Create stunning perennial gardens that bloom year after year with expert planting from Greenlawn Inc. Serving Columbia and Howard County since 1986.
Expert perennial selection and planting for Columbia properties
Call for FREE ConsultationPerennials are the backbone of beautiful, low-maintenance Columbia gardens. Unlike annuals that require replanting every year, perennials return season after season, growing larger and more impressive with time. Well-chosen perennials provide years of color and interest while requiring less maintenance than traditional annual beds.
At Greenlawn Inc, we've been designing and planting perennial gardens throughout Columbia and Ellicott City since 1986. Our 39 years of experience means we know which perennials thrive in Maryland's challenging climate with hot humid summers and variable winters. We create gardens that provide three-season interest, require manageable maintenance, and improve year after year as plants mature.
These proven perennials excel in Maryland gardens:
The workhorse of Howard County gardens, daylilies tolerate heat, drought, and neglect while providing weeks of color in summer. Available in countless colors and bloom times, daylilies are virtually indestructible once established. They thrive in full sun to part shade and multiply reliably, filling in beds quickly.
Perfect for Columbia's shaded areas under mature trees, hostas offer incredible foliage variety from tiny miniatures to massive specimens. These shade-loving perennials provide texture and structure through summer, with many varieties producing attractive flower spikes. Hostas are deer-resistant and extremely hardy in Maryland.
These native perennials are perfectly adapted to Howard County conditions. They handle heat, humidity, and drought while attracting butterflies and bees. Black-eyed Susans provide cheerful yellow flowers through summer, while coneflowers offer purple, white, or orange blooms. Both self-seed gently, filling in gaps naturally.
Karl Foerster grass, maiden grass, and switchgrass add movement, texture, and year-round interest to Columbia gardens. These tough perennials handle Maryland's weather extremes beautifully. Grasses provide vertical accents, screen views, and look stunning through winter when other perennials have died back.
'Autumn Joy' sedum and similar varieties offer three-season interest: attractive foliage in spring, pink flower clusters in late summer, and russet seed heads through winter. Sedums are extremely drought-tolerant once established and require almost no maintenance in Howard County gardens.
Successful perennial establishment depends on proper planting timing:
Fall is actually the best time for perennial planting in Columbia. Cool temperatures reduce transplant stress while soil remains warm enough for root establishment. Perennials planted in fall develop extensive root systems over winter and explode with growth the following spring. Fall-planted perennials are stronger and more drought-tolerant their first summer than spring-planted specimens.
Spring planting works well for most perennials, especially those that bloom in late summer or fall. Spring-planted perennials have the entire growing season to establish before winter. The key is planting early (April-early May) before summer heat arrives, giving plants time to develop roots before stress begins.
We avoid planting perennials during Maryland's hot summer months (June-August) unless absolutely necessary. Summer heat stresses transplants, requiring intensive watering and often resulting in setback or failure. If summer planting is unavoidable, we use larger pot sizes and provide extra attention during establishment.
Expert perennial garden design ensures constant interest:
Hellebores, bleeding hearts, and early-blooming salvias provide color in April and May. These perennials fill the gap between spring bulbs and summer flowers, ensuring your Columbia garden isn't empty while later perennials develop.
Daylilies, coneflowers, black-eyed Susans, phlox, and hostas carry the garden through Maryland's long summer. We select varieties with staggered bloom times, ensuring continuous color from June through August rather than everything blooming simultaneously for two weeks.
Sedum, asters, mums, and ornamental grasses shine in September and October. These late-season perennials extend garden interest into fall when many landscapes have faded. Fall color is especially valuable in Howard County where pleasant weather often continues through October.
Professional planting ensures long-term success:
Perennials need room to reach mature size. A common DIY mistake is planting too closely, creating crowded beds that require division within 2-3 years. We space perennials appropriately for their mature spread, accepting that new gardens look sparse initially but will fill in beautifully as plants mature.
Most perennials should be planted at the same depth they grew in their containers—crown level with soil surface. Planting too deep suffocates crowns, while planting too shallow exposes roots. Proper depth is critical for establishment and long-term health.
We amend Howard County's clay soil with compost and organic matter, creating conditions where perennials thrive. Good soil preparation pays dividends for years as plants establish and spread. Learn more about our complete garden bed installation services.
Expert design and planting for Columbia properties
Schedule Your ConsultationWhile perennials are lower-maintenance than annuals, they do require care:
Cut back last year's dead foliage in early spring before new growth emerges. This cleanup removes winter debris and makes way for fresh growth. It's also the perfect time to divide overcrowded perennials.
Removing spent flowers extends bloom periods for many perennials and keeps gardens looking fresh. Some perennials like daylilies benefit from regular deadheading, while others can be left to develop attractive seed heads for winter interest.
Most perennials benefit from division every 3-5 years. Division rejuvenates plants, controls spread, and provides free plants to expand gardens or share. We offer professional division services as part of our garden maintenance programs.
Perennials are plants that return year after year from the same root system, while annuals complete their entire life cycle in one season and must be replanted annually. Perennials typically die back to the ground in winter and emerge from their roots each spring, growing larger and more impressive with age. While annuals often provide more continuous bloom throughout the season, perennials offer better long-term value, requiring less replanting effort and expense. Many successful Columbia gardens combine both—perennial structure and reliable performers supplemented with annual color in key spots for maximum seasonal interest.
Most perennial gardens take 2-3 full growing seasons to reach their full potential. The first year, perennials focus on root establishment and often look small and sparse. The second year, they grow more vigorously but still haven't reached mature size. By the third year, properly spaced perennials fill in beautifully, creating the lush, abundant look most gardeners envision. There's an old saying: "First year they sleep, second year they creep, third year they leap." This natural progression is why we space plants for mature size rather than planting densely for immediate impact. Patience during establishment pays dividends in long-term garden quality.
Most individual perennial varieties bloom for 3-6 weeks rather than continuously all season like many annuals. However, expert garden design sequences perennials with different bloom times to create continuous color from spring through fall. For example, we might plant early summer daylilies, mid-summer coneflowers, and late summer sedum to ensure something is always in bloom. Some perennials like daylilies can be selected in different varieties that bloom at different times, extending the overall flowering period. If constant, dense bloom is critical, many Howard County homeowners choose perennial gardens for structure supplemented with strategic annual plantings in high-visibility areas.
Deer are a significant challenge throughout Howard County, but many perennials are naturally deer-resistant due to fragrant foliage, fuzzy texture, or bitter taste. Reliable deer-resistant perennials for Columbia gardens include salvia, lavender, Russian sage, catmint, lamb's ear, ornamental grasses, and most ferns. Hostas, unfortunately, are deer candy and will be heavily browsed unless protected. It's important to understand that no plant is completely deer-proof when deer are hungry enough, especially during winter. However, building gardens around deer-resistant perennials dramatically reduces damage and frustration. We can design gardens specifically for deer-prone properties using proven resistant varieties.
Many perennials thrive in shade, making them perfect for Columbia properties with mature tree canopies. Excellent shade perennials include hostas (in dozens of varieties), ferns, hellebores, astilbe, bleeding hearts, solomon's seal, and coral bells. These plants evolved in woodland environments and actually prefer shade to full sun. Shade gardens can be just as colorful and interesting as sunny borders—they just use different plants. In fact, many gardeners find shade perennials easier to maintain than sun-lovers since shade reduces water stress during Maryland's hot summers. We specialize in designing beautiful shade gardens that turn challenging shaded areas into landscape assets.
Most perennials benefit from division every 3-5 years, though timing varies by species. Signs that perennials need division include declining vigor, smaller flowers, dead centers with growth only around edges, or plants that have grown too large for their space. Division rejuvenates plants and provides free plants to expand gardens or share. Spring-blooming perennials are typically divided in fall (September-October), while summer and fall-blooming perennials are divided in early spring (April). Some perennials like peonies rarely need division and resent disturbance, while others like daylilies tolerate frequent division. Our garden maintenance services include professional division when needed.
Create a beautiful perennial garden that returns year after year with expert planting from Greenlawn Inc. Our 39 years serving Columbia and Howard County means we understand which perennials thrive in Maryland's climate and how to design gardens that provide three-season interest with manageable maintenance.
Call us today for a free consultation at your property. We'll assess your conditions, discuss your preferences, and design a perennial garden tailored to your Columbia property. Whether you're starting fresh or renovating existing beds, we have the experience and plant knowledge to create gardens you'll love for years.
Fall and spring are perfect planting seasons
Call for FREE Consultation
Creating beautiful Columbia gardens since 1986
Family Owned · Expert Plant Selection · Professional Installation
About Greenlawn Inc: Since 1986, Greenlawn Inc has provided professional garden design, perennial planting, and landscape maintenance to homeowners throughout Columbia, Ellicott City, and Howard County, Maryland. Our experienced team specializes in selecting and planting perennials that thrive in Maryland's climate, creating beautiful gardens that improve year after year.