Best Perennials For Ontario
People enjoy perennials because they give a beautiful show each year. Changing and growing and adding depth to a garden landscape. They add good value in that you do not have to plant each year.
A well-thought-out perennial garden has all-season colors. Most perennials do not bloom all season. If perennials are planted in a way that a garden has constant color, the textures of foliage and seed pods add a lot of value to the landscape. The continuing changes in the garden add drama.
Perennials come in all heights and many colors. Tall varieties at the back of a garden bed, and shorter varieties near the front. Perennial grasses add a wispy texture to the landscape. They may act as a windbreak for tall delphiniums while they are blooming.
Each year, breeders are adding new cultivars to their line of perennials, improving performance and bloom time.
Beware of the invasive species of perennials. They can take over a lawn in a matter of a few years. Try to keep invasive species such as mint, in pots so it does not creep into the lawn.
Perennials come in various hardiness zones. Depending on where you live in Ontario, you can be in zone 6 to zone 2.
Here is a zone map. Check the area you live in if you are unsure of your zone.
If you are in Toronto for instance, you are in zone 5. That means that you can buy any perennials in zones 2, 3, 4, and zone 5. Do not buy perennials that are in zone 6. They will not survive the winter in this area. Always check the label on a perennial plant for the zone if you are not sure.
Cultural Conditions
A perennial is a plant, native or otherwise, that renews itself each year from the roots, meaning, it comes back every year. There are two different kinds of perennials:
Herbaceous Perennial will die back right to the ground each year. They are nonwoody plants. They have a vigorous root system, bulbs, tubers, corms, or rhizomes that allow them to survive winter weather.
Woody Perennial The structure of a woody perennial is woody. This perennial may lose its leaves if they are deciduous, or they keep its leaves if they are evergreen. This perennial becomes dormant after the first frost and renews itself when the weather warms up in the spring.
General Care and Maintenance
Proper soil preparation is key when planting your perennials. They will be in the ground for years to come so you want them to be able to get nutrients. Dry sandy soil should be amended with organic matter such as compost or manure. If you have heavy clay soils, add 4-6 inches of organic matter and 2” of course sand. This will open up the clay soils to allow better root development in plants. Spread the amendments over your soil. Slowly microorganisms will work this into the existing soil.
The planting area should be free of weeds before planting. When planting your perennials, the shorter plants should be at the front of the garden bed and the taller plants at the back. Dig a proper size hole in the soil for your plant. If the roots are twisting around the pot, be sure to massage them free. This way they do not keep wrapping themselves around each other in the ground. If they are completely bound up, take a sharp knife and cut the roots. This will allow them to grow outwards and not choke the plant.
The use of mycorrhizal fungi is the best fertilizer available for perennials. It is organic and naturally occurring in the ground. Take a pail of water with mycorrhizal fungi added (as per package directions). Remove the pot from your perennial and place the entire plant in a pail of water. Let it sit in the pail of water for one minute. Remove the plant from the water and place it in the ground. Cover up the root mass with soil and leave a small ring around the soil for the water to catch it while it takes root in the ground.
Cover the ground with a layer of 2-3” of organic matter such as mulch to control the weeds and keep roots cool and moist. It also improves soil structure as it decomposes slowly adding organic matter to the bed.
Always water in perennials at planting time. This will fill in any air gaps that may be in the soil and give the plant a chance to set its roots down.
When perennials have finished blooming, remove dead seed pods to encourage another flush of flowers.
The lists below will help decide what perennials you should plant when designing your next perennial garden.
