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Ponds are easier to care for than you may think…
How to choose the right perennials for your garden and some of our favourite choices!
Perennial plants… the options are nearly endless!
Here in the Fraser Valley and moving towards Vancouver, we’re spoiled when it comes to plant choices. Since we have a more temperate climate than the majority of Canada — we generally stay above 0°C for most of the year — many plants can thrive in our region. This is both a blessing and a curse!
When you get to the garden centre, you might be overwhelmed with all of the choices before you. Below is a guide on what perennials are, how to choose them, and some of my personal favourites as well as some of the best choices for the region.
Enjoy!
Perennials are exactly what they sound like — plants that keep blooming year after year, which makes them “foundation plants” for every garden.
When chosen correctly, perennials will continue to add beauty to your garden for decades, requiring little more than routine feeding and watering in the summer and mulching for winter protection.
Planting your garden with perennials instead of annuals saves you time and money since you only have to plant them once and they’ll reward you with blooms year after year.
Perennials multiply, so in a few years, they’ll provide a spectacular display while crowding out any weeds. They come in a variety of colours, shapes, sizes and bloom times, so plan carefully and you’ll never have a “dead” section in your garden.
In contrast, annuals are flowers or plants that complete their entire life cycle within a single season. Whether planted in the late spring, summer or fall, annuals are usually exhausted and die off once the frost hits. Then they get replaced the next year!
There are four factors we look at when determining which annuals to plant on your property.
These are my personal favourite perennials and ones I find myself returning to year after year due to colour, fragrance or just general shape.
Here are some other excellent choices for any garden in our region and what I frequently recommend to customers and clients:
Visit your local nursery and garden centre! Be sure to talk to the staff there about what you’re looking for, they’re often very willing to help and are passionate about plants!
Vandenberg just opened a retail garden centre in Chilliwack at 6130 Chadsey Road. Find out more and check our Instagram account for updates!
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