guest post- meet Lisa

Good morning.  Or afternoon.  Whenever I guess; according to my stats, most readers visit me at night...   I spent the whole weekend outside getting the garden ready and then at night I was finishing up some sewing projects that had been stacking up in my 'to finish' area.  The weather has been to nice and I've have too many plants to more to make room for my veggies.  I spent 0 time blogging. Ok, like under a half hour.  Thankfully, I have a guest blogger today, Lisa Shoreland.   Thanks Lisa.  Thanks for sharing with us today about gardening so I could be out in mine.

photo credit

Lisa Shoreland is currently a resident blogger at Go College, where recently she’s been researching student loan forgiveness as well sharing some good financial aid tips. In her spare time, she enjoys creative writing, practicing martial arts, and taking weekend trips. 

Stay in bloom with Perennial Flowers

If you’re sick of spending hours upon hours planting flowers in your garden each year, or if you’re looking for an easier, cheaper option in how you decorate your yard and/or garden with colorful, vibrant flowers, perennial seeds may be the answer to all of your problems.

Perennial flowers tend to grow back each spring, and depending on the type of seed you purchase perennial flowers can be quite easy to maintain as well. 

But before choosing what type of perennial flower you want to plant in your garden, it’s important to do the proper research beforehand and make sure you have the right texture of soil, and the perfect amount of sunlight in order for the flowers to grow back year after year. 

Sunlight

Full-sun perennials, like Lavender, Boltonia, Chrysanthemums, and Poppies, usually require six to eight hours of sunlight each day, so make sure you plant them away from any trees or large brushes in your garden and/or yard. 

Part-shade perennials, like Primrose, Bergenias, and Bleeding Hearts, should be planted under trees in your yard. This way the flowers are still in the shade for the majority of the day, but a minimal amount of sunlight will still shine past the tree branches and give the flowers the perfect amount of sunlight needed in order for them to bloom.

Full-shade perennials, on the other hand, must be planted in an area that receives little to no sunlight or they will die immediately. Because of this, there are only a few plants that are considered full-shade perennials, like Ferns or Pulmonarias. 

Soil

Another important factor to consider before planting perennial flowers is the type and texture of your soil.

Cardinal Flowers, Goat’s Beard, Primroses, Bergenia, Bleeding Hearts and the Foxglove are all perennial flowers that require moist soil, thus must be planted in a yard or garden that has moister-than-average soil.

Perennial flowers that require dry soil, on the other hand, may thrive in a drier climate, but still need to be watered in order to survive. Some perennial flowers that should be planted in dry soil include Lavendar, Butterfly Weeds, Artemisia, and Amsonia. 

Once you’ve considered the texture of your soil and the amount of sunlight required, now it’s time to research the different types of perennial flowers that you would like to plant in your yard or garden.

There are many different types of perennial flowers to choose from that come in various shapes, colors, and sizes, but the majority of perennial flowers may be quite easy to maintain, but still require a great deal of TLC just like any other flower or plant.

Coneflowers, for instance, are known to be incredibly low-maintenance, but they still require a great deal of deadheading. They come in a variety of different colors like pink, red, purple, white, orange and yellow and tend to bloom in the summer. 

Poenies are not only a popular perennial flower because of their unique color, but also because they pretty much take care of themselves. They bloom throughout May and June, and come in all sorts of different colors like pink, white, and red. 

So whether you’re hoping to spruce up your garden with colorful, vibrant flowers, or you’re looking to cut down on the amount of time and money you spend decorating your yard with flowers each year, there is bound to be a type of perennial flower that will suit all of your gardening needs.

Thanks again Lisa for this great information.  Go say hi to Lisa at her place.