How are our perennials actually produced?

A look behind the scenes of a traditional manufacturing product

As you’ve probably already noticed: I am passionate about perennials! They are simply the best garden plants for me. There are beautiful varieties, many of them have a long flowering period and are very robust. But the best thing is: nothing in the garden is as easy to care for as a perennial bed, provided it is well thought out and the perennials are suitable for the location.

It has long been time to give you an insight into how our perennials are actually produced. What many people don’t know is that these plants are genuine manufactured products. Three weeks ago, I visited our cooperative nursery in Lower Saxony and want to take you there today.

Perennials are herbaceous plants that develop new shoots every year, sometimes flowering for weeks or months before retreating back into the soil in the fall and winter months. The upper parts of the plant die back and all the energy goes into the roots to produce new shoots in spring.

Perennials can be propagated by seed or vegetatively using so-called mother plants. This method is very time-consuming, requires a lot of space and is no longer used by many nurseries.

In our cooperative nursery, over half a million perennials are produced every year, many of them via mother plant propagation. I had the opportunity to visit the large mother plant beds and it was impressive to see how incredibly beautiful these plants still bloomed in October.

So-called ornamental plants, which you often find in garden centers or hardware stores, are propagated exclusively by seed, unlike field-grown perennials. They are grown in greenhouses with a lot of chemical fertilizer to make them grow bushier with so-called stunting agents so that they are easier to transport.

I used to think that the bushy and small growth of these plants was due to the taste of customers who don’t like the wildness of long stems. I now know that it’s just a matter of efficient transportation in the truck.

Our perennials are completely free of these chemical stunting agents; if in doubt, they are simply pruned a little before shipping. This process strengthens rather than harms the growth of the shrub. Also, no chemical fertilizers are applied to our plants during the growing process. If there are any problems with pests such as aphids, beneficial insects are usually used to rid the perennials of the infestation.

However, the most important aspect of production is that they are cultivated entirely outdoors and not in a greenhouse. Only this method gives the perennial its true robustness and winter hardiness. Even the smallest plants are exposed to our climatic conditions right from the start. By acclimatizing to low temperatures and difficult climatic conditions, you can rely on the winter hardiness of our perennials.

Many plants in garden centers or hardware stores today are produced in such a way that they show as many flowers as possible at the time of sale so that the customer can grab them. They are often disappointed a few weeks later when everything has faded and won’t bloom anywhere near as profusely next year.

Our perennials usually arrive in a very unspectacular state. Mostly only a few leaves are visible, and depending on the time of year, possibly nothing at all. Time and again, we receive astonished questions from customers asking where the flowers are now.

However, the decisive quality feature is the very well grown root ball that you see when you lift the plant out of the pot. This is where all the plant’s strength lies. And if the perennial is given some time to take root in your garden, it will mature to its full beauty within one to three years when it flowers. So pay attention to the root ball. If there is little to be seen here and the soil is loose, you have not bought quality.

The best time to plant perennials is in the fall, i.e. right now, when it is cool and muddy outside. The soil is still warm from the summer, the amount of rain increases and the perennial can make itself comfortable and rest in the ground before it sprouts with full vigor the following year. I am always amazed at the incredible head start perennials have that are planted in the fall compared to those that are planted in the spring.

Perennials from genuine outdoor cultivation, mother plant propagation and the avoidance of chemical fertilizers – all this makes our perennials a genuine natural product. Compared to the price, the production is shockingly complex and only works if it is done in large quantities. In our cooperative nursery, perennials have been traditionally produced in this way for over 145 years now.

And I hope that this little insight will increase your appreciation of these wonderful plants!