Care and How-To - Perennials
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Learn how to protect plants from frost and freeze damage in fall and spring. Get tips on covering plants, using cold frames, and when to bring plants indoors for the season.
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Learn how to protect container plants in winter. Discover methods like burying pots, mulching, and using unheated storage to keep roots safe from cold damage.
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Iowa soils are very diverse and so are the chemical characteristics that make up these soils. Soil pH is one property that can vary widely across the state both naturally and due to how we manage the field or garden. It is also one of the most cost effective and easy to manage soil properties that can be modified to improve plant health and crop production.
Learn about how to decrease and increase your soil pH below.
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Learn when and how to divide bearded and Siberian irises to maintain healthy, blooming plants plus tips for best growing conditions for both iris varieties.
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Some plants in the landscape need a little extra protection to make it through the winter months. Here is what you need to know to successfully overwinter plants in Iowa.
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Groundcovers are great options for the garden. Their creeping, spreading, low-growing growth habit makes them well-suited for a variety of garden settings and can help reduce weed growth and erosion. Below are several groundcovers suitable for shade or part-shade locations.
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Tender perennials must be dug and stored over winter. Learn about the process to keep these plants year to year.
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When autumn arrives, several things can be done to prepare the garden for winter and the following growing season. Here is a list of things to do for perennials, vegetable gardens, annuals, trees, shrubs, lawns, and houseplants in the fall.
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Groundcovers are great options for the garden. Their creeping, spreading, low-growing growth habit makes them well-suited for a variety of garden settings and can help reduce weed growth and erosion. Below are several groundcovers suitable for shade or part-shade locations.
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uOne of the easiest ways to propagate a prized perennial is to divide the plant into two or more smaller plants. Below are tips and recommendations for dividing perennials in your garden including information on why, how, when, and how frequently to divide. Included are guidelines for specific perennial species common in Iowa gardens.
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Chrysanthemums are quintessential fall garden plants. The many colors and flower types are wonderful additions to the garden. Growing them successfully in Iowa takes some some special considerations.
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Great gardens are colorful throughout the growing season. Many perennials can be grown in Iowa to provide flowers and interest year after year in late summer and fall. These perennials are great additions to the Iowa garden to get plenty of late-season blooms.
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Peonies can be left undisturbed in the garden for many years. Occasionally, however, it becomes necessary to move plants.
Learn all about the when and how of transplanting and dividing peonies.
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Peonies are easy-to-grow, long-lived, and reliable performers in the garden, but they occasionally have issues. The most common issues with peonies, such as failure to bloom, powdery mildew, and flopping over, are listed below.
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Driving through Iowa, you'll find many eye-catching native and non-native plants thriving along roadsides. Here are some of the common species you'll find.
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Most modern tulip cultivars bloom well for only 3 or 4 years. Their vigor declines each year, eventually leading to plants with leaves and no blooms. For this reason, these tulip types are often treated as annuals.
However, some tulip types (classes) bloom well over a longer period. These varieties make better long-term additions to the garden and will bloom each season reliably. Choose from the following types if you want perennial-type tulips.
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Organic mulches serve several important functions in gardens and landscape plantings.
These many benefits make the use of mulch very beneficial in a wide range of garden settings. When choosing which organic mulch to use, consider availability, cost, appearance, function, and durability.
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The garden peony is a popular, long-lived perennial that provides beautiful flowers in spring and handsome foliage throughout the growing season. If left undisturbed, a peony plant may flower for 50 or more years. Below is information on growing peonies in Iowa, including care, propagation, planting, types, and recommended cultivars.
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There are several possible causes for peonies to fail to bloom. They include too much shade, recently divided, or premature removal of foliage. Find out what may be keeping your peonies from flowering.
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There are several species of Allium or onion that are grown exclusively for their flowersand are not planted in the vegetable garden but in beds or borders with other perennial flowers. Flower heads on ornamental onions appear in late spring to mid-summer. Learn more about these late spring beauties.