Planting & Care

Planting Bare-Root Perennials

Bare-root perennials look a little spooky the first time you open the package. No soil, no leaves, just a knobby crown with strings of roots. I promise they are not dead. They are simply dormant, and once you plant them correctly, many will wake up quickly and grow with surprising vigor. Over the...

Weed Management in Perennial Beds

Weeds in a perennial bed feel personal, don’t they? You spend years building a planting that finally looks full and settled, and then a patch of crabgrass or a sneaky vine pops up right in the crown of your favorite plant. The good news is you can get a lot of control without digging deep or...

Staking Tall Perennial Flowers

There is a very particular heartbreak to walking out after a summer thunderstorm and finding your proudest blooms folded in half. Tall perennials want to do the right thing, but heavy flower heads, lush foliage, and a single gust of wind can turn a tidy border into a tangle. The good news is that...

Fertilizing Perennials: Organic vs. Synthetic and When to Feed

I used to think fertilizing perennials was like giving kids sugar: a quick burst, followed by chaos. Then I learned (mostly through trial and error in three different growing zones) that feeding perennials is less about “more” and more about right plant, right time, right dose . Many perennials are...

Watering Perennial Gardens for Deep Roots and Easy Drip Irrigation

Watering is one of those garden skills that feels simple until you watch a favorite perennial sulk in July and realize you have been giving it the wrong kind of drink. Most perennials do not want frequent little sips. They want a slow, thorough soak that encourages roots to travel downward, where...

Spring Care Checklist for Perennials

That first stretch of thawed soil always makes me itch to “do something” in the garden. After a long winter, it is tempting to rake hard, cut everything to the ground, and dump on fertilizer like we are trying to make up for lost time. But spring perennial care is really about gentle, well-timed...

Transplanting Established Perennials Without Shock

There comes a moment in every perennial garden when you look at a plant you once adored in its spot and think, you deserve better light or you have officially eaten the path . The good news is that many established perennials transplant beautifully, as long as you treat the move like a short-term...

How to Divide Overgrown Perennials

There is a particular moment every perennial gardener runs into: a plant that used to bloom like clockwork starts looking a little tired. The center goes bare, the flowers shrink, or the whole clump seems to heave itself out of the soil. Most of the time, it is not a mystery problem. It is simply...

Amending Clay Soil for Perennial Gardens

If you garden in clay, you already know the two moods it comes with: brick-hard when it is dry, and sticky enough to steal your shoe when it is wet. I have gardened in more than one yard where a trowel felt like a joke in spring, and then by July the bed cracked like pottery. The good news is that...

Preparing Perennials for Winter

Every fall, I get the same urge to “tidy everything up” before winter arrives. It feels productive, like tucking the garden into bed. But with perennials, the best winter prep is a mix of restraint and a few well-timed chores. Some plants truly appreciate a haircut and a cozy mulch blanket. Others...

Chelsea Chop and Deadheading for More Perennial Blooms

If you have ever watched a perennial border go from “wow” to “womp” in the span of a hot week, you are not alone. Tall stems lean, flowers fade, and suddenly your early-summer stars look tired. Two simple pruning techniques can flip that script: the Chelsea chop and deadheading . They sound a...

Black-Eyed Susan Varieties and Care

Black-eyed Susans are the kind of summer flower that make you feel like you did something right, even if all you did was plant them and remember to water once in a while. The trick to continuous color is choosing long-lived, repeat-blooming Rudbeckia (not just whatever is labeled “black-eyed...

Bleeding Heart Care Guide

Bleeding heart has a special kind of spring magic. One week your shade bed is mostly sleepy mulch and emerging hosta noses, and the next you have arching stems strung with pink heart-shaped blooms like tiny lanterns. It is also one of the easiest “woodland look” perennials to grow once you...

Astilbe Growing Guide

Astilbe is one of those plants that feels like a small miracle the first time you grow it. You look at a damp, shady spot where other perennials rot or refuse to bloom, and astilbe just settles in and starts sending up feathery plumes like it owns the place. I fell for astilbe the hard way, by...

Growing Hostas: Varieties, Shade Care, and Slug Control

Hostas are the perennial I recommend when someone tells me, with a sigh, “Nothing blooms or looks happy in my shade.” I used to think of hostas as background plants too, until I watched how they quietly anchor a bed from spring unfurling to fall frost. The right variety can glow in morning light,...

Mastering Peonies in Zones 3-8

Peonies have a special kind of loyalty. Once they are settled, they come back every spring like they own the place, often blooming better with age. But they are also wonderfully picky about three things: how deep you plant them, whether you give those dinner-plate blooms a little backup, and how...

Echinacea Care 101: Planting and Growing Coneflowers

Echinacea, better known as coneflower, is one of those perennials that earns its keep. It laughs at heat, handles dry spells once established, and pulls in bees and butterflies like it is hosting a neighborhood block party. If you have ever wanted a flower bed that looks cheerful without needing...

About Eliza Robbins

Hi, I’m Eliza Robbins, and I’m so glad you’re here. If you’ve ever stood in the garden center holding a plant tag like it’s a tiny riddle, wondering if you’re about to make a great choice or an expensive mistake, you’re in the right place. Bloom Perennial was built for real-life gardeners who want...