How To Plant Perennials And Annuals And Some Great Planting Tips

You Can Create An Elegant Garden That Almost Always Has Something In Bloom For Your Home In Nashville, Tennessee

We love that you’re here to find out how to plant your garden! It’s always exciting to plan out how your garden’s going to look.

In this post, you’ll discover how we plant annuals and perennials, how to mix them, how far apart to plant them, and the above video has a few more tips too!

Mixing And Matching

“So it’s garden time again?” asks Amanda.

James looks over at her from the kitchen table. “It’s always garden time! Just right now I’m trying to figure out how to plant perennials and annuals together.”

“That sounds fun, mind if I join in?” she asks. James beams a smile up at her. “I’d love that! Come on over, we can plan it together to create the best garden in the neighborhood! It’s also going to have some of the best herbs too.” Amanda laughs happily as she goes to sit next to him.

“First, let’s get on Google and do some digging,” says James. Amanda nods. “Sounds like a good place to start. I bet we’ll find something pretty easily.”

Here’s what the couple discovers:

How To Plant Perennials And Annuals In The Ground

Garden planted with perennial and annual plants

Pick a spot for your plant

- It’s good to think about the full maturation size (usually listed on the tag) and its sun and shade requirements (also on the tag)

Dig a hole that’s twice the width of the root ball and the same depth

- It’s not great to place the plant below grade level because it will settle even more. A dip in the ground can also cause water to build up around the base, causing rot and disease. Plus, it looks funny.

Improve your soil quality and use a root starter if possible

- Tennessee soil is mostly clay so it has great nutrients but horrible drainage. Adding soil conditioner to loosen the soil and provide drainage will be great for your plant’s health. We recommend Biotone for the root starter to add nutrients to your soil. It’ll help your plant get the best start possible.

Place your plant

- Stand back and see if it’s straight and in the right place in regards to the plants around it

Fill your hole

- We recommend putting the Biotone into the hole in a ratio of 50/50 soil conditioner and native soil (what you dug up initially). The soil conditioner will add even more nutrients and provide essential drainage. Our favorite brand is Happy Frog Soil Conditioner.

How To Mix Perennials And Annuals

Beautiful garden outside of a home in Nashville Tennessee

We like to think of these two as couch and throw pillows. The perennials are the couch- it stays the same throughout the year. The annuals are like the throw pillows- you can change them up season after season.

Annuals are great for perennial garden bed borders. You can either plant them in the ground or in containers.

It’s a great idea to mix your perennials based on when they bloom. This way you can have color for most of the year.

How Far Apart To Plant Perennials

It depends on what size the plant is once it matures and how patient you are. Our rule of thumb is 6 to 8 inches apart. You can use the handle of a hand trowel as a measuring tool.

If you want to make a big impact quickly, plant them closer together. If you have more time, you can plant them farther apart and watch as they form a nice blanket of flowers.