Whether you want to create a perennial garden from scratch or you want to embellish an existing garden
with perennial plant specimens, the same fundamentals apply as in other gardening and planting
activities. These are:

·        Site Evaluation
·        Soil Condition
·        Budget/Maintenance
·        Plant Selection
·        Execution

1 - Site evaluation – The two most important factors in determining the types of plantings you will use in
the garden are light and soil conditions.

With respect to light, there are three scenarios: full sun, partial shade/sun, or full shade:

·        “Full Sun” generally means at least 6 full hours per day on a particular site.
·        “Partial shade/sun” means approximately 3-5 hours of direct sunlight per day.
·        “Full Shade” generally means less than 2 hours of direct or filtered sunlight per day.  

To determine the characteristics of your site, observe the sun for a particular location during the growing
season. Also, be sure to observe the exposure of the house. For example, the north east corner of your
home will receive much less sunlight than the south, or southwest part of the house.

2 – Soil Condition - PH testing can be done through a simple meter check here at Abby’s, and we’ll be
able to recommend the optimal products to use in order to properly prepare and condition your soils
before you plant.

3 – Budget/Maintenance - The third important factor in planning and planting your garden is to think
about how you plan to maintain it, as well as your approximate budget for preparation and plant
material, along with fertilizer and other materials used to execute your garden. Abby’s can help you
determine the optimal mix of soil preparation materials as well as suggest plants to accommodate your
budget.

4 – Plant Selections - The fourth step is plant selection, which should be done only after completing the
above three steps. It is important to realize that not all flowing plants thrive in the same environment.

5 – Execution - When designing a garden with perennials, it is important to select plants that will bloom
“in sequence”, so your garden will avoid having an “only green” look and beautiful.

As always, Abby’s is here to help make your dream garden become a reality. Please use our site as a
reference guide, then come visit us and let us help you design, layout and select plants for your garden.


The links below will guide you to various reference designs, “bloom time” guides and sun/shade criteria
for perennials that are available in the Long Island climate zone, which is a 6-7.


Reference Designs – some suggested layouts will show you a few basic example “reference” designs
that take into account both time of year of flower blooms, as well as size and shape of overall growth, so
you can either marry this garden to an existing planting area in the house, or create a new stand-alone
garden in your yard.

Site Preparation Guide and Materials List

Maintenance/Care & Feeding, Troubleshooting

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Plant Guides - Blooming Time, by Month.
Available Approx. 4-6 weeks prior to listed
blooming time below.

March/April
May
June
July/August
September/October