Perennials promote a love of gardening

By Tamra Hess

OSU Extension Master Gardener Volunteer

Perennials, the “pass-along plants” of the garden, have been shared among family, friends and neighbors for generations.

A perennial is by definition an herbaceous (not woody) plant that reappears year after year from its crown or root system. With plants varying widely in size, form, color, texture, light and soil requirements, winter hardiness, and native conditions, it is the life cycle of these plants that identifies them as perennials.

The foliage succumbs to cold conditions in late fall and dies to the ground, only to emerge once again in the spring. Continuing this cycle over the lifespan of the plant, the plant increases in size each year.

After the perennial has had a few years to grow and expand in landscape, the time comes to divide it.

Division controls the size of the plant in your landscape, rejuvenates growth, and allows for propagation of new plants. The majority of perennials respond well when divided in the early spring, when the new growth is emerging from the ground.

A good rule of thumb, however, is to divide spring and summer blooming perennials in the fall and fall blooming perennials in the spring.

Timing the division and replanting on a cloudy day followed by a period of light rain in the weather forecast combines the best of both worlds, allowing the newly divided roots to recover as they get used to their new home in the garden.

It is through the division of perennials that new gardens, and thus new gardeners are born. Every spring, plant sales and plant exchanges are scheduled so that gardeners can share their wealth of plants with others.

But often it is a quiet exchange, taking place in a small flower border between two neighbors. Here, a gardener has the time to talk about a plant, the way it grows and the color of its flower petals. At this time, a piece of the plant is offered and accepted. The perennial is carried to its new home in a new garden, and the cycle begins yet again.