The Best Time to Plant Perennial Seeds
- All trees are perennials. If you have an apple tree or other fruit tree, you might sometimes notice that fruit remaining on the ground begins to sprout on its own. This often happens with nut trees: walnuts and almonds are prolific self-starters. If you collect nuts from the ground during the tree's bearing season, plant them in one gallon pots with rich potting soil at that time, usually in late summer or fall. Nurture them as potted plants for one year or more, until they are six inches to one foot tall.
- Perennial herbs include rosemary, marjoram, sage and many others. Their seeds can take longer to sprout than annual herbs such as basil, but the extra time can be worth the wait. If you spend $2 to $3 on a packet of seeds, you can potentially begin 100 or more plants, while if you buy just one potted plant, you'll pay about the same amount. Perhaps you don't need that many sage plants, for example, but you can give potted herbs as gifts or even start a small backyard business that sells them. Start perennial herb seeds indoors in late winter or early spring and then transfer them to an outdoor location that gets plenty of sun.
- Perennials that bloom in the spring include many bulbs, such as crocus, daffodil, tulips and hyacinth. The best time to plant or separate existing bulbs is in the fall because most of them require a period of cooler weather to activate their growth for the following spring.
- Perennials that bloom later in the season, during the summer and fall months, include chrysanthemums, carnations, penstemon, salvias, poppies, phlox, asters, daisies of several types and many others. Some perennial seeds are tough and require that you soak them in water for 24 hours to speed germination before planting them in small pots or flats. Check seed packet instructions for details. Also, some summer and fall flowering perennials do best when you plant the seeds in the fall --- they will not germinate until the weather warms in the early spring, but the wait can produce worthwhile effects. Other summer and fall flowering plants germinate more quickly, so you can start their seeds in late winter or early spring under protected conditions. Refer to seed packet instructions or a gardening guidebook for details about specific plants.
- Long-lasting, attractive perennials plants that produce colorful displays of flowers are popular with many homeowners and gardeners because they last for many years and do not require re-planting every spring. Most perennials need only once-a-year fertilizing to encourage robust growth. Sometimes the only care they require of you is to water them during dry spells and perhaps a yearly pruning to keep them under control. Perennials generally grow more slowly than annuals, but after they are established and mature, they continue to add beauty and interest to any yard, sometimes throughout all four seasons.
