The General's Garden | Flowering Perennials, Plants with Commonsense Gardening Tips & Techniqjues

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Perennials, such as Rudbeckia (black-eyed Susans, at left) are nonwoody plants that bloom for more than one year. Some last a couple of years, while others last for many years. The plants die down to the ground in the winter, but the roots are persistent and the plant regrows the following spring.

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Full Sun Varieties
Many of the perennials we have today are what are called "Full Sun" requiring plants. That is, they require 6 or more hours of direct sun in the garden. If that is not provided, they will not perform well for you. Plants that do not receive enough sun will become leggy and floppy, will not flower as they should, and will not provide the satisfaction that you are looking for. A southern exposure is the best site for the full sun perennial, but a southwestern or southeastern location will also be suitable. Take the time to assess the sites around your home and the number of hours of sun that are in a particular site. If you do this simple task before you plant, you will be providing the optimum light conditions for each perennial, and that means less labor and more enjoyment!

Partial Sun Perennials
Perennials that fall into this category of partial sun(or shade), are plants that only require 4 or more hours of sun. An eastern or western exposure will provide the required number of hours of light for this category. Another example could be a southern exposure that is partially blocked by trees, buildings, etc. Again, like full sun perennials it is important to assess the number of hours of direct sun you have where you want to plant. If you live in the southern part of the US, you probably should adhere to the 4 hours, some plants will not perform well because of the heat and the intensity of the sun. Many gardening mistakes can be avoided by thinking about where you are planting and what goes on in that site, is it dry, or too wet, how hot is the sun, etc.

Shade perennials are often the hardest to come by. There are not as many to pick from as in the sunnier categories. This should not diminish what is available. Shade plants are ones that require little or no direct sun. Examples would be northern exposures, or under mature trees, or sites that have the sun blocked for most of the day. Along with planting flowering shade perennials, don't ignore the beautiful foliage perennials that are available. Often a garden with many different shades of greens, whites,and others are just as effective as planting flowering perennials. Remember you can always plants shade annuals if you need a little color in a dark spot!! Happy Gardening!!