With its feathery fronds and edible shoots, asparagus (Asparagus officinalis) works equally well as a decorative and useful garden plant. It grows best within U.S. Department of Agriculture plant hardiness zones 4 to 8, though it requires light shade in warmer regions to generate a palatable harvest of spears. Asparagus’ attractive chartreuse leaf adds height and texture to larger beds. But it must be planted with species that share the same cultural requirements to look and grow its very best.
Find a suitable planting site in a sunny bed with fast-draining dirt. Select a website with light shade at midday, if raising the asparagus in a climate with hot summers. Provide at least 6 square feet of space to accommodate the asparagus and its companion plants. Avoid websites with boggy soil or deep shade.
Prepare the planting site anytime from late winter to early spring. Weed the website and split the soil to your 12-inch depth using a rotary tiller. Utilize with a 6-inch-thick layer of compost to the soil using the rotary tiller or a cultivating fork. Water the bed to your 5-inch depth and allow the water soak in overnight before planting.
Plant the asparagus toward the rear of the bed so that it will work as a background for more colorful flowers. Make the planting hole as deep as the asparagus plant’s original nursery container and twice as wide. Remove the plant from its pot and spread the roots along the base of the hole. Backfill with the amended soil. Space multiple asparagus plants a minimum of three feet apart.
Water the asparagus plant to your 5-inch depth immediately after planting. Sprinkle 1 cup of 5-10-10 ratio fertilizer around the plant. Maintain the fertilizer at least 3 inches away from the base of the stems to prevent root burn. Work it to the top 4 inches of water and soil lightly to spread it into the dirt.
Surround the asparagus plant with perennial flower species which share similar cultural requirements, decent height and showy, contrasting blooms. Choose species such as beardlip penstemon (Penstemon barbatus), black-eyed Susan (Rudbeckia fulgida var. sullivantii “Goldsturm”) or purple coneflower (Echinacea purpurea “Kim’s Knee High”).
Space the companion plants depending on their mature height and spread to allow adequate air flow among the plants. Position flowers that need less water toward the front of the bed so they won’t be overwatered. Leave space near the asparagus plants so which you can harvest the spears as they seem.
Spread a 3-inch-thick layer of organic compost around the asparagus and companion plants to keep the soil moist and insulated against temperature extremes. Catch a 3-inch distance between the mulch layer and the base of the plants to allow moisture to evaporate from the dirt, which will help prevent mildew.
Water that the asparagus and surrounding plants to your 3-inch depth for your first year. Eliminate any weeds that seem because they will compete with the plants for nutrients. Decrease water to 1 inch per week after the plants are established. Withhold water during rainy or foggy weather.