A summer residence for a city dweller has long ceased to be a place for growing vegetable, berry and fruit crops. People come here to take a break from the daily bustle, breathe fresh air, so the owner of a suburban area wants to decorate it with plants that do not require special care. And most importantly - they do not need to be planted every year. Perennials are most suitable for this. What types do they look like? Read about it in the article.
Plant species
Perennial representatives of the flora are arboreal and grassy, ​​like all other plants existing on the planet. But they are distinguished by long growth in one place, undemanding care and soil quality, as well as a great variety. Perennials are decorative, shade-tolerant, flowering, curly, fast-growing, wild-growing and others. They are the decoration of gardens, parks, cottages, territories of country houses.
Decorative items
There are many species of perennials. They are resistant to adverse conditions, have a high degree of vitality. Thanks to the developed roots, they can extract food and moisture from the deep layers of the soil. In severe frosts do not freeze due to the thick layer of soil. All ornamental perennials have a wide variety:
- Herbaceous plants, for example peonies.
- Shrubs, for example, boxwood, lavender, rosemary, fern.
- Tree seedlings, representatives of these ornamental plants are barberries, honeysuckle, lilac, dogrose, roses and others.
Examples of perennials are presented below.
Peonies
These perennial plants for the garden come in shrub and semi-shrub forms. They have stems whose length reaches one meter. The flower has many varieties - five thousand. Gardeners prefer a grassy appearance with lush fragrant buds. They bloom for a long time: from late spring to the middle of the first summer month. These are very beautiful perennials. Peonies have many varieties with terry and semi-double flowers of various shades. These plants with white and pale pink buds exude a heady aroma. Perfectly combined with sage, catnip, veronica lilac and small conifers. Peonies are not lovers of shade flooded with lowlands and peat. In addition, nothing else can affect the vitality of flowers.
Lavender
This shrub is undersized. It is popular with gardeners. Its advantages include a compact bush, gray-green leaves and flowers with an amazing smell. Borders, flowerbeds border this shrub. It is used as a tapeworm plant. Prefers drained soil and sun.
Rosemary
This plant is an evergreen, low shrub. Open ground is grown in regions with a warm climate, and in the rest, as a pot culture. The bush has fragrant leaves and blue-violet flowers. It responds well to a haircut, while the shoots are not thrown away, they are used for medicinal purposes and in cooking.
Boxwood
This shrub is evergreen, grows slowly. But the plant can be a tall tree, reaching a length of 12-15 meters. Beauty is represented by leaves. Their color on top is dark green, which changes to the base with a lighter shade. Flowers without petals are small, the fruits are spherical in shape. Boxwood does not have a pleasant smell. It is grown because of the crown, which designers form in the form of cones, balls, pyramids and other figures.
Barberry
This shrub belongs to perennials and is unpretentious. Soil composition does not matter for its growth; it is indifferent to drought. The bush has many varieties. Tall varieties are used as hedges; undersized specimens adorn alpine hills and mixborders. Barberries differ in garden forms, each of which has its own crown, leaf color and other characteristics. Depending on this, shrubs are widely used in group landscape plantings. Barberry is "ordinary", "Amur", "Korean", "Canadian" and other names.
Honeysuckle
This is a flowering shrub. It is often grown to decorate the territory. In decorative forms, berries are inedible. Differs in unpretentiousness in leaving. It prefers a moist growth environment. The shrub should be planted in areas where the crown will be well lit by the rays of the sun, and the roots remain in the shade. This can be achieved if you make a dense planting of plants or mulch trunks circles. Honeysuckle has many varieties: “fragrant”, “beautiful”, “alpine”, “golden” and others.
Rhododendron
This is the most beautiful flowering shrub, but also the most moody. It has many species, some grow in the Far East and Siberia. Preference is given to acidic, structured soils. Every grower dreams of growing such beauty in his garden, but this is not easy.
Lilac
This shrub with a long life cycle is known to everyone. Its species diversity is so great that it is difficult to count. Most people are familiar with “ordinary” lilacs, but there are also “drooping”, “Himalayan”, “Persian” and other varieties. Lilac grows on fertile soil, prefers sunlight, but in moderation. Needs protection against strong gusts of wind.
Shade tolerant plants
Many people think that flower beds in the garden should definitely be lit by the sun. This, of course, is good, but there are many plants that prefer to grow in the shade and do not become bad and ugly from it. On the contrary, freshness always emanates from them. Examples of shade-tolerant perennials are given below.
- Phlox - these are the flowers that will decorate any garden from the beginning of the summer period until the fall. They prefer light areas, but they also grow in partial shade, moreover, here they bloom longer. Plants are undemanding to the soil, but still give preference to nutritious and light soils. For them, moisture matters, but they cannot stand its stagnation.
- Roses - gardeners love them, but there is a lot of trouble with them. They are capricious, freeze in the winter cold, are damaged by insects and are affected by diseases. There are many varieties of garden roses, but not very shade tolerant. You need to choose the one that grows well in the region where it will be grown. For example, next to fences or buildings on a site, varieties of park roses are most often planted.
- Irises are sun-loving plants, but they adapt perfectly to bloom in the shade. Possess unpretentiousness, endurance, frost resistance. This flower is perfect for busy people. Irises come in different varieties: with low and high stems, with large-sized flowers and miniature shapes. After a flowering period, the bush remains green and lush all summer.
- Periwinkle - a vivid example of shade-tolerant plants for the garden. It happens on the ground or in the form of small shrubs. It spreads quickly, blooms in the midst of spring. These flowers are used where you need to highlight some area with a bright spot of different colors.
- Brunner - This flower is a frequent guest in the gardens. It is grown due to the fact that perennial can grow in the shade of tree crowns, along paths and walls, near ponds. Prefers partial shade, where it is always wet. The main thing is that lush deciduous rosettes and inflorescences receive many nutrients necessary for their growth. Unpretentious pale blue flowers can revive the shady places in the garden.
Perennials
With bright flowering and rich color, these plants will decorate any area. The composition should include their various types, the flowering period of which varies in time. Examples of perennial flowers are the following plants:
- Gladiolus - perennial plants for the garden, they are quite large flowers. The height of individual specimens reaches 1.5 m. This flower has many varieties that differ in flowering periods.
- Geranium is a plant of garden forms called perennial pelargonium. It features a long flowering period and the beauty of delicate buds of scarlet shades.
- Lily of the valley is a herbaceous perennial plant for the garden. It is small in size with large leaves and small white bell-shaped flowers located on thin stems. The flowering period is mid-spring. When caring for the plant, care should be taken, since the lily of the valley is poisonous.
To make the flowerbed look harmonious, the center of the composition is filled with tall perennial plants, and the edges are low.
Curly perennials
Creating a hedge around the site or fencing the gazebo in the garden, this species of flora is often used. An example of climbing perennials for the fence are:
- Ivy is an evergreen, unpretentious plant. Any place is suitable for its cultivation, but ivy feels better in the shade. He likes periodic watering. His lashes climb high, braiding large fences and houses.
- Wild grapes - this garden plant can be landscaped without spending a lot of time and effort. The grapes are unpretentious, just put it in the hole, pour and bury. His whips grow rapidly, up to 20 meters. By the second year after planting, a dense carpet will cover the entire site. The flowers are small, inconspicuous; after they die off, berries are formed, but they are not edible. In summer, the leaves of the usual color have a saturated color, in the fall they become purple.
- Campsis - this plant loves warmth, light and regular watering, but it is also grown in the shade. It blooms for a long time, from the beginning of summer until the fall. Liana in length reaches 15 meters. The flowers are pink, red, raspberry, golden and orange.
Perennial plants tend to grow and eventually lose their decorative effect. For this reason, they are dug up, unnecessary shoots are removed, each bush is divided into several parts and planted in a new place of growth.
Early perennials
There are many of them in nature. Some bloom in early spring and are the only decorations on garden plots. Examples of some perennial flowering plants are presented below.
- Snowdrops - they are not afraid of frost. As the snow begins to melt, they are already showing up on the ground. The best place to plant them in the garden is a site located next to trees and shrubs. They bloom for a short time, but it's worth it to grow them on a personal plot. To enjoy such beauty among the snow cover is a pleasure.
- Crocuses - these delicate flowers bloom simultaneously with snowdrops. They look fresh and spectacular, especially if you plant nearby plants with different colors of buds. Like snowdrops, crocuses are preferable to plant in the shade of trees and shrubs. They love open places, grow well on lawns.
- Muscari - these flowers are very popular among summer residents, as they have an unusual appearance. The flowering periods of different species differ. Early varieties begin to bloom in March. This perennial is an unpretentious plant, caring for it is simple, it can reproduce independently. This must be taken into account during planting, since it is not easy to transfer the flower to a new place of growth. Therefore, it is better to plant it with pots.
- Tulips - these plants are considered the most common and most unpretentious. They are grown in almost every suburban area. Spring flowers have many varieties, which are combined into several species, differing in appearance, flowering periods and height, which reaches 10-50 cm. With the right selection of varieties with only one tulip, you can perfectly decorate a flower bed and even an alpine hill. The first flowering occurs in March, the last - at the end of May.
- Daffodils - they appear in the garden at the same time as tulips. They begin to bloom in April and end in late May. The garden at this time is illuminated by bright shades of flowers that exude an exquisite aroma. Depending on the variety, they can be terry and simple, and their crown is long and short. They grow well both in sunny places and in the shade of trees. They are used in plantings with garden ferns, incense, tulips and other plants. Daffodils grow for a long time on one site without a transplant.
Fast growing perennials
Such plants are grown to quickly decorate the desired area of ​​the garden. They are most often used to create hedges, decorate arches, balconies and walls of buildings. A live fence, for example, protects a site from undesirable intrusion of outsiders, and also with their help it is possible to form zones, the purpose of which will be different. Shrubs and plants with climbing stems are used for this. Examples of fast-growing perennials are as follows:
- Dogwood is an unpretentious, shade-tolerant shrub form plant. It is used to create a fence from the outside. Leaves and edible fruits are highly decorative. Berries are characterized by a high content of nutrients, so they are widely used in medicine. The bush reaches a height of 2.5 m, blooms for about two weeks, only then the leaves begin to bloom. This period falls on March-April. It prefers open terrain and neutral soil, although it bears fruit abundantly in any conditions.
- Thorn - a plant unpretentious and undemanding to care. Compact bushes reach a height of three meters. Ideal for creating hedges, it turns out to be thick and impassable. The fruits are edible, they are consumed after they are left in the cold. Apply for medicinal purposes. The plant is used to create hedges. It is especially attractive during the flowering of plants that exude an almond flavor.
- Clematis - these plants throughout the summer period have a decorative effect. They feel good in an open area, so they are used to create green hedges. They are not suitable for constant dampness due to abundant watering, acidic soil, fertilized with manure or peat. To protect against constant overheating, the soil is mulched with humus.
- Eucalyptus is the fastest growing tree. It is used for landscaping garden areas. Planted as a single instance, surrounded by stunted plants, as well as in group plantings, for example, in hedges. Eucalyptus trees are resistant to drought, undemanding to the composition of the soil.
- Willow - This tree is stunted and dwarf. It is these species that are used in landscaping. If you cut the trunks, they take on a shrubby shape. These plants are decorative at any time of the year.
Wild perennials
To the suburban area brought joy, it must be regularly ennobled. Very often we get rid of wild plants without any regrets, because we consider them weeds. And in vain, because surrounding them with a little care, they will respond with gratitude. There are many wild plants that have a high decorative and medicinal properties. Examples of wild perennials are given below in the article.
- Wormwood - the beauty of this plant is given by silvery leaves that can complement and shade the flowers on any flower bed with their brilliance. Often used in rock gardens and rockeries.
- Fern is a plant with high decorative qualities that can make any flowerbed beautiful. If you plant one of the types of wildflowers next to it, such as bells, it will seem that the fern has begun to bloom.
- Budra - the plant is a wonderful decoration of the roadways of garden paths. It is used as a groundcover for lawns, where it forms a curly rug.
- Meadow geranium - this plant is used as an addition to garden collections. On fertile soil grows to lush bushes.
- Bluebells - plants are meadow and forest. Any of these varieties is a decoration of the flowerbed.
- Daisies - these flowers are familiar to everyone since childhood. They love a lot of sun and fertile soil. They are planted in the garden next to aristocratic flowers. Four years later, they transfer to another place.
- Tansy - the plant has yellow button flowers and carved leaves. It looks very decorative. Tansy is often used to decorate the garden.
Perennial seeds
To grow plants with a cycle of several years of life, you need to plant seeds. In perennial plants germinating in the light, they are not embedded in the soil. It is enough to sprinkle sand on top and put it in a room well lit by sunlight. An example of such plants are delphiniums, aquilegia, bells, oregano and many others. There are perennials whose seeds germinate in the dark. To do this, they are embedded in the ground for two to three centimeters, after which they are put in a shaded place. An example of such plants are gypsophila, geraniums, carnations, asters, chrysanthemums, lichens and others.