by Susan Klatz Beal

Created on: January 12, 2009   Last Updated: January 07, 2012

A perennial garden is a great way to start a garden that will be built upon over the course of many years to  come. Perennials return year after year, and if properly cared for and maintained, your perennials will return as bigger, lusher and more prolifically blooming flowering plants. Because you don't have to replant your plants every year, you will also be able to save money by using perennials.

Before you do anything about creating your perennial garden, you need to learn about the hardiness zone you live in and what plants are hardy for that zone. This is important because unless the plants are hardy for the zone you live in, they may not survive the winter or return the next year. You will also want to look for plants that will grow in the conditions that are available in your garden space.

• Think about what you would like to create 

A perennial garden can be pretty much anything you want it to be. You can have a theme and plant certain types of plants and flowers that relate to that theme, you can have a certain range of colors you want your garden to be, or perhaps you have something else in mind. You can create a flowering garden that will be attractive to birds and/or butterflies.

• Choosing flowers 

Ideally, when you plant a perennial garden, you want to have flowers that will bloom at different times so that you get the benefit of having your garden burst with color and flowers for the entire growing season. You may also want to pick things that are different sizes so that you can create a more visually appealing and natural looking space. Look for things that have interesting foliage so that those plants provide interest when they aren't flowering.

• How to plant 

When you go to plant perennials, you don't want to plant them in rows. You want to plant them in clumps or groupings because that will look less contrived and more like the garden has always been that way. Use shorter plants to create borders that will make your garden look more put together. When you go to plant your spring bulbs, plant them in natural looking groupings so that people won't have to see one lone tulip or one lone hyacinth that is surrounded  more single bulbs that don't seem to fit anywhere. Mix things that bloom at different times together, and use the interest of the foliage of the non-blooming flowering plant to create some greater interest and variety.

When you start a perennial garden, for at least the first full year, you are not doing anything more than starting it. As long as your plants survive the winter, you'll be able to go forward after that first year and continue to build your garden. Between the plants you divide and the new things you buy each year, you will be able to fill your garden and turn it into an elegant, lush and inviting retreat that you, your friends and family will always want to spend time in.

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