Want a beautiful garden year-round? We’ve got you covered! Your garden has the potential to look great in every season. If you want to enjoy your garden all year, then planting perennials is the way to go. Keep reading for our year-round perennial garden ideas!
What are perennials?
Perennials are plants which return year after year and typically get larger over time. Perennials grow and bloom in the spring and summer and die back in the winter — and then they return again the next year!
As with annuals, perennials provide pollen, nectar, seeds, and nesting material for birds, pollinators, butterflies, and other insects. They can be used as a groundcover to reduce soil erosion and will create an appealing design alongside pathways, driveways, and in gardens.
Some perennials keep their leaves which gives them four-season interest and others can be split and transplanted to other areas in your garden.
Creative ways to use perennials in your gardens
There are countless ways to use perennials in your gardens. Here are some of our favourites:
All-season interest gardens and evergreen gardens
We call them all-season interest garden designs because the leaves stay on so you can enjoy the beautiful foliage year-round.
Rhododendrons are shade tolerant, flower in the spring, and have beautiful green leaves for the rest of the season.
Shrubs and small trees, like serviceberry, add strong green colours and vibrant reds (from their berries) to your garden.
Grasses are a great way to add different textures and bring softness and display the breeze blowing through your gardens.
Pollinator gardens
Pollinators and other insects need a place to stay and live throughout the winter, and you can help their survival! Pollinators love to overwinter around hedges and shrub bases, such as serviceberry. Other great resting spots are plants with pithy stems, including elderberry, raspberry, and sumac. Different types of grasses are also vital in the life cycles of bees, butterflies, and other pollinators.
Seasonal garden design options for pollinators include:
- Spring Options: epimedium, coral bells, and astilbe
- Summer Options: lavender, nepeta, coneflowers, and daisies
- Fall Options: coneflowers and turtleheads
Parterre gardens
A Parterre garden is made up of symmetrical gardens that are formally designed in patterns. There are usually groupings of two or four parterres in a garden and they are typically constructed using boxwoods and yews. This formal and highly styled garden is a real showstopper and will boost your front yard curb appeal.
Whatever your style, perennials are a great investment and provide years of beauty. They are very versatile and provide important homes for the many insects that depend on them. Perennials truly give your garden life, style, and beauty all year round!
We would love to help you design the front or backyard garden of your dreams. Contact our team today for your consultation!
