All perennial flower gardens require some maintenance to keep them from becoming over grown. Whether you are using cultivated perennials or wildflowers when you are working in a small space it is especially important to choose plants that are not aggressive. Wildflowers have a reputation for being weedy or invasive; we object to both of these terms. A weed is described in the dictionary as a useless or undesirable plant and wildflowers are neither of these things.  To invade is to enter and spread without permission which wildflowers might do but so might just about every other type of plant when the circumstances are right. Certainly some wildflowers are aggressive growers and when used in the wrong location could create a problem, but use them in the right situation and they will grow and be beautiful with very little assistance. It comes down to using the right plant in the right place.
  
Most perennials use more than one method to spread themselves around. These methods include: rhizomes, spreading root crowns, runners, freely rooting stems, bulbs and of course seeds. A plant that propagates by seed alone can usually be easily controlled in a few minutes at the right time with a pair of garden shears. Plants that spread by runners or rhizomes can be more difficult to contain and if they are aggressive growers they can choke out other plants and should not be used where space is at a premium.  When gardening in small spaces choosing size appropriate plants that are slower growing will make your garden easier to maintain. If you have any questions or concerns about plant selection for your site send us an email or give us a call and we will do our best to answer them for you.