Vibrant Gardens, Low Cost: How to Plant Bare-Root Perennials
Bare-root perennials are one of the most affordable ways to add bold colours and beautiful shapes to your garden that will keep coming back year on year. Without the confines of a pot, these bare-root beauties often form healthier, more robust root systems that lead to more vigorous growth in the spring and develop into stronger plants overall. These varieties also can’t be grown from seed, so bare-roots offer a lightweight and more eco-friendly alternative to other, more traditional options. Do you need any more reasons to upgrade your garden with our new range of bare-root perennials?
How to Plant Bare-Root Perennials
Your bare-roots will arrive in plastic bags with a small amount of earth, and they are all sorts of different sizes and shapes depending on the varieties you’ve chosen. We recommend that you pot your perennials as soon as they arrive to prevent them from drying out.
To start with, it’s really important to identify which parts are the roots and which parts are the old leaves or stem. Most varieties like to have their roots soaked for 5-6 hours before planting, and this will help them to hydrate properly before you put them in pots. Just submerge the roots in a container of water and they’ll really thank you for it later.
After soaking, half fill a pot with compost and place the plant with the roots at the bottom and the old leaves or stem just below or in line with the level of the soil.
Put your pot outside in a sheltered position or in a greenhouse or conservatory to help protect it from frosts. You could also use a cold frame, some horticultural fleece, or a plant cloche.
Once there’s a good amount of growth and the danger of frosts has passed, you can now plant them outside into a border or container – don’t forget to label your plant so that you know what you’re growing, and then watch the magic happen.
Bare-root perennials are a very cost-effective way to introduce new perennial varieties into your garden, and they form strong plants that should keep coming back time and again. They will establish well in their first year and go on to flower and flourish in their second.
Each of our varieties has more information about specific heights and spreads, so it’s well worth a visit to our bare-root perennials page for more inspiration.
Here are a few of the categories that we are most excited about..
Peony
These low-maintenance perennials are well-known for their bold blooms and beautiful fragrances throughout the summer. They are incredibly versatile, doing well in borders, beds, and containers, and they have remarkably long lifespans. Peonies are often resistant to many common garden pests, and they are very attractive to pollinators, especially bees.
Phlox
This hardy perennial, also known as Garden Phlox, provides stunning bursts of colour throughout the summer and into the early autumn. Attractive to a variety of pollinators with its bright-coloured petals and sweet fragrance, Phlox flowers are robust and reliable. They are perfect for cottage gardens and borders and provide beautiful cut flowers for bouquets.
GERANIUM
This garden staple is generally tough and easy to grow, rarely having issues with pests. Geraniums are both drought and heat tolerant, thriving in sunny conditions, and are happy in almost any soil, making them a great choice for many gardeners. They are long-flowering with some varieties blooming right through until the first frosts, and they can easily be grown from cuttings.
HOSTA
These shade-loving perennials offer a wide variety of foliage colour, texture, and size. Hostas are low maintenance and require very little pruning whilst having long lifespans, with many varieties growing bigger and better with each year that passes. Once well-established, they have a certain level of drought tolerance, and are perfect for woodland areas, under trees, and shady spots in the garden.
