Perennials: What You Need To Know

By Michael Beightol, RLA, LEED-AP

When it comes to sprucing up your landscape, perennials make an excellent choice.

They not only add color but can also add texture, variety, and overall interest to your space. While annuals will give you a lot of color—they’re a “once and done” flower and don’t return the following season. But perennials keep coming back and that makes them a valuable investment.  

If you’re thinking about incorporating perennials into your landscape design, there are some important considerations you should know: 
 

Perennials Go Away—But They Do Come Back

We find that some homeowners are surprised to learn that perennials do die off. Some homeowners don’t realize that this is a natural part of their life cycle. But unlike annuals, perennials keep coming back. While that means you’ll be left with an empty space until spring rolls around, an option would be to incorporate other evergreen plants to fill the space.
 

 

Proper Planting is Important to Their Survival

If you want your perennials to thrive, you really do need to pay attention to their growth needs. Are they sun-loving or can they survive in shade? How much water does that particular perennial require? Perennials’ needs can vary greatly and it’s important that you pay attention to them. A landscape designer will be able to guide you.
 
 

 

Choosing a Durable Species is Ideal

There are definitely some perennial species that are going to be more durable than others. Some will adapt better to varying soil types—and those are the types that we aim to use a lot of in our designs. Higher maintenance perennials are going to need more watering and overall care to survive, which most homeowners do not want to worry about. But a landscape designer should customize your design in order to suit your wants and needs. It’s also worth noting that heartier varieties are typically important near driveways or roadways. We have harsh winters in the Cleveland area and a lot of salt gets thrown on the road. But the right type of perennial will still be OK, even if some salt winds up on it.
 
 

 

Perennials Add More Than Color

Perennials make an excellent choice in the foreground of your landscape to set a colorful base between other trees and shrubs. But they do more than add color. They also add texture and substance to the landscape. A well-thought-out landscape design will incorporate a variety of different perennials in order to add a lot of interest and visual appeal to the landscape as a whole.

These are just some of the points that we get questions about when it comes to adding perennials to the landscape. However, if you have other questions or curiosities, we are here to help! There are so many different varieties of perennials out there and we know it can get overwhelming. But we can help you select the ones that will best survive in your landscape and work well with your overall design.

Fall is the perfect time to let Exclusive Designs spice up your landscape with a fall color enhancement. 

Schedule a Fall Color Enhancement