By C.L. Fornari

     Throughout the growing season a steady stream of customers enter the garden center saying, “I’m tired of planting annuals every year… I need plants that aren’t any work.  Where are the perennials?”
     As I show them the way toward the perennial section, I explain to these customers that all perennials are not carefree.  Some perennials are easy and reliable, but if you choose the wrong plants, a perennial garden can be the most high-maintenance garden you can plant.  A low-maintenance garden starts with the location, choosing the right plants, and treating them appropriately once they are placed in the garden.

Location and Cultural Conditions
     Before I make any perennial plant recommendations, I always ask my clients how much sun their garden receives, and what the soil is like.  Any plant that is trying to grow in sub-optimal conditions is likely to be more work.  Sun loving plants that grow in the shade, for example, are apt to grow tall and spindly as they reach for the sun.  A plant that requires good drainage is apt to rot or become diseased when planted in consistently damp soils, so it will need replacing or treatment with fungicides. 
     If a perennial receives the wrong care after planting it can lead to problems that mean work for the gardener.  Over-fertilization leads to perennial plants that are larger, weaker and more prone to insect and disease attack.  Many plants also become feeble from too frequent watering, or their foliage develops leaf spot from being hit with automatic sprinkler systems.  So even the most low-maintenance plant will require more work if it is not given the best environment.
     The garden’s location can also turn a good plant into a problem child.  Some perennials are carefree in one part of the country but are prone to problems in another climate or different type of soil. 

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