Perennial gardens, landscapes made up of primarily flowering perennials and grasses, have come into their own. Designers like Piet Oudolf, Beth Chatto, Nigel Dunnett (and many others- those are just my favorites) have shown us that gardens do not have to revolve around trees, shrubs, and manicured lawns.
The new perennial gardens take their cues from nature, yet use plants from all over the world. They can look delicate and ephemeral but are anchored by plants that grow along roadways with no help from us. And while swaths of color and texture seem made as much for Instagram as the Museum of Ice Cream, they are really just idealized versions of meadows.
Modern perennial gardens remind me of Japanese gardens. In a Japanese garden we recognize that the forms are taken from nature but shaped until they are either perfect or extreme. Perennials gardens are not so much about form or structure but very much about color and texture and vibe- all of which are found in nature but with more restraint.
These gardens are undoubtedly spaces of beauty. Many also find them calming- perhaps naturalistic gardens quiet our anxieties (especially climate ones) in ways more formal gardens don’t?
There are many reasons to want a perennial garden. There are also some things to consider, some of which may not be readily apparent or even counterintuitive.
Best Things About Perennial Gardens:
They mature quickly. Traditional gardens, even if you “over plant” and source larger plant material, take years to mature. Most of the gardens we design and install don’t quite feel the way I want them to for 3-5 years! But perennial gardens look great the very first summer and mature by the second spring. It’s very gratifying to see your investment pay off so quickly.
They can be budget friendly. Most of the plants will be 4” or 1 gallon size, some might be seeds or bulbs. So while we need a lot of plants, we are only paying $10-$20 per plant.
They can be drought tolerant. It is not difficult, if you choose your varieties well, to have a perennial garden that needs very little supplemental water. Most of our perennial gardens are also drought tolerant or summer-dry.
Beauty, style, (nearly) instant gratification, budget and water wise… sign me up, right? As awesome as they are, naturalistic gardens do have some challenging aspects as well.
Perennial Garden Challenges:
Maintenance is not low. It can be moderate but definitely not low. These are not “set it and forget it” gardens. Some perennials need to be cut back in winter or early spring. Others want to spread and take over. Some (looking at you Coneflower) have short lifespans and will need to replaced every couple of years.
They don’t look their best in winter. Perennials go dormant, seed heads start to decay, grasses fall over. Color is very limited. And at some point you have to cut a bunch of it down. That can be a challenge if you need your garden to cheer you up during our wet and dark winters. But if you agree with Piet Oudolf that brown is a color and enjoy watching a garden cycle in a way that feels natural, then this won’t bother you.
Not all your neighbors will love it. Too many people look at a perennial garden and see unkempt weeds. If your street is full of manicured lawns and you swap yours for something more natural expect to be both hero and weirdo, depending on the neighbor.