 What to look for in a perennial when designing a garden?  Where to get ideas on the Internet? 1 Click on slide to move forward Navigate through slides by clicking left button To go back to previous screen, click the icon of left arrow at lower left of screen If you click on a Web address, close the browser to come back to presentation

QUICK REVIEW BEFORE WE GET STARTED Perennials - come back each year! Great return on your investment. What to think about: 1. Size of your garden space 2. What soil type do you have 3. Sun or shade requirements 4. Blooming times of season 5. Weather zone comfort Height and width when full grown 7. Watering requirements 8. Color preferences Columbine is the Colorado State Flower Did you know… Source: ext.coloradostate.edu 2 Click on slide to move forward

Beautiful perennial garden example Source: imagejuicy.com Looking at this example garden, we see the following “Border Garden”: 1. Tall plants in back 2. Low ground cover in front 3. Medium sized plants in the middle 4. A variety of colors and textures 5. Some plants spread out 6. There are about 12 varieties in this size – 10x16 square feet 3

Click on slide to move forward 4 Island Garden of Perennials What we see here in this “Island Garden”: 1.Taller objects are in the middle or to one side. 2.Small, mounding plants are on the front edge. 3.Island gardens are looked at usually from a single direction 4.Will you see a front to back of your garden, or walk by and see both sides often.

Questions we can ask ourselves  Is there a theme or purpose you would like to have?  Patriotic? Memorial for a loved one? Xeriscape? Cottage garden?  Do I want to have a wide variety or just a couple of plants?  Spiky looking? Low ground covers? Fancy looking? Fragrant?  Do all of these flowers really bloom at the same time?  Do plants bloom only in the Spring, Summer, Fall, or are they 3-season bloomers?  When do you want your flowers to bloom?  How long will the flowers bloom?  1 week, or 6 weeks? Longer?  What is my favorite color of flower?  Will the flowers re-bloom with deadheading?deadheading? 5 Click on slide to move forward

PLANNING TIPS Plot Location Sun or Shade? Border-Tall in back; Short in front Island – Tall in middle or back? Soil type now and amend? Or, match plant to soil? How small or large will your garden be? Plant selection Be sure to match plants to sun or shade How long is blooming time? Analyze how many plants to buy by full grown stats of each plant Find designs on websites listed on next slides Cluster 3 – 5 plants together for dramatic effect Click on slide to move forward 6

Started looking at pictures for ideas  Good Internet sites and research terms to start with:  BING (  TYPE IN THIS PHRASE: Colorado perennials images  Here you will be rewarded with a plethora of pictures, scroll down for:  ideas on color selection  identification  sun or shade  native plants  GOOGLE (  TYPE IN THIS PHRASE: Colorado perennials images  Here you will see individual pictures  Add Sun or Shade  Add the Color  Groundcover, grass, xeriscape, design Purple Coneflower Where Echinacea comes from! Source: ext.coloradostate.edu 7 Click on slide to move forward

Sites Worth Checking Out  – Country Living  Here you will see a GARDENING link  Look for DESIGNS  Ideas galore prevail here for placing gardens, i.e. Front porch, borders, etc.  – Better Homes & Gardens  Great articles here  – Pinterest  Ideas from the general public on their experiences  Have to sign up *it’s free* to get the full available content access  - O’Tooles Garden Center - O’Tooles Garden Center 8 Click on slide to move forward

MORE INTERNET SITES FOR DESIGN IDEAS  – Home and Garden Television website  Click on GARDEN BASICS menu heading  Select GARDEN TYPES AND DESIGNS  Here you will find ideas on garden design  – Colorado State University  TOPIC AREA – it’s best to do a search on their website  TYPE Perennials  Many articles for planning, watering, designing  ASK AN EXPERT  Further research on pests Click on slide to move forward 9

10 Step 1 Figure out the size of garden plot How many plants do you need? Amend soil with B.O.S.S and Cow Manure Mix dirt together, break clumps and smooth out soil by turning over several times Tools can be shovels, hoes, rakes or all 3 Step 2 Buy plants Arrange plants on plot while in pots and enjoy being creative Dig holes twice as wide and same depth of plant Plant in hole Add B.O.S.S on bottom of hole Fill in hole with dirt that was dug up Firmly press down top of plant Step 3 Apply mulch around plants Water every 2 days, unless there is rain Fertilize every 6 weeks Deadhead plant blooms after they start to turn brown to promote more blooms Enjoy the fruits (or flowers!) of your labor Summary of tasks Click on slide to move forward