[jwholden]

My mission over the winter has been to expand my perennial vocabulary. I have attended some seminars and been reading The Well Tended Perennial Garden by Tracy DiSabato-Aust. As I read her descriptions of perennials and other books descriptions the most important part of a good perennial garden is GOOD DRAINAGE.

I have been thinking back to perennials I have lost in the past that were on irrigated properties or didn't have the required good drainage.

I have vowed to take a soil test before doing any site preparation for gardens this year. I usually ammend my soil with compost from a local supplier. I don't add Peat Moss because I don't want to acidify my soil and wouldn't think of adding sand to my beds.

I know that bed prep is dependent on site conditions and no two sites are the same especially in different parts of the country.

What do you do to make sure your perennial gardens have good drainage and what ammendments do you add to get a chocolate pudding type soil to plant in?