[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?

[bigviclbi]

We use mushroom soil every year in the fall. When we do our cleanup/cutback our perennials we add 2 inches of mushroom soil to the whole garden. Acts as a fall mulch and it will break down for use by the plants the next year. We can buy it in bulk but they also sell it in bags. I don't really worry about drainge, if its wet you need to use perennials that love that type of soil. I'm telling you that our gardens bloom longer and bigger than anyone else's. Oh yeah, our name is Perennial Gardens. My old boss turned me onto the soil.

[dan deutekom]

Ditto on the mushroom compost. I add 2 to 4" every year in the fall. I have never had any drainage issues but just don't build your bed where water collects or have a real heavy soil.

[jwholden]

Have either of you had any issues with high salinity in mushroom compost? I'm guessing not but I remember hearing about it somewhere.

[GLAN]

We add what ever we get our hands on to the soil.

What I have been doing the past 2 years or so... for the ideal perennial planting. I till in Peat Moss, Compost and Mulch. Get all that good stuff mixed together......the mulch will break down over time but in the mean while.........I have about 6 inches of prime planting mix, mulch mixed in keeps the soil lose.

After planted we top off with 2 inches of shredded mulch (black or cedar)

I have never mulched my beds for winter....Personaly I would not waste the money......and no way customers here would mulch late fall/early winter.


Now as far as right plant for the site.......There is no where on any of my properties that are in full sun that would have a drainage problem........Usualy drainage concerns are shade and north face of buildings and or fences. Most perennials that work in shade are water tolerant

In reality not such a hard thing to work out.


My own beds this year.......I am not mulching at all......I have mulched every spring for about 5 years......What is there now I realy need to mix it up a bit and let it break down. This will be the 3rd time I am doing this.....what happens is the quantity of the bulk in my beds becomes more than I prefer and I have to let it break down and allow the volume to settle.

Commercial properties.......I have taken the approach that the highest profile areas get a freshening up of mulch every spring...but the rest of the property gets done in halves every other year......This way I insure that they have the budget and that the entire property is getting mulched.