Perennial undersized flowers: application in a flower garden

Unpretentious

According to gardeners, these flowers are the most successful and budget option for decorating flower beds, since perennials are undemanding to care, bloom all season, and most importantly, having planted such plants, you can not worry about the design of the flower bed for several years. When choosing perennial flowers for decorating a garden and flower beds, one has to take into account the climatic features of the site. Not all perennials are able to withstand the low temperatures of the northern latitudes, or the hot summers of the middle zone.

The soil is no less important for plants – almost all cottages are located on sandy or clay soils, which are not suitable for all crops. These circumstances force gardeners to look for unpretentious flowering plants that can grow in difficult environmental conditions. The choice of unpretentious plants is extremely diverse, but the most popular are:

1. Astrantia. Low-growing species of this culture do not exceed 40 cm. Astrantia blooms all summer, and if the autumn is warm, then the flowering period is extended until October. Peduncles are large, have a color from white to red and burgundy shades (depending on the variety). Prefers sunny areas, but can grow anywhere: in the shade of the garden, on stones, in sandy soil.
2. Thrift. The height of these flowers does not exceed 15 cm. The culture is completely unpretentious, frost-resistant, does not need frequent watering, grows well on clay and sandy soils. In garden design, it is used to decorate borders, it is planted on alpine slides between stones. It is very popular with gardeners for its bright inflorescences, which allow you to create accents in compositions.
3. Related mountaineer. Low herbaceous plant (20-25 cm) with long white or red inflorescences. It grows well in any light, looks great both in group plantings and singly. Highlander is frost-resistant, easily tolerates drought, due to which it is often planted on rocky flower beds, and curb spaces are also often filled with plants.

1. Gypsophira. Low-growing species of this plant bloom with amazing double flowers, for which they serve not only as a decoration of the garden and flower beds, but are also used in the preparation of bouquets. Gypsophyra shoots are practically devoid of leaves, but at the same time they are abundantly strewn with small flowers. The culture is widely used in horticulture as the background of a flower garden, and its curb types form densely flowering white balls.
2. Arenaria (gerbil). Low-growing (up to 15 cm) perennial with small white or pink flowers. The color of the stems varies from green to purple. The plant is drought-resistant, quite decorative, perfect for rock gardens, borders, decorating rocky areas of a summer house or garden.
3. Chrysanthemum. Its undersized ornamental species do not exceed 20 cm. The culture blooms closer to autumn, but with its bright inflorescences it decorates the territory of the dacha until frost. A huge selection of varieties and colors makes these beautiful flowers versatile – they can be planted as borders, create colorful flowering compositions, decorate garden paths.

Groundcover

Ground cover low-growing perennials are very popular in garden design, because with their help it is possible to create dense flowering coatings in a short time, and thereby diversify and enliven the garden area. The most famous ground cover perennials include:

• aubrieta – surprisingly beautiful and compact flowers of blue and lilac shades, belong to evergreens, are highly decorative, often planted in rocky flower beds, used as border fences;
• periwinkle – refers to evergreen crops, blooms with white or pale blue flowers twice a season: in May and autumn, grows well in the shade of the garden, grows rapidly;
• felt sapling – an evergreen culture with delicate white flowers, grows rapidly, forming a dense hat, is planted on alpine hills, as borders, can grow on dry stony soil;
• alissum – these bright creeping flowers can become a real decoration of the dacha, alissum blooms from early summer until frost, is not afraid of cold and drought, has a high decorative effect – they decorate garden paths, fill curb spaces, planted on stones;

• stonecrop – profusely flowering compact shrubs with small or lush (depending on the species) inflorescences exuding an amazing honey aroma, the plant is drought-resistant, grows well on stones, along paths;
• awl-shaped bryozoan – a very short (up to 10 cm) mossy plant with a variety of colors, highly valued in garden design for its high decorativeness – bryozoan is often used as a lawn cover, it also fills curb spaces and cracks in stones.

Video “Growing undersized chrysanthemums”

Video review on the care and cultivation of one of the most famous undersized plant species – chrysanthemums.

Which ones to choose for a flower bed?

When choosing perennials for the garden and flower beds, it is necessary to take into account such criteria as illumination, composition and soil moisture, and the color scheme of plants. Lighting is perhaps the most important condition for intensive growth and abundant flowering of crops, since flowers that prefer the sun simply will not grow in the shade. Conversely, shade-loving crops will lose their color and dry out in a sunny area.

In open areas with a lot of sun, undersized dahlias, alyssum, obrieta, stonecrop, phlox, thyme, edelweiss, and iberis feel good. For shaded flower beds, or located in partial shade, lilies of the valley, undersized astilbes, hostas, ground cover bells, geraniums, balsam, periwinkle are suitable. If you select plants taking into account humidity, then in moist soil it is comfortable for irises, hosts, ornamental cabbage, balsam. In dry sandy or stony soil, stonecrops, saxifrage, juvenile, chistets, yaskolka grow well.

It is equally important when creating a flower bed to choose plants according to the color scheme. Flowering compositions can be sustained in one tone, and can consist of several types of plants, contrasting, but successfully combined. Monochromatic compositions are made up of plants of the same color, but different shades. For example, on a blue flower bed you can plant shaving, thyme, purple awl-shaped phloxes, bells.

A flower bed in pink tones will be obtained from armeria, floriums, astrantias, geraniums, carnations, grasses, the same phloxes. A motley multi-colored flower bed requires preliminary planning. Ideally, if the compositions are made up of 3-5 primary colors – a larger number can make the flower bed chaotic and too colorful.

Contrasting combinations of blue-blue shades with yellow-orange are considered the most spectacular. Red shades go well with white and green. It should be clarified that any colors and shades are harmoniously combined with white.

Care instructions

If flowering perennials are planted correctly: the requirements of plants for light and humidity are taken into account, plantings are placed at a sufficient distance, then caring for such flower beds consists only in maintaining decorativeness and cleanliness:

• loosening the soil is carried out 2-3 times a season, if the space between the flowers is not filled with ground cover plants;
• weed removal is carried out as needed, but, as a rule, weeds rarely grow in a densely planted flower bed;
• it is necessary to monitor and systematically remove dried inflorescences, as they spoil the overall appearance of the flower bed;
• watering is carried out if necessary according to the weather – most perennials can only be content with rain watering;
• you should not often replant flowers – if such a need arose, transplantation can be carried out no earlier than a year after planting.

Perennial plants tend to grow and occupy areas intended for other flowers. To prevent this, you need to separate and plant large bushes in the fall. You can also limit the territory of the plant by overlaying it with stones or a special dividing border.

Video “Short flowering perennials»

The video shows decorative perennials of low-growing varieties that bloom throughout the summer period.