Perennial Plant Care

Ornamental grass can be a perennial delight

This versatile group of plants is becoming increasing popular. Gardeners planting ornamental grasses are discovering that their variety of sizes, shapes and colors can add texture, motion and grace to the landscape.

What they are

The term ornamental grass is applied to grasses and grass-like plants that are used chiefly for their beauty. They are a large and complex group of plants with a wide range of growth habits and culture.

In a strict sense, true grasses are members of the Poaceae or grass family. Many other plants that we think of as grasses are actually sedges and rushes, which belong to different families altogether. Along with the true grasses, they comprise the bulk of the plants we call ornamental grasses.

Many gardeners consider the term "ornamental grass" an oxymoron. To be honest, some of our worst garden weeds are grasses. Crabgrass, torpedograss, wild bermudagrass and Johnsongrass are persistent, difficult-to-control pests that most of us are all too familiar with.

As a result, many gardeners are reluctant to purposefully plant grasses into flowerbeds or borders in their landscape.

Ornamental grasses, however, are not rampantly aggressive and are truly attractive.

The strong vertical or fountain form of many ornamental grasses, combined with their feathery flower heads, make a unique contribution to the landscape.

Grass foliage moves in the slightest breezes and catches the light like few other plants. It adds fine texture and colors such as metallic blues, burgundy, white, creamy yellow and every shade of green imaginable.

As grasses grow and seasons change, so does their appearance. The foliage may change color from spring to summer and fall. Grasses also offer an impressive array of flower plumes and seed heads for interest at various times throughout the year.

Easy care

Like their weedy cousins, ornamental grasses are tough and susceptible to virtually no insect or disease problems. They are an excellent choice for gardeners trying to create a landscape that is more self-reliant, requiring less spraying, fertilization and maintenance.

As a group, ornamental grasses are remarkably drought-tolerant, and, after they get established, they rarely need supplemental irrigation. They do not, however, mind in the least the frequent rainfall that often occurs in mid- to late summer.

Perennial Plants Care « Orchid Flowers

Perennial plants are versatile and are available in a wide variety of colors, shapes and sizes therefore amateur gardeners love to grow these plants in their garden. Like others, these plants also need special care and handling if you want them to bloom healthily and beautifully. If you are also looking for some tips for perennial plants care, then this post may prove very useful for you as I am going to give you some tips and instructions regarding perennial plants care:

Perennials should be grown in well-drained soil. If you have grown them at a location where it becomes a pool after rainfall then you are required to change their location. Perennials are required to be watered regularly especially when it is their first growing season. Most of the perennials require to be watered once a week up to a depth of eight inches. The best time for watering perennial plants is morning time so that their leaves can become dry before evening. Different perennial plants require different light requirements so I would like to suggest you to plant them at a location where they can receive at least 6 hours of sunlight. But there are some varieties of perennials like ferns which require sunlight early in the morning and shade in afternoon. As far as fertilizing is concerned, perennials should be fertilized in early spring before their new growth appears. Every 100 square feet of planting area requires about one to two pounds of grainy fertilizer. You also require pulling weeds around the plants on regular basis. In order to control growth of weeds, you are recommended to apply 1 or 2 inches of organic mulch like shipped bark around plants. Mulch actually preserves dampness and controls growth of weeds. Spent blooms should be removed as it will extend blooming time. Last but not the least; you should keep flower beds neat and clean as dirty flower beds can attract pests to attack plants.

These were some very useful tips which you should follow for proper care of your perennials to have healthy and beautiful blooming plants in your garden.

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