We have lived in this house for 4.5 years now and I have been trying to get perennials to grow for 3 summers in a row. "some" have taken, the most have not.

Some die off rather quickly (like they never get established). Some seem OK in the fall, but dont' come back in the spring. Overall, I think I get a 30% success rate.

Am I doing something wrong? is it my soil? (it's quite clay-ish in the front yard), but not in the side yard).

Or is this typical?

For what has worked: tulips, crocus, Iris, Peonies, bleeding hearts, perennial hibiscus, salvia, day lilies, shasta daisy, some Japanese ferns, thyme, various sedum, and coreopsis. Bushes and trees have done fine that I've planted.

I have tried three years in a row to plant pin cushion plants - they never make it (though I think I might have ONE) this year.

I planted artemesia twos ago (and prune in spring, not fall) and it came back last year. So far I see no evidence of it this year - on all six plants (though perhaps it's a bit early. However, we had a harsh winter and maybe it died).

But I have tried SO MANY plants and every year I have these huge holes in the flower bed from where none of them grew back in. It's getting rather expensive!!!!

Your experience?

Hmmm well like nutrition this isn't a simple answer. What growing zone are you? Are you planting things for your zone? Do you have the shade things in shade the sunny things in the sun? Perennials are often picky to get started, need some TLC like water, et al but once they settle in they are hard as nails. Also some things that are labeled perennial are not, like for example foxglove/digitalis which is a biennial and the plant dies the second year (although frequently they self sow so if you aren't weeding then out they should come back).

The scabious, pin cushion flower, I have never had a luck with either. They prefer sun and will not tolerate wet soils they rot out. Artemisia will rot if they get too wet, too I used to have a lot and they died out.

Some things are easier than others... Anything else that didn't work? Clematis, peonies, all forms of iris Siberian, the tall bearded, day lilies are workhorses in my borders. Do you have any true lilies? They are marvelous things, all forms asiatics, oriental, the hybrids like the orienpets or LA hybrids, I like the trumpet Easter lily types as well. Hardy phlox is lovely later.

I love dahlias, they are not perennial but a few are real statement flowers. Do you sprinkle in some annuals? Zinnias, cosmos, sunflowers can be direct sown and are awfully pretty.

I love my garden.

Wah! I had typed up a long response and then accidentally hit the undo button. Ugh!

Basically, what you say grows for you also grows for me. I have those. But some things seem impossible and probably not worth the effort!

This winter was hard and wet it makes sense I lost some things, but still.

I live in Maryland and yes, I plant for the region, light conditions, etc. some plants are just not easy. I have a few where I planted 8 and one survived.

I'm a super-novice gardener but not that far from you geographically

I don't really know what I'm doing after a couple years of half-hearted attempts, but I suspect the issue is the danged clay soil. I have a very small front/side patch that is blessedly free of clay and things seem to thrive fine. OTOH, the entire backyard is clay-heavy and a vast wasteland. (The tree I planted there does seem to be doing OK, similar to your results.)

I haven't really engaged the issue in earnest yet, but I think we're going to have to rework the soil and put another top layer down if we want to turn the backyard around. For what it's worth (which is not much ). I think the issue is the clay.