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Perennials

All about Perennials

Perennials are herbaceous plants that die-back mostly to the ground-level each fall and emerge again the following spring. Short-lived perennials, like poppy, will return each year for about five years but others, like peony, may become established enough to survive for decades. Perennials can become so large that they stop flowering. These need to be divided so the roots can be refreshed and reach into new soil.

We have perennials in stock from mid to late April through September or sometimes October in warm summers. Our growers ship perennials when they are just beginning to show color or are established in their grow-pots. That's when you'll find them on our tables. Since perennials bloom at different times all year, different perennials arrive throughout the season. The best way to shop for perennials is visit every 2 weeks or so. You'll see the varied textures and colors as they will emerge through the season in your gardens.

What and When Certain Perennials are Available

Ephemeral perennials have a short season - usually in spring- when they emerge in woodland settings before leaves develop on trees. They take advantage of the bright spring sunlight, bloom and often die back completely in summer's shade and heat. Find them here in April.

Perennials fill the tables from early May through September. Our sun-loving perennials are laid out alphabetically by botanical name on tables in full sun. Shade-tolerant perennials like ferns and hosta can be found also alphabetically under a shade cloth adjacent to the sun-loving perennials. Ornamental grasses become available in late June and more abundant (and larger!) through September.

Lawn grass is actually millions of individual perennials! Lawn grass seed mixes are available all year. We offer Jonathan Green Black Beauty mixes formulated for growing conditions from hot & dry to full shade. Choose a 3 pound bag for overseeding small areas up to a 25 pound bag for seeding new lawns up to 10,625 sq. ft. Sod rolls of 2ft. x 5ft. will be available usually by mid-May.

Perennial bulbs are a subset of perennials. We offer spring-flowering bulbs like daffodils, tulips, crocus and allium from September into November for fall planting. These, especially daffodils, can stay planted and will naturalize over the years.

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