Use SFG approach in perennial flower bed?

cjrweb 4/14/2012, 11:09 pm

Hi,

I did my first SFG last summer and loved having nearly zero weeds. We are hoping to put in a perennial flower border in front of the house this summer. I was thinking of just digging 6 in down, covering with weed cloth and filling with MM and planting my flowers in there. Any thoughts on this? Can perennials thrive in only 6 in of soil? Will they come back every year?

Thanks.

Goosegirl 4/15/2012, 7:32 am

cjrweb wrote:Hi,

I did my first SFG last summer and loved having nearly zero weeds. We are hoping to put in a perennial flower border in front of the house this summer. I was thinking of just digging 6 in down, covering with weed cloth and filling with MM and planting my flowers in there. Any thoughts on this? Can perennials thrive in only 6 in of soil? Will they come back every year?

Thanks.

Absolutely give it a try! Most perennials do not have long taproots (hollyhocks are an exception, I know), and if they do, they will just force their way through the weed cloth eventually.

Take before and after pics (and during Very Happy

) - we LOVE pics!

GG

PS - I see you are in ND. What section of the state? I am in the far NE corner of SD.

**camprn** 4/15/2012, 9:32 am

cjrweb wrote:Hi,

I did my first SFG last summer and loved having nearly zero weeds. We are hoping to put in a perennial flower border in front of the house this summer. I was thinking of just digging 6 in down, covering with weed cloth and filling with MM and planting my flowers in there. Any thoughts on this? Can perennials thrive in only 6 in of soil? Will they come back every year?

Thanks.

I do this and also add a bit of wood ash, bone meal and dried blood. I do not usually add vermiculite or perlite to native soil flower beds I am amending. The perennials wil perform beautifully. Top dress with homemade compost for regular brilliance every year. when the plants get big you can lift and split them then make bore beds or trade with gardening friends for different plants. Very Happy

kittykat 4/15/2012, 9:40 am

My perennial beds are definitely benefiting from my SFG experience. I haven't gotten to the point of making SFG beds for them, but they are getting an extremely healthy top dressing of my 5-composted-manure mix this year. I have a few beds where the soil is terrible - almost all sand - and yet the perennials survive. Can't wait to see what a little love will do for 'em!

Use SFG approach in perennial flower bed? 274447

Use SFG approach in perennial flower bed? 274447

**Josh** 4/15/2012, 10:22 am

Last year my mom assigned me the task of converting her perennial flower garden over to SFG, the same as we do with a SFG vegetable garden, including a grid. I dug up all the flowers, made the SFG boxes and mix, then replanted them. They did really good last year, but this year my mom said the plants have never looked so good. Some things are starting to bloom now. What she likes best is no weeds!

landarch 4/15/2012, 10:27 am

Any bed will get weeds after they blow into the MelsMix after a year or so. Some perennials thrive in native soils to there may not be a need to go through the cost of Mels Mix.

Perennials may also re-seed so there may be a little maintenance in the future removing unwanted volunteers.

kittykat 4/15/2012, 11:00 am

The unwanted volunteers are my favourite part of perennial gardening! I love to see the same plants blooming at the same times in all the areas of my yard. I'm always moving volunteers into places that need more colour as the season goes on... Plus - I LOVE free plants! LOL... And when I have too many volunteers, it's not hard just to toss them - I know there are more coming!

Use SFG approach in perennial flower bed? 274447

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