Perennials are hardy plants that delight with lush splendor year after year. Whether you want to enhance your garden or your balcony with such beauties: In this article you will learn all the essential details about how to plant perennials correctly.

Perennials are planted in spring or fall depending on their winter hardiness

The ideal time for planting perennials

It is best to plant most of the perennials in autumn - between September and November. There are two beneficial points at this time of year:

  • Above-ground growth of the plants is complete.
  • The roots still grow in the warm soil.

Under such conditions, perennials can prepare for spring. If the temperatures remain mild for as long as possible and there is sufficient rainfall, everything is fine.

The exception(s) to the rule

Only perennials that are sensitive to frost, such as certain types of lilies, should be planted in spring, from March to May. But be careful: Spring sometimes brings long periods of drought. So don't forget to water the planted perennials well (sufficiently).

Note: If you want to cultivate your perennials in pots, you have all year round to do so; So you are not limited to a specific season.

The optimal location for planting perennials

In order to drive perennials to the most beautiful blossom, a suitable location is important.

  • Do you have a shady garden? Then opt for shade perennials.
  • Do you have a location in full sun ready? Then you can also fall back on sun shrubs.

In short, you should make the choice of plants dependent on the location options in your garden or on your balcony.

Preparations for planting perennials

Before you plant your perennials, you should carefully loosen the soil. The main thing is to remove all weeds from the perennial bed. The root weeds goutweed and bindweed are particularly dangerous. Of these, you must collect every part of the plant and every piece of root from the soil without exception. Otherwise the perennial cannot thrive as it wants and as you wish. The weeds would constantly be in competition with the cultivated plants and massively impede their development.

Prepare the substrate

Perennials make different demands on soil conditions. Depending on what your chosen strain prefers, use

  • high-quality potting soil or
  • a mixture of potting soil and sand.

Note: The potting soil-sand mixture is primarily recommended for

  • succulents,
  • rock garden plants and
  • alpine perennials.

These react sensitively to waterlogging, which can form much less quickly if there is sand.

How the distance between the perennials should be

Depending on the specific perennial species, the distance between the individual plants should be about ten to 20 centimeters. Solitary plants need distances of up to 40 centimeters.

A little advice from us: In the first and second year you can fill in the gaps between your hardy perennials with annual summer flowers that are worth seeing. After that, the large perennials have usually established themselves in the ground and reached their final size, so that interplanting is no longer necessary.

Plant perennials - step by step

  1. Dig a planting hole. This should be about twice as wide and twice as deep as the pot in which your perennial is currently growing.
  2. If necessary, cut off the above-ground parts of the plant a hand's breadth above the pot. This is not a problem for the plant. First is rooting - growth and flowering are secondary at this point.
  3. Put slow-acting fertilizer in the planting hole so that your perennial is supplied with nutrients from the start.
  4. Moisten the root ball of the perennial. The most efficient way to do this is to place the plant in a bucket filled with water for several minutes. As soon as no more air bubbles rise, you can take the perennial out of the bucket and repot it.
  5. Press the plant down with your hands - not too loosely, but not too roughly either. With this measure you achieve a good ground contact. As a result, the perennial takes root quickly.
  6. Water the perennial with two to three liters of water. This promotes the connection between plant and soil.

Recommendation: In order to counteract unwanted weeds, it makes sense to cover the freshly planted perennial with some compost or mulch (€239.00). Important: You should avoid grass (mold formation)!

  • Mulching reduces evaporation
  • Apply compost before winter

The further course of action after planting the perennial

  • Water as needed in the weeks after planting. Depending on the intensity of the sun's rays and the amount of precipitation, you should give the plant more or less water.
  • Always water in the early morning! Ferns in particular should never be watered in the extreme midday heat. Otherwise, the green threatens to burn.
  • Give the water directly to the roots. If possible, do not wet the above-ground parts. How to prevent fungal diseases.
  • Overall, perennials are among the more needy plants when it comes to care. They only bloom magnificently when they feel good.

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