Problems
You can often solve landscape problems with plants. In this blog post we consider two problems:
- A boulevard zone without irrigation where annuals wither and die quickly
- Dead space with a few clumps of daffodils and some tired old tulips
Saving money with perennials
Yes, annuals add instant colour to your garden in summer but, because they are annuals, they must be tossed at the end of summer. And that means we must buy new ones next season.
What’s worse, the boulevard beds I upgraded today, didn’t get watered so the annuals went downhill fast. And the residents noticed. Of course! They always do. So, now what?
Just install perennials. Pay once and enjoy them all year. Easy. (Ignore the annuals sales talk at your local garden centre.)
This is a simple upgrade that should keep on plugging for many seasons. The yellow Spiraea japonica ‘Candlelight’ tolerate pollution, produce flowers and have nice fall foliage. They can also be sheared into balls late in the season so they will never outgrow their space.
The green Sedum ‘Autumn joy‘ are succulents so lack of irrigation shouldn’t be a problem. They produce nice flowers and the only maintenance we have to do is to cut back the spent flower stalk late in the season.
Fighting dead space
I hate dead space in landscapes because there is nothing to look at and often weeds invade. After all, nature hates empty spaces.
The fence line bed in this example had a few clumps of daffodils and one sad tulip clump; all of them now spent. Now what? Just like on the boulevard, we add perennials.
The purple plants are Berberis thunbergii ‘Rose Glow’. They have attractive small flowers and purple foliage. They also sport soft thorns which might eventually keep any perverts away from windows.
It’s always a great idea to top-dress all new installs with fresh soil. A clean-up blow is assumed.
Conclusion
If you find that a corner of your garden isn’t working out, make changes. Landscapes aren’t static. Don’t be afraid to make changes by bringing in new plants.
Always fight dead space in your garden because something will move in anyway; most likely early colonizers we call weeds.
Annuals give us instant colour but they cost money and last only one season. Consider switching to perennials that will save you money over time.
