So, I got tired of planting new flowers every dang year. You know how it is here in Tennessee – hot summers, sometimes weird winters. Annuals look nice for a bit, but then poof, they’re gone, and you’re doing it all over again next spring. I figured, gotta be a better way. That’s when I decided to really give perennials a shot.
Figuring Out What to Plant
First step was trying to figure out what would actually survive around here without needing constant babying. I’m no expert gardener, just want something that looks decent and comes back. I walked around the neighborhood, looked at what other folks had success with. Talked to a couple of people. Seemed like everyone had a different opinion, which wasn’t super helpful, honestly.
I did some basic looking around online, trying to find stuff listed for Zone 7, which is mostly where I am. Lots of fancy names popped up. I decided to stick with things that sounded tough.
Ended up making a short list of possibilities:
- Coneflowers (Echinacea) – Saw these everywhere, figured they must be tough.
- Black-Eyed Susans (Rudbeckia) – Same reasoning, they seem to pop up easily.
- Daylilies (Hemerocallis) – Heard they were pretty hard to kill.
- Hostas – For that shady spot by the porch where nothing else grows.
- Sedum ‘Autumn Joy’ – Looked interesting and drought-tolerant sounded good.
Getting Hands Dirty
Went down to the local nursery one Saturday morning. Felt a bit lost with all the choices, but I stuck to my list mostly. Grabbed a few decent-looking pots of Coneflowers, some Daylily clumps, a couple Hostas, and that Sedum.
Then came the real work. Picking the spots was easy enough, but digging? Man, that ground was hard. We’ve got that classic Tennessee clay soil, you know? It hadn’t rained in a bit, so it was like trying to chip away at brick in some places. Spent a good few hours just prepping the beds, digging holes bigger than the pots, trying to loosen up that awful clay. Mixed in some compost I had from the pile out back, hoping that would help give them a fighting chance.
Got the plants in the ground finally. Tried to remember the spacing advice on the little tags, but mostly just put them where they looked right. Watered everything really well afterwards. Felt pretty good, but also pretty tired. My back was definitely complaining.
Watching and Waiting
The next few weeks were mostly just watering, especially when we hit a dry spell. Kept going out there, checking on them like they were kids. Pulled a few weeds that tried to move in.
The Coneflowers seemed to settle in almost immediately. They barely wilted. The Daylilies looked a bit sad for a week or so, then they perked up. Hostas in the shade did okay too. That Sedum, though… one of them just didn’t seem happy. It never really took off like the others.
The Payoff (Mostly)
So, fast forward to now. It’s been a couple of seasons. The Coneflowers are champs. They come back bigger each year, tons of blooms. The Daylilies spread out nicely too, reliable flowers every summer. Hostas are doing their leafy thing in the shade, which is exactly what I wanted. The Black-Eyed Susans I added later are also doing great.
That one sad Sedum? Yeah, it didn’t make it through the first winter. The other one did fine, though. So, mixed results there, but mostly good.
Was it worth it? Yeah, I think so. It was definitely work upfront, especially fighting that soil. But now? It’s nice seeing them come back on their own. Less hassle than annuals for sure. It’s pretty satisfying seeing something you planted stick around and thrive, even with our crazy weather. Still learning, but it feels like progress.
