You usually need several heights of perennials to give your bed a three dimensional look. Also do not put aggressive growing flowers next to dainty ones that need pampering. We will help you out in choosing plants that are good neighbours. What really gives a perennial bed a beautiful look, is to repeat the plant groupings you use several times in a bed.
Plant with Love
Plant odd numbers of plants of the same kind together (3, 5, 7, etc.). Planting “onesies” together often looks jumbled. When you plant feed the roots with a high phosphate fertilizer that is mixed into the soil that causes the plant to establish quickly. Water thoroughly when you first plant.
Clean your house
Keep the weeds from getting a good start. It is much easier to remove them when they are small. Mulching your beds with 2 or 3 inches of bark mulch such as hardwood or pine will keep out 90% of the weeds. Remove dead blossoms when you are in your beds looking for weeds. This will extend the flowering time for many perennials as well as keep a tidy look. Water only as needed. Lots of sprinkler watering on the leaves promotes disease and rotting in the plants. For more plentiful flowers, water your plants with our “Free liquid Fertilizer” every couple of weeks.
Multiply by Dividing
In the crazy math of perennials, you can split up the mature root masses and gain more starts to plant somewhere else or give to your friends. Perennials are not all the same, so ask us at the Garden Centre when the time to divide is right and the best way to go about it.

Did you know?

Perennials are great for containers too. They add structure and form with interesting foliage colors and shapes along with beautiful flowers. Let your imagination go wild. We will guide you to the best ones for pots.

Grasses are Great:

Grasses give you great texture, form, colour, and motion in the wind. They make a wonderful background for flowers and are outstanding for dramatic groupings in difficult, sunny areas. Birds love grasses for nesting and eating the seeds. Practically the only care they need is cutting them down once a year in late winter.

Clematis and other Flowering Vines;

Now that you have chosen some perennial plants for your garden, how about having some climb up a trellis or gazebo? We carry many climbing vines including English and Boston ivy, honeysuckle, trumpet vine, climbing hydrangea and of course, clematis. Clematis should be fertilized twice annually, in the spring and fall, with a handful of bonemeal. While clematis do enjoy growing in full sun conditions, their roots need to be kept cool. Try planting a small shrub or groundcover perennial close to the base of your clematis to keep it's roots shaded.

Ground Covers:

Ground covers are wonderful landscape problem solvers and beautifiers. There are Ground covers to suit just about any type of soil: sandy, clay, alkaline, acidic, moist or dry. From full sun lovers to full shade, and anything in between, there is a ground cover that will fit the bill. Once established, ground covers are great for reducing erosion and suppressing weed growth. Also, if you’ve got a hard to mow area, ground covers might be the right plant for you!

Ground covers give your landscape harmony. They provide a feeling of tranquility, serving as a transition between lawn areas and flowerbeds. Ground covers also create variety in depth and texture and often highlight other landscape elements. They can be attractive accents on their own, as well.

With a little imagination, ground covers can do more than just cover the ground. Choose varieties of Stepables for areas that receive foot traffic. Stepables are labeled to the amount of foot traffic they can tolerate, from light to heavy. Nooks & Crannies ground covers add style and flair to the garden with their tiny foliage filling small spaces and special places.