Perennials

Many gardeners are starting their fall garden and landscape clean-up - which is good and bad. Garden sanitation, if insects or diseases were a problem this year, is an important step to reduce problems next year. But we need to balance pest control with allowing habitat for beneficial insects and pollinators. So, how can that be done? 

Many urban landscapes have a forlorn narrow planting strip between the curb and sidewalk, often known as a “hell strip”. No matter what is planted here - turf, trees, shrubs or perennials - they all face many challenges affecting their health and beauty, including those below. These factors must be considered when selecting plant material and, in the case of soil quality, addressed before planting begins if it is to be successful.

Ornamental groundcovers are a great way to reduce landscape maintenance while adding color and textural patterns to areas in the landscape. They are also a good tool for dealing with those difficult landscape sites where maintenance is a challenge or it’s hard to get other plants to grow. Steep slopes, narrow or irregular patches, and shady areas under low-branched trees and shrubs - these are all natural places to use a groundcover.

Benefits of Groundcovers

Late summer and fall are an exciting time in the garden. Harvest is in full swing, perennials can be divided, lawns can be overseeded, and so much more! It’s a shame to miss this window of opportunity to “upgrade” your landscape. There’s work to be done – that’s for sure – but focusing on the most important tasks first and tackling them in the right order will save work in the long run.

October is the best time to add new peonies to your garden or divide older, crowded plants. Planting in early fall gives peony tubers time to become established before winter.

Choose a Good Location
A good site for peonies has well drained, fertile, clay-loam soil and receives full sun or no more than two to three hours of shade per day. Avoid planting peonies within the root zone of trees and shrubs since they will compete with the peonies for water and nutrients.

Hosta, or plantain lily, is one of the best, most reliable, plants for home gardens. They thrive in shade – often a challenging area for any gardener - have few pest problems and are reliably hardy in cold climates. There are hundreds of cultivars available offering a wide range of plant sizes, leaf shapes and foliage colors, as well as delicate flowers. No wonder they are so popular!

Scented geraniums provide heavenly aromas when grown either outdoors in your garden or indoors on your windowsill.

Hardy geraniums are a great ground cover plant for sunny or partially shaded areas, but they are often confused with the beautiful annual geraniums found at the garden center in spring. Technically, annual geraniums are in the genus Pelargonium, while the hardy geraniums are true Geraniums. However, hardy geraniums are great perennial plants that deserve to be used more in Nebraska gardens.

Choosing new plants for this summer's garden is a fun, early spring pastime for many gardeners, and last summer's extremely hot, dry conditions may have left a few holes in your landscape. So if you're looking for new perennials to add to your landscape this spring, consider the following plants that combine beauty with great drought tolerance.

Iris are one of the most popular and beautiful garden flowers, and is providing great color in our gardens at this time of year. With the wide range in plant type, size, and adaptation, there is an iris for almost any location. Bearded, Japanese, Siberian, Spuria and yellow flag iris are all suitable for Nebraska. By using an assortment of these types in a variety of sizes, iris bloom time can extend from early April through June. Plus, iris are vigorous plants and easy to grow even for the beginning gardener.