Fair Use of this PDF file of Herbaceous Perennials Production: A Guide from Propagation to Marketing, NRAES-93 By Leonard P. Perry Published by NRAES, July 1998 This PDF file is for viewing only. If a paper copy is needed, we encourage you to purchase a copy as described below. Be aware that practices, recommendations, and economic data may have changed since this book was published. Text can be copied. The book, authors, and NRAES should be acknowledged. Here is a sample acknowledgement: ----From Herbaceous Perennials Production: A Guide from Propagation to Marketing, NRAES- 93, by Leonard P. Perry, and published by NRAES (1998).---- No use of the PDF should diminish the marketability of the printed version. This PDF should not be used to make copies of the book for sale or distribution. If you have questions about fair use of this PDF, contact NRAES. Purchasing the Book You can purchase printed copies on NRAES’ secure web site, www.nraes.org, or by calling (607) 255-7654. Quantity discounts are available. NRAES PO Box 4557 Ithaca, NY 14852-4557 Phone: (607) 255-7654 Fax: (607) 254-8770 Email: [email protected] Web: www.nraes.org More information on NRAES is included at the end of this PDF. Acknowledgments This publication is an update and expansion of the 1987 Cornell Guidelines on Perennial Production. Informa- tion in chapter 3 was adapted from a presentation given in March 1996 by John Bartok, professor emeritus of agricultural engineering at the University of Connecticut, at the Connecticut Perennials Shortcourse, and from articles in the Connecticut Greenhouse Newsletter, a publication put out by the Department of Plant Science at the University of Connecticut. Much of the information in chapter 10 about pest control was adapted from presentations given by Tim Abbey, extension educator with the Integrated Pest Management Program at the University of Connecticut, and Leanne Pundt, extension educator at the Haddam Cooperative Extension Center at the University of Connecticut, at the March 1996 Connecticut Perennials Shortcourse, and from presenta- tions by Margery Daughtrey, senior extension associate in plant pathology at the Long Island Horticultural Research Laboratory, Cornell Cooperative Extension. This publication has been peer-reviewed by the persons listed below. It was judged to be technically accurate and useful for cooperative extension programs and for the intended audience. The author is grateful for the comments provided by reviewers, as they helped to add clarity and depth to the information in this publication. • Raul I. Cabrera, Extension Specialist and Assistant Professor Nursery Crops Management Cook College, Rutgers University • Stanton Gill, Regional Specialist Nursery and Greenhouse Management University of Maryland Cooperative Extension • George L. Good, Professor Department of Floriculture and Ornamental Horticulture Cornell University • Leanne Pundt, Extension Educator, Commercial Horticulture Haddam Cooperative Extension Center University of Connecticut • David S. Ross, Extension Agricultural Engineer Department of Biological Resources Engineering University of Maryland • Thomas C. Weiler, Professor Department of Floriculture and Ornamental Horticulture Cornell University This book was edited and designed by Cathleen Walker, NRAES production editor. Special thanks to the Art Department in Ithaca, New York for preparing the illustrations in this book. Disclaimer Neither the authors nor NRAES guarantees or warrants recommendations or products discussed in this publi- cation. Use of a product name does not imply endorsement of the product to the exclusion of others that may also be suitable. On the Cover Clockwise from the upper left: (1) Quonset houses on Long Island, New York, uncovered for summer produc- tion with overhead watering. Ground cloth under the pots in houses and outside in container production areas helps control weeds. (2) Typical field production in the Great Lakes region of Ohio — plants are in rows in beds set up for mechanical cultivation. (3) This large, wholesale perennial nursery in Nebraska has display and trial beds in front of some of their many polyhouses. Shade cloth is placed over the plastic on the houses for cooler summer temperatures and for shade-requiring perennials. (4) These display beds in Ontario, Canada are well labeled, show mature sizes of perennials, and illustrate a monochromatic design. Cooperative Extension NRAES–93 Herbaceous Perennials Production A Guide from Propagation to mArketinG Written by Leonard P. Perry Professor University of Vermont Extension System Natural Resource, Agriculture, and Engineering Service Cooperative Extension PO Box 4557 Ithaca, New York 14852-4557 NRAES–93 July 1998 ©1998 by the Northeast Regional Agricultural Engineering Service All rights reserved. Inquiries invited. ISBN 0-935817-29-8 __________________________________________________ Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Perry, Leonard P. Herbaceous perennials production : a guide from propagation to marketing / written by Leonard P. Perry. p. cm. -- (NRAES : 93) Includes bibliographical references. ISBN 0-935817-29-8 (pbk.) 1. Perennials. 2. Floriculture. I. Title. II. Series: NRAES (Series) ; 93. SB434.P4755 1998 635.9'32'068--DC21 98-18961 CIP Requests to reprint parts of this publication should be sent to NRAES. In your request, please state which parts of the publication you would like to reprint and describe how you intend to use the reprinted material. Contact NRAES if you have any questions. Natural Resource, Agriculture, and Engineering Service (NRAES) Cooperative Extension, PO Box 4557 Ithaca, New York 14852-4557 Phone: (607) 255-7654 • Fax: (607) 254-8770 • E-mail: [email protected] ii About the Author Dr. Leonard Perry has been growing perennials in the United States for twenty-eight years, first in the South and later in the North. He has an undergraduate degree from Auburn University and graduate degrees from Cor- nell University. Dr. Perry has spent summers working in industry and at Longwood Gardens in Kennett Square, Pennsylvania. He has been with the cooperative extension system at the University of Vermont since 1981, working directly with the industry and region and touring peren- nial gardens and nurseries worldwide. Research during his tenure in Vermont has focused primarily on herbaceous perennials and has covered all aspects of perennial cul- ture, particularly overwintering and hardiness. At grower programs in the United States and Canada, Dr. Perry has shared what he has learned from industry and research, and this publication collects that information for the first time. iii Table of Contents LIST OF FIGURES .................................................................................................................................... x LIST OF TABLES ......................................................................................................................................xi INTRODUCTION .....................................................................................................................................1 About This Book ...........................................................................................................................................2 CHAPTER 1 STARTING A BUSINESS .........................................................................................................................3 What Can I Expect to Earn?.........................................................................................................................3 Will I Need to Work Full-Time? ..................................................................................................................3 Is There a Market for Perennials in My Area? How Can I Find a Niche? ....................................................4 I’ve Decided on a Perennial Business — What Now? ...................................................................................4 Where Can I Get Help with Financing and Business Decisions? ..........................................................4 What Kind of Business Should I Have? ..................................................................................................5 Which Perennials Should I Sell? .............................................................................................................5 If I Grow My Own Plants, Should I Grow Them in the Field or in Containers? ..................................5 How Do I Price My Plants? ....................................................................................................................5 Where Do I Get More Information? ............................................................................................................6 CHAPTER 2 SPECIES AND THEIR CHARACTERISTICS ......................................................................................7 Taxonomy and Nomenclature .......................................................................................................................7 Standards .......................................................................................................................................................9 Hardiness .................................................................................................................................................... 10 Potentially Harmful Perennials .................................................................................................................... 12 Invasive Perennials