7 BENEFITS OF PERENNIALS
Spring personifies all the gardeners and their daydreams about their beloved flowerbeds. Spring symbolizes blooming flowers and lush gardens, and that reminds us of perennials, the gardener’s favorites, all thanks to their low maintenance, greater adaptability, and, of course, year after year return.
Primary types of plants
First, let’s get basic out of the way, i.e., Annuals and perennials are the two primary categories of flowerbeds and gardens. (Even though gardening fans will beg to differ by referring to the third type, i.e., biennials, we are not going to go there since these are exceptional plants that only last two years, so it is better to drop them altogether).
Even the perennials have their subcategories, i.e., the Shade perennials, the Sun perennials, and the Part-shade perennials, depending upon the hours of sunlight exposure they need per day.
Annuals, as the name suggests, complete their entire life cycle in a year, while Perennials live for several years, i.e., the root remains alive even after the death of the above-ground part of the plant and stores energy and produces a new crop every following year. Annuals come with their own set of benefits but prove to be a disadvantage in large-scale agriculture operations.
Benefits of Perennials
Picking the right plants can be tricky at times since there are a couple of factors to consider, and the first one is which sort of plant will better suit my lifestyle, i.e., annuals or perennials. Let’s break it down for you. Why do perennials have the potential to be the right choice for everyone?
Require Less Maintenance
One can’t keep up with high-maintenance plants in the demanding life of the 21st century; that’s why perennials are the better option. That only needs replantation every single year, saving you time, energy, and exhaustion of clearing last year’s flowerbeds, then sowing seeds, composting, and, of course, the protection part (aka mulching). Perennials are self-sufficient and demand less care as the root systems give them their required nutrients.
Soil Structure
Planting perennials means better soil structure, and the root system remains in the soil for years. The growth of perennials ensures soil aeration and the creation of water channels in the soil, which not only help perennial plants themselves but also other plants in the area by offering them needs such as oxygen and water.
Rich in Nutrients
You require a deeper root system to reach nutrients; those that are further down in the soil and perennials have the upper hand over annuals and access other plants by bringing nutrients to the surface (all thanks to their deep roots). For example, Perennials help Nitrogen draw upwards, an essential macronutrient for plant growth.
Water
The perennials’ root systems draw up nutrients and water from lower levels in the soil, thus increasing their availability to other plants with relatively shallower root systems. Moreover, this drawing up of water proves to be a preventive measure against the drying of soil and soil erosion.
Cover
Most of the perennials retain their foliage after dying back, creating a soil cover (resembles a cover crop). This soil cover locks moisture and protects the soil from drying out as a result of evaporation by the sun, thus securing a solid soil structure and preventing erosion (by rainfall or wind).
Propagation
Even though perennials last for a long time compared to other types of plants, that does not mean forever. However, the good news is that their propagation is relatively easy as all you need to do is divide the plants’ root system. You can replant them after carefully separating the sections of the root clump, and voila! You will have new plants.
Variety
You require a bit of planning to witness a garden blooming with perennials from early spring up to the first frost, unlike annuals that tend to bloom in the same period.
Why you’ve probably never heard of them before
You must wonder why rhubarb, globe artichokes, and asparagus happen to be the only perennial vegetables gardeners know of. Well! I can address these valid concerns with my answers, most of which are practical, while others are a bit speculative. Let’s explore the why of it all!
Lack of information
The first time I was genuinely intrigued by perennial vegetables was also the first time I realized there is only little information available about perennial vegetables, with no website or book devoted to this subject. Despite all the gardening material, i.e., the books, the reviews issues of garden magazines, and whatnot, none care enough to spare few words about other classes of vegetable crops. That’s why I’m hoping against the hope that with the publication of this book, the dire situation will be rectified to some extent.
The chicken-and-the-egg problem
The best perennial vegetables are offered by only a few seed companies and nurseries; even then, many still need to be commercially available in Canada and the U.S., as I am writing. What are the odds of these plants becoming famous without acquisition options? But it’s a paradox because the nurseries and seed companies will only start offering them if there is demand. (So what should come first, the chicken or the egg?)
However, you can break this cycle by demanding perennial vegetables from your favorite companies. Utilize your power as a consumer to transform the market trend and let the excellent perennial vegetables be known and grown everywhere. Deal?
Do perennials require less maintenance?
After all, perennials like grasses and native wildflowers are low maintenance only when the right kind of perennials are picked and grown in the correct type of soil and environment, so it is essential to learn about the plant before planting it in the ground.
Usually, perennials last several seasons, unlike annuals, which you must plant yearly. (What a hassle!). So save your time, effort, and energy by planting the perennials once all left to do was some occasional dividing of clumps of perennial grasses (thanks to overtime expansion) and the yearly cleanup in February or March to get rid of last year’s growth. And there you have perennials, an economical and sustainable option for landscaping.
Perennial plants have the potential to be anchors to a landscape, i.e., providing habitat for pollinators and wildlife, while trees and shrubs offer the backdrop. You can add continuous interest and blooms throughout every single growing season by combining perennials as in no time, your landscape will get discovered by a diverse variety of pollinators and wildlife as perennials come in and out of bloom, and that is the beauty of having a perennial garden.
