Just bought some garden ready perennials. Should I plant them apart at their final spread distance, for example 24" apart, or closer together to have less bare soil.
Are you sure they’re garden ready and the company are not just saying that? I’ve bought garden ready and potted them on and on…. They stand a better chance of coping with weather and slugs than when they are small. if you really do want to plant them out then plant at the recommended distance so they have room to grow and spread.
Gardening on the wild, windy west side of Dartmoor.
For me "garden ready" would be filling at least a 1 litre pot, preferably bigger (I often grow them on to 2 or even 3 litres for home-grown perennials from seed or divisions), and I'd plant them at the final spacing.
Doncaster, South Yorkshire. Soil type: sandy, well-drained
I tend to plant quite closely to avoid bare patches of soil and weeds. The good thing about perennials is that you can move them quite easily in autumn or spring and divide them if they’re getting too big for your space. Their growth rate will depend on your soil, aspect and climate, and other factors!
I don't like empty ground either, but as far as spacing perennials goes, it's exactly as @Plantminded says - they perform differently depending on your site and conditions. It also depends on the plant itself. I could buy certain plants in spring, in small pots [3 inch] and let them grow on for a month or two to fill the pots, then plant out later in summer. That will certainly depend on the type of plant, whereas many others would benefit from potting on again and planting out the following year. As an example, I bought a new Aquilegia last year, and it was treated as I describe - flowering beautifully this year, and has grown a huge amount. Something a little fussier, and less tough, wouldn't have done so well
It's a place where beautiful isn't enough of a word....
I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
Having been here as a beginner in the not-too-distant past, I'd personally err on the side of leaving a decent gap between plants and fill the gaps with annuals if you want.
Some herbaceous plants really do get wider than you initially expected after 2/3 years. If they're particularly happy, well past the estimated width on the labels on occasion.
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Billericay - Essex
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I’ve bought garden ready and potted them on and on…. They stand a better chance of coping with weather and slugs than when they are small.
if you really do want to plant them out then plant at the recommended distance so they have room to grow and spread.
It also depends on the plant itself. I could buy certain plants in spring, in small pots [3 inch] and let them grow on for a month or two to fill the pots, then plant out later in summer.
That will certainly depend on the type of plant, whereas many others would benefit from potting on again and planting out the following year. As an example, I bought a new Aquilegia last year, and it was treated as I describe - flowering beautifully this year, and has grown a huge amount. Something a little fussier, and less tough, wouldn't have done so well
I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
Some herbaceous plants really do get wider than you initially expected after 2/3 years. If they're particularly happy, well past the estimated width on the labels on occasion.
Thanks.