Perennials – GRO Big Red

Fall Bulbs in Minor

Fall has finally arrived in Nebraska and now is the time we can start thinking about fall planted bulbs for next spring. There is an endless parade of options to choose from – so which one do you pick? Let’s talk about some of the lesser-known options that you can choose to plant in your…

Pinching, Pruning, Cutting Back Perennials and Annuals

An important landscape management step for perennial flowers is pinching and pruning – for 2 reasons – to keep them looking good and to keep them healthy. Which perennials?

Kind Cleanup for the Critters

in order to promote pollinators and other beneficial organisms, a perennial garden that is left too tidy over the winter will lower the potential for retaining and benefitting bees, wasps and other insects.

Plant Not Where You Want It?

It happens all the time; good looking plants are interspersed in your landscape, just not where you want them or where they are best suited. This is especially true for folks who just bought a home, spent their time and money fixing the deck and changing out the curtains, and have now turned their attention to the landscape.

Made for the Shade – Perennials

One of the most important considerations for putting the right plant in the right place (RPRP) is the amount of sun that an area receives. In shady spots, many options are available, as long as consideration is given to just how shady it is.

Rules 8-10 of Garden Catalog Shopping

With site assessment, spacing, sun/shade and other considerations covered in Rules 1-7, it’s time to think about the actual plants in the catalogs. Rules 8-10 highlight the need for color, accents, textures, massing, repetition, all season color and experimentation in the landscape.

Watering in Late Fall

If you want to see healthy outdoor plants in the spring, it’s important to water them in late fall.

Deadheading

No, this is not an article on the trials, exhilarations and tribulations of The Grateful Dead. It’s about dead flowers. Dead flowers should be removed from annuals, perennials, bulbs and shrubs as soon as possible to prevent seeds from forming. As far as the plant is concerned aka if the plant had a mind with…

Shade, Semi-Shade and Sun

If you look out at your landscape, you’ll probably see all degrees of sun and shade. There are lots of names of these levels of light, but shade, semi-shade and sun are good descriptors for most plants. One of the most pertinent reasons for focusing on shade levels is that it really helps locate…

Spring, Summer, Fall Blooming Perennials

Perennial flowers offer great appeal in the spring, ringing the bell of activity of the gardening season. The great news is that perennials do not bloom only in spring – they offer ever-changing garden views in all seasons. If you plan your garden well, it will offer texture, color and movement appeal whenever you look…