Whether you’re looking to brighten your home’s exterior or you want to plant something beautiful and low maintenance, perennials may be the right fit for your needs. These specific types of plants bloom once a year, but the roots live underground in the winter, waiting to sprout back to life as the spring season is ushered in. If you’ve decided to include perennials into your home beautification project, utilize the following tips to properly care for these flowers.

How to Care for Perennials

1. Plan Before You Plant

Once perennials take root, they can expand and take over the area where they grow. Because of this, you need to plan out the design before planting the flowers.

Perennial bulbs are best divided into groups of three to promote growth and provide the most natural blooming pattern. Separating these flowers also improves the health of the plant and prevents overproduction or crowding.

2. Water Generously

Water the blooms thoroughly and deeply during their first growing season. Because these plants need deep roots to continue to bloom each year, providing enough water in the beginning will encourage their root systems to develop. Once established, ensure that the soil is never too dry or too wet. This will allow them to blossom properly.

3. Ward Off Weeds

Weeds can invade the growth pattern of perennials, making it vital to keep these invasive plants at bay. Mulch is an excellent way to not only retain moisture in the soil but to also protect your flowers from weeds.

Laying mulch protects seeds from coming into contact with bare dirt and keeps weeds from getting the sunlight needed to germinate. Pour mulch evenly around your perennials and refresh a few times throughout the year to prevent weed spread.

4. Seasonal Clean-Up

At the end of each blooming season, prune your plants so they are only 6-8 inches above the ground. Cut away dead flowers or damaged foliage, leaving behind healthy roots and leaves. Not only does this help keep the blooming part of your plant healthy, but it also helps protect the roots once temperatures start to drop.

If you are looking for perennials to enhance your gardening project, consult the team at Northgate Greenhouses in Cincinnati, OH. Whether you need plants, flowers, or maintenance tools, these professionals can help assist you throughout the entire planting process. This greenhouse offers seasonal plants, annuals, hanging baskets, hybrid rose bushes, succulents and cactus, fertilizer, mulch, and soil. Reach out online, connect on Facebook, or call (513) 729-1134 for more information.