Perk Up Your Perennials

Horticulurist, Jerry Goodspeed from the Utah State University Extension Office, offers expert advice on how to keep your perennials looking good all season long.


couple of keys to keep perennials looking good as long as possible:

a. Keep healthy (water, fertilize in the spring, weed)

b. Deadhead (Remove spent blossoms)

c. Divide and clean up plants in the fall or early spring. Perennials can get too big, old and thick and this reduces their health

2. Choose perennials that will bloom in the summer. Actually, all perennial beds should have some perennials that bloom in the spring, some in the summer, some in the fall, and some that either have interesting foliage all season or do bloom all season long.

3. Five of my favorite summer blooming perennials:

Echinacea

Scabiosa

Rudbeckia

Spiderwort

Daylily

4. Five of my all season perennials:

Gaura

Homestead Verbena

Tri-color sage

Hyssop (Agastache)

Powis castle silver sage


For more information on raised bed gardens or other gardening topics contact

Jerry L. Goodspeed

Utah State University Extension

Weber County

Director – Ogden Botanical Gardens

(801) 399-8201

extension.usu.edu/web

or information on upcoming workshops, plant sales, and more go to The Odgen Botanical Gardens’ new blog at http://ogdenbotanicalgardens.blogspot.com/

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