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Low-growing perennials are a versatile "tool" of an experienced gardener. These flowers complement landscape compositions, they are successfully combined with garden and vegetable garden crops, they are used as borders, ridges and other dividing structures.
Almost all undersized perennials bloom throughout the summer. Flowerbeds with them look well-groomed and remain spectacular even without regular maintenance, annual transplantation.
Low-growing flowers are very unpretentious, but even they need to be able to choose the right one. You can learn about the varieties of perennials and their characteristics from this article.
Varieties of low-growing perennial flowers
Perennial flowers for the garden can be of different sizes. Small plants are distinguished into a separate group, which, in turn, are divided into:
- ground covers;
- undersized perennial flowers;
- dwarf subspecies of flowering perennials.
If the ground covers literally creep along the ground, covering it from the sun, wind and cold, then undersized and dwarf flowers have longer stems, often their height does not exceed 70 cm.
In addition to this division, low perennial plants for the garden are flowering and non-flowering. In the first case, inflorescences will become a decoration of the garden, which perennial flowersare usually decorated for two to three months, that is, almost the entire season. Non-blooming group - plants with beautiful decorative shoots, leaves of an interesting shape or unique color. Both those and other flowers are quite often used by landscape designers and ordinary gardeners.
The purpose of perennial low plants
Undersized perennials help gardeners solve many problems... After all, these flowers:
- do not require constant and complex care;
- no need to water regularly and abundantly;
- they only need one or two dressings per season;
- easy to sit down, move to another place and share;
- grow quickly and begin to bloom already in the first or second year after planting;
- can bloom all season;
- go well with other types and varieties of plants, as well as trees and even garden crops;
- take root on different soils, there are varieties of perennial flowers for sandy or rocky soil.
Choosing a variety of low-growing perennial flower for the garden
By picking up perennial flowers for a summer cottage or suburban area, it is necessary to take into account the compatibility of plants intended for one flower bed or landscape composition.
Perennials must have the same requirements as:
- Watering frequency and method.
- Growth rate.
- The height of the bushes.
- Suitable soil composition.
- Fertilizers and the frequency of their application.
- The need and method of shelter for the winter.
- Love for the sun or shade.
Astrantia is large
This undersized flower grows no higher than 70 cm.The spreading bushes are covered with flowers already at the beginning of summer, ends Bloom by the end of August.In order for new inflorescences to constantly appear on the bushes, it is necessary to remove wilted flowers in time.
The shade of flowers of this perennial can be absolutely any - today there are many varieties of Astrantia, there are even bushes with multi-colored buds. But more often you can find undersized perennial with white flowers, pale pink or burgundy.
Planting a perennial plant is better in the sun, but a slightly shaded area, for example, a trellis shade from a gazebo or hedge, is also suitable. A low-growing plant is not pretentious to soil and care - Astrantia can grow anywhere.
Oak sage
Sage (or salvia) also refers to undersized perennials that bloom throughout the summer. Bushes grow about 60-80 cm, sage is not sprawling, rather compact perennial.
The inflorescences of this perennial plant are very spectacular - long candles of a beautiful purple color. You need to plant sage in the shadowchoosing areas with fertile and slightly damp soil.
Perennial is picky about care. It is very important to maintain constant soil moisture around the bush, loosen the soil in a timely manner, apply complex fertilizers, protect against pests and weeds... But as a result of painstaking work, sage will reward not only beauty, but also health, because it is a well-known medicinal plant that saves from many ailments.
Armeria seaside
This perennial has about ten varieties, they all differ in appearance and characteristics. But, in principle, this plant is quite unpretentious. Armeria does not need to be watered often, any soil is suitable for the plant, even clay and sandy. Armeria will also successfully decorate rocky rockeries or rock gardens.
The flowering of this undersized perennial continues all summer long, and a photo of the bushes can be seen below.
Alyssum Marine
Very tenacious and persistent perennial. The height of the bushes does not exceed 20 cm, strong stems literally crawl along the ground, decorating it with lush flowering.
Alyssum blooms for a very long time: the first inflorescences appear in May, and the last flower is able to withstand even slight frosts. In regions with mild winters, the perennial does not die off, but with the first rays of the spring sun it continues to grow and develop.
But even in cold climates, a perennial does not need shelter, the plant will firmly endure even severe frosts. The shade of the peduncles can be any: white, yellow, pink, purple.
Arenaria crimson
An ideal perennial for rockeries and alpine slides. This flower is so unpretentious that it can grow on sand or stones. The height of the stems does not exceed 15 cm, and the perennial shoots are colored crimson.
Inflorescences can be pale pink or white. They are made in the form of small stars. Arenaria blooms in early June and continues to bloom until late autumn.
Perennial care is not required, you don't even need to water it - the arenaria perfectly tolerates drought.
Perennial chrysanthemum
A well-known and very common plant. This perennial is especially loved by Russian gardeners, mainly because it tolerates winter well.
Chrysanthemums begin to bloom a little later than other perennials - often, this is the second half of summer. But these flowers are one of the few that continue to bloom until the first severe frosts.
There can be many shades and shapes of inflorescences - there are many varieties of perennial chrysanthemums.
Balkan geranium
The kind of perennial plant that does not shed its leaves even for the winter, therefore it can decorate the garden all year round. The height of the perennial bushes reaches 25 cm, the bushes are decorated with carved leaves of a rich green hue. In the fall, the foliage turns yellow, it may turn red - it looks very impressive.
Geranium bloom begins in June and continues until the end of the summer season.All this time, a very delicate floral scent spreads through the garden. The shade of the peduncles is red or purple.
Highlander kindred
This is another short perennial that will be a worthy decoration for any garden. The leaves of the bushes are lanceolate, and the inflorescences are spike-shaped. Flowers are painted in a light pink or lilac shade.
A distinctive feature of a perennial is that it does not shed its leaves for the winter, moreover, their color does not change - the leaves remain green. The perennial ends blooming by the end of September.
How to properly grow low-growing perennials
Like all perennials, dwarf flowers do not need any special care. However, in order to provide your garden with spectacular healthy flowers, the owner will have to sweat a little by performing the following actions:
- Remove dried flowers in a timely manner so that they do not take away the strength from the entire plant.
- Shield the soil with stones or plastic (metal) plates to prevent overgrowth of roots.
- Planting flowers is not continuous to the border or the edge of the flower bed, but at some distance. It is necessary to take into account the high growth rate of perennials.
- Using a drip irrigation system is more convenient to control the supply of water and fertilizers.
- Cover perennials for the winter using spruce branches or synthetic "breathing" materials.
- Select perennials so that the flower bed delights with flowering from early spring to late autumn.
Each photo of a low-growing perennial increasingly confirms the uniqueness and showiness of these plants. In order for the beauty of perennials to appear especially brightly, these flowers do not need to be planted one by one - they look great in dense group plantings.
