Perennial FlowersPerennial flowers are wonderful because for the most part they require little care and reward you with season after season of good growth and blooms. But if you are willing to put a little more work into your perennial garden, you will have even more success. Here are some tips for getting the most out of your perennial flowers.

First and foremost, it is important to make sure your perennial flowers are getting enough water. In some climates at some times of year the rain is enough, but other times you will want to water to keep your plants at their best. A good way to test whether your plants need more water is to stick your finger down in the soil to the second knuckle. If the soil feels dry to you, it feels dry to your plants as well.

To help hold water in the soil for your perennial flowers, prevent weeds and just make your flowerbed look nicer, you should consider mulching your flowerbed. Mulch helps keep the soil moist, makes it cooler, prevents weeds and, if you use wood mulch, even contributes to the soil as it breaks down. Mulch isn’t that expensive and can really help your perennial flowers.

If you don’t mulch, expect to spend some time weeding around your perennial flowers. As with any kind other plants, weeds provide competition to the plants you’re trying to grow. They take nutrients and water out of the soil that could be going to making more flowers. Besides, they just aren’t very attractive. Pull weeds regularly, and please try manual means of getting rid of weeds before restoring to herbicides, which can also harm your perennial flowers.

A term you’ll hear a lot when talking about perennial flowers is “deadheading.” No, you don’t have to sell your car for a V-W van so you can go on the road. This kind of deadheading simply means cutting away the spent flowers that have already bloomed and no longer look nice.

Deadheading makes your perennial flowerbed look better, but it also gives a boost to the plant. When the flowers stop blooming, many plants go to seed, which is their way of shutting down for the season. Cutting off the old blooms can stop this process, reminding the plant to continue to focus on blooming and growth. Deadheading can even encourage some plants to bloom again, which is a very good reason for taking the time to do this.

Finally, watching for pests and diseases is critical for the continued health of your perennial flowers. I hope you’re spending a lot of time in your garden enjoying your flowers, but if you aren’t, you need to go out every couple of days or at least once a week (yes, even when it’s hot outside) and take stock of how things are going in your flowerbed. Some things you’ll want to look for include:

· Do the plants need water?
· Are there weeds that need to be pulled?
· Is the mulch still in place like it should be?
· Do the leaves of any plants have spots, or have they changed color or gotten droopy (unrelated to lack of water)?
· Are there visible insects or signs of insect presence (such as holes in the leaves)?
· Do any spent flowers need to be trimmed?

If you’ve found evidence of pests or disease in your garden, investigate immediately and follow up with the proper treatment, whether that’s insecticide, herbicide, or an organic method of treatment. Perennial flower plants can be a big investment; don’t waste it by not taking care of them!