Care & Guidance
Whilst you enjoy your perennials for their fantastic foliage or beautiful blooms, it's really the roots you're buying - because the roots allow the plants to come back every year. Use these tips to make sure your perennials get off to the right start.
Container grown perennials are easy to plant and commonly available. Start digging a hole that's a little wider but no deeper than the pot your new perennial came in. Loosen the roots, and spread them out if the plant has become rootbound* (*when roots start to grow in circles around the edge of the pot). Then firm the soil in around the roots and water well.
Planting Tips: water your perennials well after you plant them. Then lay a 2-3 inch deep layer of mulch over the soil around your new plants. The mulch will help the soil hold moisture and prevent weeds from growing. Give taller perennials such as delphiniums, holihocks and peonies support by staking them. Anchor single stems by inserting a rod or sturdy stick into the ground and tying the stem to it. Keep clump forming plants with multiple stems standing, by growing through a hoop. Regularly deadhead and divide your perennials to keep them healthy and looking beautiful.
Deadheading: simply means cutting the faded flowers off your plants. It makes your plants look better and it prevents them from setting seed so you don't have a mass of seedlings popping up in your garden.
Dividing: One of the best things about perennials is that they grow bigger and better each year. But many start to crowd themselves out if they get too big. Keep them performing well by digging them out of the ground and splitting them into smaller chunks every 3 or 4 years. Early spring and autumn are the best times to divide most perennials. A couple of exceptions include bearded iris and hosta: split these perennials in summer.
Watering: There's no one-size fits all rule for watering perennials. Some varieties stand up to drought and others need to be kept moist all the time. Keep your plants healthier and make watering a breeze by grouping plants in acccordance with their watering needs. No matter what perennials you're growing, be sure to keep them all well watered in the first year - that allows them to become well established.
Feeding: If you have rich soil or improve it with garden compost or other forms of organic matter on a regular basis, you probably won't need to feed your plants, But if you're burdened with poor soil, fertilising can be helpful. Take care not to over fertilise - this may make your plants flower less, suffer root injury, or even kill your perennials.
Winter Care: Perennials that are reliably cold hardy in your region shouldn't need any special winter care. But spreading a layer of mulch over them after the soil freezes can help prevent winter damage during an especially cold season. Many gardeners like to leave the dead stems of their perennials standing all winter, providing food for birds. Perennials can help to catch snow, which is one of the best winter mulches.
Daylily. A clump-forming perennial with handsome, sword-shaped, arching leaves. Large, gorgeous ribbed and ruffled, creamy blooms with pink edges and yellow-green throat. Height 75cm. Spread 60cm. Herbaceous. Harmful if eaten.
Daylily. A clump-forming perennial with handsome sword-shaped arching leaves. Creamy yellow flowers with dark purple halos and a green throat. Height 75cm. Spread 60cm. Herbaceous. Hardy.
Light the Way is a clump-forming, semi-evergreen perennial with narrow, strap-like dark green leaves and, in summer, slender, erect stems bearing large, fragrant, white flowers with pale green to yellow-green throats.
Daylily. Large 6-in, lavender-purple, ruffled flowers with dark purple centres and green-yellow eye zones. Blooms in midsummer and again from late summer to early fall. Grows 18-24 in. tall with a 24 in. Herbaceous. Harmful if eaten.
Daylily. Bright, bold blooms with a golden rim. Flowers early summer. Grows 18-24 in. tall with a 24 in. Herbaceous. Harmful if eaten.
A profusion of vibrant tangerine blossoms with slightly ruffled, recurved petals and soft green throats. Wow! Each flower, up to 7.5 in. Blooming in mid-late summer, this clump-forming deciduous perennial grows up to 34 in.
Wonderful deep bright red flowers with yellow highlights to shine in the dullest coldest conditions Jul-Aug, 95cm. Nice old-fashioned narrowish petals and the flowers self-clean.
Daylily. Full, creamy-peach flower with dark purple centre. Grows 18-24 inch tall. Herbaceous. Harmful if eaten.
Daylily. Large orange-gold trumpets with bright yellow throats. Height 45-60cm. Spread 60cm. Herbaceous. Deadhead for long lasting performance. Harmful if eaten.
Daylily. Light orange persimmon with great dark red purple eye and edge. Tetraploid (Heemskerk, 2012). 6 in.(15 cm) Bloom diameter. 27 in. Herbaceous. Harmful if eaten.
This beautiful selection features large, double cherry-pink and yellow flowers with a yellow ruffled edge. Rebloomer. Midseason. Plants do not usually require dividing for several years, but are easily split apart in fall or early spring. Spent flower stems can be trimmed back after flowers are finished. Remove old foliage in late autumn.
A compact, extra-fancy day-lily that's perfect for perennial gardens and containers. The flowers have wide, lavender-pink petals trimmed with yellow ruffles and are lit up by a glowing yellow-green throat. Blooms mid-season and re-blooms on and off right until frost.
This beautiful selection features large, double cherry-pink and yellow flowers with a yellow ruffled edge. Re-bloomer. Mid-season. Plants do not usually require dividing for several years, but are easily split apart in fall or early spring. Spent flower stems can be trimmed back after flowers are finished. Remove old foliage in late fall.
Sweet Rocket. A short-lived perennial with dark green leaves. Clusters of white flowers from early spring to mid-summer. Height 90cm. Spread 45cm. Good for bees and other pollinators.
Mound-forming, semi-evergreen to evergreen perennial bearing maple-like, lobed, bright green leaves, marked maroon in the centre. Slender stems bear panicles tiny, bell-shaped, white flowers from late spring into summer.
A bright red leaved form that flares up to scarlet flashes from Autumn through to Spring, stunning contrast. Cherry red in Summer.
Huge, burgundy leaves with a touch of silvering and deeper purple veins. This plant is a Heuchera villosa hybrid. The villosa species is a large, late blooming type that exhibits an increased tolerance of high heat and humidity over other species.
The foamy bell 'Bella Notte' has a dark-green foliage. Foamy bells can be used in many ways. Besides the flowers, the leaves also have a distinctive shape and intensive colouration. They are a valuable source of nectar. Airy, light-pink inflorescences stand above the darkly coloured foliage.
An amazing new variety with rich pink leaves with red veins and loose panicles of cream flowers in May and throughout summer. Looks amazing in containers or planted en masse in a border.
The ruffled leaves have a soft peach colour in the spring and fall and are bright orange with a touch of red during the summer. Taller shoots of white coloured flowers appear on this variety in late spring.
Perennial forming a dense evergreen mound of heavily ruffled purple-black leaves with a maroon reverse, over-topped in late spring into summer by slender dark purple stems bearing clusters of tiny cream-white flowers, loved by bees and butterflies. Mature height and spread in 2-5 years, 40cm x 40cm.
A fancy version of Green Spice. Beautifully blended reds and greens are accented by super ruffly margins. Grows best with just a little dappled sunlight.
Smooth, deep chocolate back foliage topped with bright cherry-red flowers, that give fabulous contrast. Excellent habit and showy flowers are a great addition to any perennial foliage line up. Medium sized plant that's great in containers and borders. Tough and great for a sunny location.
The curled and crinkled leaves begin deep burgundy, maturing to deep purple-black. Short sprays of small white bell flowers rise taller in summer. Wonderful in the garden or in mixed containers. Trim off any withered or tired-looking leaves in spring.
Heuchera in miniature. A smaller variety with Caramel coloured foliage. Covered in pretty, mellow creamy-yellow flowers.
Sumptuous amber, golden foliage with a silvery white veil that changes through the season. Elegant white coloured flowers on maroon stems adorn the plant in summer. Prefers full sun with free-draining soil or compost.
Coral Flower. Glossy foliage changing colour with the onset of cooler temperatures. The deeply cut, maple-shaped leaves begin caramel, changing to a rose-red for the fall and stay attractive all winter in warmer regions. Sprays of small white flowers appear in late spring. Tolerates hot, humid summer regions.
This is the first red to black Heuchera. Fabulous foliage which changes with the season's, red in Spring, black in Summer, and maroon in Autumn. Beautiful white flowers on dark stems hovering just above the foliage. Easy to grow. Loved by the bees.
Coral young leaves mature to a lovely apricot colour and provide colour almost all year round. Grow in full sun in neutral, moist but well-drained soil.
Coral Flower. Caramel coloured undulating leaves small white flowers in cylindrical heads late July-Sept. Height 25cm. Spread 50cm. Hardy.
Beautiful, heavily lobed leaves with warm coral-red and rich golden tones on red hot stems. Frothy clusters of tiny flowers cap the very compact mound in late spring to early summer. Great colour for heating up a rock garden or a mixed container.
Soft copper coloured foliage and bears small green and yellow flowers on slender stems during summer.
Coral Flower. A mound of glossy red-purple leaves with pewter markings. Evergreen 55cm.
Deep purple/black foliage topped with masses of pink flowers. Grow in full sun or part shade in neutral, moist but well-drained soil.
Sumptuous amber, peachy, champagne-golden foliage with a silvery white veil that changes through the season. Elegant peachy coloured flowers on maroon stems adorn the plant in summer. Prefers full sun with free-draining soil or compost.
Clump-forming, mounded, semi-evergreen to evergreen perennial with rounded, lobed, reddish-brown leaves and slender, wiry, dark red stems bearing open panicles of small, red flowers from late spring into summer.
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