GRAND RAPIDS, Mich — This upcoming weekend is looking very nice here in West Michigan, and with summer just about here, a lot more of us are turning our attention outside. But getting that garden going or potting some flowers on the patio can get expensive if you don't have a plan ahead of time. Especially when you are planting something that should stick around for a while, like perennials.
"I think the biggest thing that I always tell people when you're looking to plant perennials is, first of all, you need to walk your space," Co-Owner of Romence Gardens & Greenhouse Katey Romence told me. "You need to look at your space backup and kind of look at it from the eye of how you're going to see it. You need to know where the sun is going to be, how much sun is going to hit it, you know, is it a full sun area? Is it part sun? Is it just getting filtered? You know, where would the trees fill in? So, knowing your light conditions, knowing how intense the heat is going to be."
Another secret of a successful garden is doing something easier said than done.
"Patience is your best way to be economical, perennial spread over time," Katey said. "So I like to tell people, for me, I like to start with kind of the framework it might be, starting with a nice tree or shrub, and then adding a couple perennials, and kind of getting some mulch, and sort of keeping it clean and neat, and then I'm letting everything spread."
No matter what you plant, knowing some of the terms used in the plant business ahead of time can also be very helpful.
"When something says full to part sun, it usually means that it needs at least five or six hours of sunshine, and most of that sunshine should be like in the afternoon or good sun, early morning sun or late day sun isn't usually enough sun for full to part sun," Katey added.
Another secret to keep your garden growing this year might sound simple at first, but a lot of people fail to give their plants enough to drink.
"Do not forget to water," Kathey said. "That is key with annuals, consistency, consistency, very important, also with herbs and vegetables. With vegetables, especially especially like tomatoes and things over watering, underwatering those are definitely killers. Consistency in watering is so important with most of your plants. So again, learning how to do that is taking a little bit of skill, but also just a knack of learning how to do that."
Katey also told me if you have any questions, don't be afraid to ask her staff or anyone at the great garden centers all across West Michigan this summer.
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