Perennial plants form the backbone of the flower garden since they continue blooming for several seasons as opposed to annuals which have to be planted every year. The cost of buying perennial plants in bulk soon adds up so growing your own from seed makes sense. The ten perennial plants on this list which I found on the Dengarden website are easy to grow will be reliable performers for years to come.
The flower garden is not complete without some beautiful perennial plants that bring color and scent, year after year.
Instead of buying plug plants from your local grower, consider growing your own from seed.
Here is list of the top 10 easy to grow perennials, that even the complete novice could grow.
The wonderful thing about growing from seed is that you can produce a huge number of plants for very little monetary outlay.
It is not difficult. Perennials need a little care at the beginning, and will bring you years and years of joy, coming up every spring and delighting you with flowers summer after summer.
Many perennials have a spreading habit, and the area where they are grown fills out more with the passage of time, with very little input from you.
All the flowers on this page can be grown in USDA zones 4 – 8, or equivalent.
They can grow up to almost 6 feet tall and have a spread of 3 feet.
Their towering, majestic spires make the perfect backdrop to smaller garden flowers, and they come back year after year, bringing delicious colors to brighten any garden.
Normally, delphiniums are a deep blue color, but many new cultivars have been developed in shades from white through pink to lilac and violet.
Delphinium seeds take 14 – 21 days to germinate, and require darkness as well as a gentle heat of 60 – 65?F.
- In early spring, place seeds in a compost-filled pot, cover seeds with compost or vermiculite, and place in a heated propagator or warm cupboard until you see signs of germination.
- When the plants are big enough to handle, usually when they have grown at least their second sets of leaves, transplant them into a seed tray or individual pots.
- As the weather warms up, harden the plants off by placing them in a cooler place or in a cold-frame before planting out in their final positions after all risk of frost has passed.
- Delphiniums are best planted in a sheltered area of the garden in direct sun or partial shade.
By the time the plants re-grow the following spring, after dying down for winter, they will have toughened up and will be able to survive any late frosts. Delphiniums are very hardy perennials.
2. Aquilegia
Aquilegia grow best in the middle or the front of the flower border.
With a height or 2.5 feet and a spread of 2 feet, Aquilegia self-seeds easily, bringing yet more color into your garden, with their delicately-hued flower-heads with distinctive spur at the back.
Often called columbine, Aquilegia differ from their wild cousins by the number of petals on their flowers.
Slow to germinate, to Aquilegia seeds may take up to 3 months to appear, so don’t throw the pot out thinking they have failed.
To germinate Aquilegia seeds:
- Sow in late spring or autumn on the surface of damp compost.
- Cover the pot or tray with polythene to keep the moisture in.
- Place in a light situation – a greenhouse shelf or windowsill in the house, out of direct sunlight.
- Keep the temperature between 60 – 68?C.
- Pot on when they are large enough to handle.
- Harden off before planting out in their final position.
- Space them 12″ apart to allow room to grow.
Aquilegia look best planted in groups of 2 or 3, and spaced out all over the border in any space left by other groups of plants. They are very hardy and survive any kind of summer weather, dying down in winter and returning in the spring.
3. Rudbeckia
There are a wide range of cultivars available for this short-lived perennial, in colors ranging from bright yellows to deep reds.
With gorgeous daisy-like flowers, Rudbeckia is well worth growing from seed for the flower garden, as their happy faces lighten up any border.
Also known as Black-Eyed Susan, some Rudbeckias are annuals but most are perennial (check the seed packet).
To germinate Rudbeckias from seed:
- Sow on the top of a damp compost filled pot at any time of the year, or directly into the ground when the summer temperatures reach 60?F.
- If growing in a pot, apply a heat-mat or place inside a propagator at 70F until germination takes place, which is anything up to 3 weeks later.
- Pot on when large enough to handle, and plant out when all risk of frost is over.
- Plant your Rudbeckias 18″ – 24″ apart as their roots like to spread, in full sun or partial shade.
Each plant will grow 18″ – 30″ tall depending on variety.
See more at Dengarden
Sooo beautiful!!
Beautiful!!