Perennial design

Perennial design – plan it and almost forget it!

With a well planned perennial design your garden is filled with hardy perennials that come back each year needing little more than the occasional tidying up.

As part of the design one would mix course texture, fine texture, columnar and spreading shaped varieties. Add to this a few flowering plants that look great in bloom and when they start looking a bit shabby afterwards they will be complimented by the others during their period of good form, texture and foliage color.

Here are some pointers to keep in mind when considering a perennial design.

• Have a plan
• Match your perennial design with the style of your home
• Scale in proportion to your house
• What kind of colors do you like
• Location, location, location put the right plant in the right place
• Be aware of plant heights
• Be aware of bloom times
• Plan for future growth
• Think about incorporating Xeriscaping

To quote from the pages of the New Perennialist 

“The New Perennial movement in naturalistic planting design continues to creep, climb, bloom, and seed its way around the civilized world all the way from Scandinavia and Eastern Europe to Canada, the U.S., South America, China, New Zealand, and beyond.

In every pocket, there’s a growing convergence of design, ecology, and architecture along with a deepening sense of what is possible and why it matters more than ever before (i.e. the lopsided battle to restore quality of life for all species on the home planet.)

The core mantra of the movement remains the same: to plan, design, grow and sustain plant-driven garden environments for a multi-layered, year-round spectacle that feeds our souls, reconnects us to the natural world, and nurtures biodiversity all in one.”

Although we use the word new above, perennial design actually started way back in the 1800’s by William Robinson who was an Irish practical gardener. He advocated more natural and less formal-looking plantings of hardy perennials, shrubs, and climbers. Modern gardening practices first introduced by William Robinson include: using alpine plants in rock gardens; dense plantings of perennials and ground covers that expose no bare soil, use of hardy perennials and native plants and large plantings of perennials in natural-looking surrounds.

Sound too much too tackle yourself? Make use of our extensive landscape architecture knowledge to assist you with the planning and implementation of your ideal garden.

With locations in both Chicago and Denver we are always ready to hear from you.