Roots
In many ways, the roots are the most important part of a perennial. When you buy a new perennial, you are mainly buying roots.
The most common root type found on perennials are fibrous roots. These roots form a general structure of food and water gathering fibres under the plant, fixing the plant in one place and securing it to the ground. Hostas, phlox, chrysanthemums and many other common perennials use this type of root system.
There are roots that are firm and tap down into the ground, creating small fine root hairs off the main tap root. An example of this would be a carrot, or a dandelion.
Rhizomes, such as those found on German irises, are not really roots at all. Instead, these are just glorified stems lying on the ground, rooting on their undersides. This is why these types of roots should not be fully buried.
Tubers are another kind of stem but these are found under the soil in earnest. A potato is an example of this type of root.
By discovering what type of root a perennial has you can glean important information about dividing and culturing your plants.
Crowns
The crown of a perennial is where the growth starts in the spring. When you divide a plant, you want to make sure that each new division has at least one crown. Protect the crowns of your plants from rot and from slugs and cutworms. This is your plants investment in the current year. Always plant the crown at the surface of the soil.
Some plants like to raise their crowns up above the soil over a period of years, and it's best to let them do that. An example of this is the Heuchera or alum root. Instead of moving the plant down so that the crown is again at the soil surface, simply mulch around the crown in the winter to protect the sides from frost.
Leaves
You can tell alot about a plant by the way the leaves look. Fuzzy leaves often indicate a plant that is used to hot, arid conditions. This fur protects the plant from hot sun and creates a humid layer on the leaf surface. Shiny leaves quite often grow in the shade. Large-leaved perennials are also often shade plants, making a large surface area to collect scarce sunlight with.
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