Sunlight, Drainage & Placement: Setting Perennials Up to Thrive

by Grace Whitfeld 

Inspired by W. C. Egan’s “Preparing the Beds” ()

If soil is the foundation of a perennial garden, then placement is its architecture — the thoughtful shaping of where each plant will live, stretch, and bloom. Long before flowers appear, the garden’s success is determined by how well we understand the land itself: its light, its moisture, its slopes, its shadows, and its quiet preferences.

W. C. Egan, writing in 1912, had a gift for saying what many gardeners learn only through years of trial and error:

Some places are meant for perennials, and some simply aren’t.  

And knowing the difference is one of the gardener’s greatest strengths.

This post explores his timeless guidance — expanded and translated for today’s gardeners who want a perennial garden that feels natural, abundant, and deeply rooted in place.

🌞 Sunlight: The First and Most Generous Ingredient

Perennials are honest plants. They will tell you exactly how they feel about their location — sometimes with lush growth and generous bloom, sometimes with sulking stems and half‑hearted flowers.

Egan’s advice is simple and still true:

Give your perennials as much open sunlight as possible. ()

Most perennials are sun‑lovers by nature. They come from meadows, prairies, and open hillsides where light pours down freely. When we tuck them into dim corners or beneath heavy shade, they respond with:

• Weak, stretched stems

• Sparse blooms

• Increased susceptibility to disease

• A general look of exhaustion

Only a few early spring ephemerals — trilliums, hepaticas, Virginia bluebells — truly thrive in shade, and even they bloom before the trees leaf out.

If you want a perennial garden that feels vibrant and effortless, sunlight is your greatest ally.

💧 Drainage: The Quiet Factor That Makes or Breaks a Garden

Egan is wonderfully blunt about drainage:

Do not make a bed where water stands in winter. ()

Standing water is the silent killer of perennials. Roots suffocate. Crowns rot. Plants heave out of the soil during freeze‑thaw cycles. Even the hardiest species struggle.

Here’s how to recognize poor drainage:

• Soil stays wet long after rain

• Water pools in low spots

• Clay soil feels sticky and heavy

• Plants die mysteriously over winter

And here’s how to fix it:

• Raise the bed

• Add organic matter

• Improve soil texture

• Install tile drainage if needed (Egan strongly recommends this) ()

Good drainage doesn’t just prevent problems — it creates the conditions for deep, healthy root systems that support years of bloom.

🌳 The Truth About Trees: Friends at a Distance

Egan’s most memorable line in this chapter is also one of the most practical:

“A perennial and an elm cannot eat and drink out of the same dish.” ()

Large trees — especially elms, maples, and willows — are relentless competitors. Their roots travel far, stealing moisture and nutrients from anything planted nearby. Even if the soil looks rich, the tree is quietly absorbing most of it.

If you plant too close to a tree, expect:

• Stunted growth

• Constant dryness

• Poor bloom

• Plants that simply disappear

If space forces you to plant near a tree, Egan offers a clever workaround:

• Each spring, cut deeply along the bed’s edge nearest the tree

• Pull out invading roots

• Repeat yearly ()

It won’t stop the tree forever, but it gives your perennials a fighting chance.

🏡 Where Perennials Thrive: The Best Spots in Any Yard

Egan encourages gardeners to place perennial beds where they naturally belong — not in the middle of the lawn, but along the edges where they frame and soften the landscape.

Ideal locations include:

• Along walkways

• Against the house

• Along property lines

• At the base of fences

• In long, sweeping borders

These placements create structure, guide the eye, and allow the lawn to remain open and spacious — a principle that still shapes modern garden design.

🌿 Bed Shape: Let the Garden Flow, Not Fight

Egan had strong feelings about bed shapes, and honestly, he’s right.

Avoid:

• Fancy geometric shapes

• Tight, fussy curves

• Center‑of‑the‑lawn islands

• Beds that make mowing difficult

Choose:

• Long, gentle curves

• Soft, undulating lines

• Broad bays and subtle promontories

• Straight lines only where architecture demands it ()

A perennial border should feel like a natural extension of the land — not a rigid diagram drawn with a compass.

🌸 Height, Grouping & Rhythm: Designing With Intention

Egan’s placement advice goes beyond sunlight and soil. He understood the importance of visual rhythm — the way plants relate to one another in height, form, and grouping.

Height

• Tall plants at the back (or center of an island bed)

• Medium plants brought forward occasionally to avoid stiffness

• Low plants at the front

Spacing

• Most perennials: 18 inches apart

• Large perennials (like peonies): 3 feet apart

• Slender varieties: 12 inches apart ()

Grouping

Egan strongly encourages planting in groups of four, six, or more.

A garden of singletons looks spotty; a garden of clusters looks intentional and abundant.

He even suggests planting groups in pear‑shaped formations, allowing one group to tuck behind another for a natural, layered effect.

🌱 When the Garden Is Seen From All Sides

Detached beds — those visible from every angle — require a different approach:

• Tall plants in the center

• Medium plants radiating outward

• Low plants forming a soft, welcoming edge

This creates a rounded, full, generous look that feels beautiful from any viewpoint.

🌤️ The Heart of Egan’s Placement Philosophy

At its core, Egan’s guidance is about respecting the nature of plants and the nature of place.

A perennial garden thrives when:

• Light is abundant

• Soil drains well

• Trees aren’t competing

• Beds follow the land’s natural lines

• Plants are grouped thoughtfully

• Height and spacing create harmony

When these elements come together, the garden feels effortless — not because it required little work, but because the work was done with understanding.