The Well-Tended Perennial Garden The Essential Guide to Planting and Pruning Techniques, Third Edition

46 Basic Perennial Garden PlantinG & Maintenance

Timing

In central Ohio—which is plagued with wet, cold soil in the spring, hot and dry

summers, often early frost in the autumn, and fluctuating winter temperatures

without reliable snow cover—timing of planting can be a challenge. The best

time for spring planting in this area is mid-April through May. With my business,

we’re usually still installing jobs into June and early July, and of course my own

gardens don’t see much planting until then, but the later we go into the summer,

the harder it is for the plants to establish. The best time for autumn planting is

from late August to early October. Ideally, planting should be finished by October

1, but we sometimes go until the 15th. I must admit that I prefer spring planting

to autumn planting, although I do both. More plants seem to be available in the

spring, and with the cool and moist conditions, the plants establish quickly and

are sufficiently well rooted before winter. With our unpredictable Ohio autumns

This garden was planted with a
variety of sizes of plants,
including bare root, small quart
size (4 1/4 in.), and 1-gallon plants.

Within 5 months, thanks to
proper bed preparation, the
plants doubled and tripled in
size.