I must say that I am very much biased in favor of perennials. So what I am going to do is list out reasons and explanations as to why it is good to investigate perennials when looking for a plant to add to your yard. Then I will try to come up with rebuttals to some of the arguments that I have commonly heard against planting perennials.
- Perennials require less maintenance over time - One of my college professors taught that it is good to work hard to be lazy. Perennials help me do this by allowing me to make sure that what I plant in that spot is what I want and where I like it, I add mulch, and then I leave it alone to grow. I notice it in the yard and I check in on it from time to time. And if it is a fruit-producing plant (my favorite kind!) I harvest the fruit when it is ripe. That is about all I do. Sometimes I need to add another layer of mulch, trim a few branches, or separate and replant (or give away) clumps. But even these things are done no more than once or twice a year. The only thing that requires regular attention is watering. And perennials that are well established need less water than annuals. Each year perennials increase the spread of their roots, enabling them to find pockets of water not available to shorter-rooted annuals. Also, as they are more or less permanent in their locations, a drip system, once setup, does not need to be moved, unlike a garden of annuals where the drip system must be rearranged each year.
- Perennials improve the soil - There are two ways that perennials help the soil. The first is that they do not need tilling. Tilling bares the soil, letting wind and rain erode it. Tilling also disrupts or even kills many of the organisms that allow nutrient exchange in the soil to happen. So perennials help prevent erosion and encourage the growth of nutrient-promoting soil organisms by eliminating tilling. The other way that perennials help improve the soil is by the decomposition of their roots and leaves. This biomass adds organic material to the soil, allowing it to better sustain life, as well as allowing it to better retain water for long term usage.
- Perennials add habitat - Because perennials are there year after year, all kinds of birds, bugs, and beasts find them as important locations for shelter and food. And when your yard increases in its diversity of life it gains greater balance and resilience. Each species provides multiple roles in an environment and many species often fulfill some of the same roles. This means if one species gets wiped out, the rest that were meeting that need can take of the slack. As I see it, as more species become involved in my garden, I gain that many more helpers to maintain it, which requires less from me. And it is possible because of the benefits provided by perennials.
- Perennials provide beneficial microclimates - Microclimates are areas in your yard or garden that, because of elements around them, have slightly different weather conditions. One spot is warmer and sunnier in the spring when the rest of the yard is still slumbering under snow. Another is shady and cool during the blistering heat of summer. A third is moist with green, growing plants when all around it are brown and desiccated plants. These are all examples of microclimates. Perennials can be used to help create microclimates like these to facilitate the growth of plants that would otherwise not grow and produce as well.
- Perennials fill multiple roles - As I mentioned in number three, many species fill multiple roles in an ecosystem. Perennials are no exception to that. Some roles that perennials fill can include: add , provide mulch, increase mineral and nutrient availability to other plants, supply food to people or animals, attract beneficial insects or other animals, be used as a medicinal herb, provide shade, block the wind, prevent erosion, and create materials used in basketry, woodworking, or other projects. And those are just some of the roles that perennials can fill. Each yard or garden has its own idiosyncrasies and have custom jobs that, if you are creative, you can find a perennial to manage for you.
Okay, there you have the list of reasons for making perennials a significant part of the yard and garden. Now, just to make sure that no one misunderstands, I love the produce that I get from annuals.To me there is nothing like a just-picked, backyard-grown, vine-ripened tomato. I suspect that I will always have annuals in my garden yard. But I have planted many, and will continue to add new, varieties of perennials. Now then, on to the rebuttals.
- There are no perennial varieties of __________ for temperate climates.
This is, in my opinion, an excellent reason to grow annuals. However, I think that even when growing annuals you should get seeds that are open-pollinated varieties, and heirloom types, if possible. I have done this with many types of standard garden vegetables and have basically allowed them to naturalize in my yard.
When a plant is open-pollinated it can be pollinated by insects and produce viable seeds that can be used the following year to grow more of the same type of plant. These can become "self reseeding", giving you what gardeners typically call "volunteers," plants that are coming up from seed left from last season's plants and without manual planting. Store-bought hybrid seeds or seedlings are not open-pollinated and the resulting seeds will not grow "true to form" - meaning that the offspring will be significantly different from the parent plant. In my garden yard, each year I get sunflowers, spinach, squash, pumpkin, tomatoes, and tomatillos growing without me doing anything at all. If I feel so inclined I can transplant them to a more preferred location. But I usually like to let nature decide where a plant will come up and how it will do in that spot.
Over time, the plants become adjusted to your area and your soil, making them more hardy and often better producers.
*Note: Some varieties are of the same or very similar species and will cross-pollinate. For example, I picked a very nice looking winter squash that looked a lot like a pumpkin. When I cut it open I found that it was apparently part pumpkin and part spaghetti squash. It was still totally edible, and fun to find, and I have eaten some that were far and away better than the previous generation. But some might be less inclined to have nature play mix-and-match with their annual veggies. To avoid this, either plant only one variety or species (you can typically find the species name on the seed packet), or separate the varieties as much as is feasible. - Some of those perennials taste bad/bitter/funny/strange.
Yes, some of them do. However, the same goes for some of the annuals, too. Each person has different preferences as to what is pleasing to the taste buds and what is not.
Another reason, some might call this an excuse, is that, due to the popularity of garden annuals, most annuals have had years and years of work done to come up with great tasting varieties, while many edible and promising perennials have been left in their wild or near-wild state which usually tends to have less sweet and more bitter or strong flavors.
A third possibility is that the grower is still learning about the best times and parts to harvest from a perennial. Many perennials have leaves that are more mild than spinach but that turn incredibly bitter when the flower emerges. Knowing which part to eat and when to harvest is key to getting the best flavors. - The yard is too small for a perennial.
One misconception that many people have is that the only perennial plants are trees and shrubs. There are lots and lots and lots of types of perennials, from the obvious trees down to even the lowly dandelion, which is truly one of my favorite yard plants. Naturally, the roles that you are trying to fill as well as the restrictions that apply will dictate what types of perennials you can introduce. But there are many types of perennial plants even those that have no yard at all can put some perennials in a window box or balcony pot.
I know that there are other reasons that are given for both adding perennials and for leaving them out. I highly recommend learning about perennial plants and determining which ones would benefit you and your yard or garden. I found a list of over two hundred landscaping perennials at the Better Homes and Gardens web site. Not all apply to our location, but it is fun to peruse the list and imagine what you could do with some of the selections that are included in the list.
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What other reasons do you have or that you have heard for planting or not planting perennials?
