Planting potted perennials:
If you receive plants that are still in their pots (we ship some varieties out of
pot) submerge the plant pot and all in water before transplanting. This will help
the root ball slide out of the pot more easily which will prevent damage to the roots.
If the root ball is tightly packed with roots, gently loosen them to promote
spreading root growth. If the roots are so tight that you can not loosen with your
fingers use a sharp knife to score the sides of the root ball. The planting hole should be
larger than the root ball and deep enough to allow you to plant at the same depth the
plant was growing in the pot. NOTE - do not plant to deep as this can cause fungus
and insects to attach the stem of the plant. Refill the hole with soil and using your hand
firm the soil up around the plant but do not compact the soil. Give the newly
planted perennials a good drink of water and cover the bare soil with mulch. Avoid
deep mulches around the base or crown of the plant as this to can result in disease
problems.
Planting bare root perennials:
The term bare root means exactly that - these plants will
have no soil around them and are shipped with no top growth.
Unpack bare root perennials as soon as they arrive and plant them
as quickly as possible. While planting your bare root perennials
make sure you protect unplanted roots from the wind and the sun. We
recommend that you soak all bare root plants for about 30 minutes
in luke warm water before planting. To plant just dig a hole
that will accommodate the size of the root and place the root with
its crown at or just slightly below the soil line level. We
suggest that you use bone meal to promote new root growth and incorporate
the bone meal into the hole you are planting in. Cover the
root with a rich organic soil mix and water well.
Storing bare root perennials:
If you are unable to plant bare root plants within a day or two of
receiving them it is essential that you store them in a cool dry area until you are ready
to plant. The ideal temperature for storing is around 40 -45F so a
refrigerator works well. If you do not have room in your fridge choose another location
such as a basement or garage. The best thing to do if you have to store them for
more than a few days is to "heel them in" - this simply involves digging a
shallow trench in your garden and placing the roots in the trench. Cover the trench with
moist soil and let mother nature store your plants. Some growth will naturally occur
and feeder roots will begin to develop so transplant carefully to their permanent
location.
Watering new perennials:
It is essential that you keep an eye on newly planted perennials.
The one mistake we constantly see new gardeners make is not watering
often enough to get their new perennials off to a good start.
Remember the plant is trying to make itself a new home in your garden
and will need a little extra help from you if Mother Nature does
not provide adequate rain fall. Watering should always be
done early in the morning and needs to be deep enough to encourage
the new roots to travel down - if you just dampen the top of the
ground the roots will come up to the grounds surface and as the
summer heat increases they will burn and die. ** NOTE**
- Sometimes newly planted perennials will wilt on a hot sunny day
even though the soil is damp. This happens because the plant has
not had enough time to establish a good enough root system to supply
the top growth with enough water. If this happens to you,
check the soil to make sure that it is damp at least 1" below
the soils surface. If it is dry - water thoroughly, if it
is moist do not water. To help the plant avoid the stress
of wilting the best thing to do is figure out some way of shading
the plant. The roots should establish themselves, and you can remove
the shading in about 10 - 14 days.
Garden Soil Preparation:
Soil structure is such an important part of successful perennial gardening that
we have devoted an entire page on the basics of building a
good soil.
