Perennials

Color, Texture and Food For Pollinators

At Yard ‘n Garden you will find a large selection of locally grown, high quality perennials. Perennials are plants that typically live longer than one season. They offer a variety of flowers, colors, textures and forms making them a valuable asset to mixed borders, beds and containers. Bloom times vary depending on the species. This provides continual change and drama to your garden. You will find many perennials tolerant of sun, shade, poor soil and drought. 

Most perennials are herbaceous, meaning they die back in the winter and then grow back in the spring. A few types will maintain a semi-evergreen structure through the winter. When planting a new perennial, make sure to keep it watered its first summer, at least one inch per week. By the following summer it will be established and you can then water it according to its specific needs. Fertilize in spring.

Perennials are a food source for pollinators.

See our articles on:
Creating a Butterfly Garden
Creating a Bee Garden
Creating a Hummingbird Garden

  Sun Lovers 

Design a colorful garden that will hold up to the heat of summer with sun loving perennials. Cutting gardens, scent gardens, pollinator gardens, cottage gardens, xeriscape, prairie style, the list  goes on with what you can do! 

Sun loving perennials usually need at least 6 hours of direct sun per day. However, many varieties can take part shade as well. Part shade is a minimum of 4 hours of sun. 

  Shade Lovers 

Lush, cool and lovely. Shade gardens have a tranquil beauty which can be a welcome relief in the heat of summer. Many shade perennials carry blooms, however, their foliage is just as striking offering a variety of shapes, sizes and colors. 

There are several  types of shade: Morning sun only, dappled sunlight, exposure to open sky (no direct sun), 2 or 3 hours of direct sun per day, and deep shade (no exposure to any sun or sky). For the most part, shade perennials require protection from hot afternoon sun. Some can tolerate deep shade, but many need at least a few hours of direct sun or dappled sun. 

  Ornamental Grasses 

Ornamental grasses add texture, drama and movement to the landscape. There are many shapes and sizes to choose from depending on your needs and space. Tall grasses are great planted as single specimens or grouped together to create a barrier. The smaller grasses add variation to containers, borders and beds and make lovely groundcovers. Many are evergreen and some turn beige in the winter retaining interesting seed heads.