DIY Network

No Fail Flowers Learn how to plant stout, you-can't-go-wrong perennials. From "Home Made Easy" episode DHME-110

Guest Fran Sorin joins host Stephanie Lydecker and plants different perennials that are drought resistant and maintenance friendly.

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	Fran shares invaluable tips on growing sturdy perennials.
	Figure A
	Figure B
	Figure C
	Figure D

Materials:

flowers to plant
trowel
kneeling pad
mulch

No Fail Flowers

• Why Perennials? Perennials are plants that do not die but renew themselves each season. They are great because they are easy to grow with just basic care. They add an abundance of color, texture and shape to your garden. They are not finicky about the type of soil in which they are planted. Many perennials are drought resistant. Gardeners call them "tough plants for tough times." They are beautiful and usually multiply over the years.

• Denothera: Evening Primrose (figure A). Also called Primula. The common primrose color is yellow but there are many other colors available. They are easy to grow and some even have evergreen leaves. They grow throughout the summer and into the fall. They prefer shade and moist soil.

• Yarrow (Achillea specimens). There are so many species of this plant and you can find them in practically any color. They prefer full sun in an open space but will really survive in all types of conditions. They are also drought resistant and bloom for a long time in the summer.

• Aster Dumosus: Sapphire (figure B). These plants tend to grow quickly. They like moist well-drained soil and lots of sun. They are easy to grow and can range in height from the ground to six feet tall. Asters come in wonderful shades like pink and red and white and blue.

• Day Lily. The fancy name for the Day Lily is Hemerocallis. They are one of the great workhorses of the garden. Day lilies are usually clump-forming with thin, elongated leaves. They come in all types of colors even a deep burgundy. Again, they are great in the sun but fine in partial shade as well.

• Coral Bells (figure C). These are Heuchera "Key Lime Pie" or you can call them coral bells. The palace purple ones are nice. They have their leaves for all four seasons. They work so well with other flowers they are a real treat and also grow in the sun and partial shade. They are not large or showy, and have the little dancing bells that will often produce blooms later on in the year.

• Lady's Mantle. They are also known as Alchemilla Mollis. They are a hardy perennial that bloom tiny green flowers. They can cover a lot of ground and are very drought tolerant.

• How Many to Buy--Buy a minimum of seven of each specimen for a small garden bed and up to 20 or more of each for a really big area.

• Planting Design--Plant in a flowing or wavelike motion because it is much more appealing to the eye and gives a naturalized appearance when all of the plants are woven together. Whey you buy them, keep them in the containers and place them where you think you might want them. See how the colors work together. Then you can move them around. Take a picture and then really plant them.

  When you remove the plant from the pot to plant it and it is root bound, just pull the roots off the bottom of the plant (figure D). This will loosen the roots and keep them free for better growth.

  Water your perennials while they are in the pot before you plant them. This allows them to be removed from the pot more easily.

  Dig a hole with a trowel and place the plants even with the soil line and then fill in the dirt around the plant.

• Proper Care--Once you have the flowers planted, spread mulch on them at least two inches thick. Water every third day early in the morning for 30-45 minutes with a sprinkler or hose. You don't have to water every day and if the rain comes--great! Also, be patient, plants take a good two years to mature.

RESOURCES :

Gardening Tools
Fiskars
Website: www.fiskars.com

Pruners
Smith and Hawken
Website: www.smith-hawken.com

Flowers
Proven Winners
Website: www.provenwinners.com

Gardening Supplies
Lowes
Website: www.lowes.com

GUESTS :

Fran Sorin
Author, Digging Deep: Unearthing Your Creative Roots Through Gardening
0446531669
April, 2004
Warner Books
Website: www.fransorin.com