First Year Space Question

15 years ago

I have a small city garden. Only so much room. As many perennials will not bloom this year I was wondering this:

Would it make sense to hold most or many of my perennials back, put out masses of annuals and then when the annuals are about done, late summer early fall, replace them with the perennials?

I was about to plant out: Maltese Cross(Lychnis chalcedonica) and Forget-Me-Nots, and some other things, then stopped myself.

What do you all think? How long can I fill my small spaces with zinnas,poppies, and Tidy Tips, black-eyed-susans, bachelors buttons and basil, while keeping bunches of perennials in jugs?

Thanks.

Audrey

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Comments (8)

PVick
15 years ago
I'll put in my two cents ...

The year I grew Maltese Cross, the plants got pretty big (tall) and bloomed too; can't speak to Forget-Me-Nots. Could you at least pot them out into, say, one gallon nursery pots - that would give them some room to develop strong root systems before planting out in the fall?

Of the annuals you mentioned - my experience has been that poppies will bloom nicely until the real heat hits, but the seed heads do have their own attraction. Bachelor buttons begin to look ratty after a while, and I always end up pulling them out. BES will bloom nicely for quite a long time; the only zinnias I've grown that don't end up with a nasty case of powdery mildew are the Profusions. Basil is ... basil. Keep harvesting and they'll keep growing. I haven't grown Tidy Tips, but you did remind me that I have seeds for them which I need to sow.

Hopefully, some more experienced folks will come along and give you better info.

PV
tiffy_z5_6_can
15 years ago
Audrey,

I would plant out the two you mention along with the annuals just because I'm quite familiar with both and know they will be fine.

You can hold perennials back. Now I've discovered in the last couple of years that it's best to keep them growing in pots, then place them in a pot ghetto or holding bed, pot and all. I transferred some Buddleias right into the veggie garden without their pots and just checked them out. I'm afraid that I may have lost the lot to frost heave, but the ones in the holding bed which I placed there last fall still in their pots are fine. Consider that I'm in a zone 5 so frost heave will be greater than in your zone 7? Maybe?

Some of your annuals might peter-out mid-summer and you could replace them with the perennials.

Also, in their first year, perennials will not grow to full size so you might be able to space them closer in the gardens.
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friesfan1
15 years ago
Audry,
If it were me, I would put my perennials where I wanted
them in the garden and then add my annuals around them.

If you do put them in pots, they have to be watched over
so they don't dry out and extra care that they probably
would not need other wise.

Mary
stlgirl
15 years ago
I agree with Mary. It works for me to plant annuals around my existing perennials even when the perennials are small. As the perennials grow you can remove some of your annuals to make room. I find petunias fill in bare space beautifully.

-StLGirl
anewgarden
Original Author
15 years ago
Thank you all!

I think I will wait on some perennials, and plant some.
PV- I am very happy to know that Maltese Cross might just bloom this year! So I'll put some of it in soon, and hold on to some of it. I was thinking it would look great next to my tall perennial well established Heliopsis. I love red and yellow together. My garden it not so very new anymore--been here three years now, maybe I should change my name!
Mary-I think I'll be out there pampering my tomatoes anyway, so I'll be able to watch over the ones I don't plant out, I am glad you mentioned that I should, 'cause I might just have stuck them in a corner and forgotten about them!
Tiffy-I'll get more pots! Thanks all!
token28001
15 years ago
I'm doing what Mary suggested. I had some things in the beds like hibiscus and BES and shastas. They I put in my other perennials. I'm leaving space for clumps of things like zinnias and lilies and gob knows what else that will bloom this year. In the fall, I'll reorganize the bed with color and height in mind. For now, I'm just putting them in their best location: sun/shade, etc.
anewgarden
Original Author
15 years ago
token-
I am glad you mentioned that I can move most of these things later. I guess poppies are just about the only thing that flips out when moved, right?
mnwsgal
15 years ago
There are many plants with a long tap root that do not like to be moved. I goggle my plants and check planting requirements before sowing and planting out. The majority of my perennials can be moved easily.

I have a couple of holding beds filled with second year perennials. Those that were small in the fall are in pots that were dropped into my veg beds for the winter, like Tiffy's. Others were planted in the holding beds in the spring. Some will go in my beds while others will go to my sisters' in SD and to other friends and neighbors.