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.
The Chinese dwarf banana also known as the golden lotus banana. The plant is native to the Yunnan province China, where it grows high in the mountains up to an altitude of 2500m. It is known for its yellow erect flower generally appearing during the second year of cultivation, that can last a few months.
One of the best Nepeta we have ever seen, as it is absolutely smothered in sky blue flowers over silvery green mounds of foliage. Prefers full sun with free draining soil or compost.
Catmint. A vigorous perennial with aromatic light grey-green leaves and abundant lavender-blue flower spikes. Height 90cm. Spread 60cm. Flowers from June to August. Herbaceous. Hardy.
Catmint. A clump-forming perennial with aromatic green leaves and pure white flowers in summer. Height 30cm. Spread 45cm. Flowers from June to August. Herbaceous. Hardy.
Catmint. A clump-forming perennial with aromatic green leaves and mauve-blue flowers in summer. Height 30cm. Spread 45cm. Flowers from June to August. Herbaceous. Hardy.
Sun loving herbaceous perennial with large blue flowers with a compact habit. Very free flowering and will re-bloom if old flowers are removed.
Herbaceous perennial with lance-shaped leaves. In summer it bears single, yellow bowl-shaped flowers that open from reddish buds.
Evening Primrose. A spreading perennial with red flushed trailing stems and clusters of bowl-shaped bright golden yellow flowers from late spring to early autumn. Height 15cm. Spread 50cm. Flowers from May to September. Herbaceous. Hardy.
Evening Primrose. A spreading perennial with mid-green leaves. Saucer-shaped. very fragrant pink flowers from early summer to early autumn. Height 30cm. Spread 30cm. Flowers from June to September. Herbaceous. Hardy.
Navelwort. An evergreen perennial with lustrous leaves and pretty deep blue flowers in early spring. Height 25cm. Spread 40cm. Flowers from March to April. Evergreen. Hardy.
Patio plant that flowers all summer in a sunny position. Height 20cm.
A compact neat, clump-forming perennial with greyish green leaves and mauve-pink flowers with purple on the reverse and a purple eye. Height 20cm. Spread 60cm. Flowers from May to September. Evergreen. The hardiest of the osteospermums. Sheltered Site.
A subshrub with toothed bright green leaves and blushed white flowers with blue-mauve on the reverse and a navy blue eye. Height 30cm. Spread 30cm. Flowers from May to September. Evergreen. Sheltered Site. Hardy.
Upright, bushy, tender, evergreen perennial with linear, green foliage. In spring until autumn, it has bright pink-purple, daisy-shaped flowers that fade to dark red. The flower has a purple and yellow domed centre.
One of the best known hardy Osteospermum, sometimes called 'Nairobi Purple' - Green, mound forming, foliage with slightly red tinted stems. Flowers are purple with a slightly lighter reverse petal. This variety has distinctive veins running down the flower petals and dark eyes. Ideal Conditions: Prefers full sun with free-draining soil or compost. Possible Situation: Great if placed in the front of a dry, sunny border, or if established in a wall and allowed to creep and trail slightly.
Dark velvet trefoil foliage, almost black in colour with clean white flowers. Height 25cm. Flowers May to September. Perfect for combinations for early summer through to autumn when the lush foliage looks at its best. Prefers partial shade with free-draining soil or compost. Dies back over winter but may revive in spring if protected from frost.
A compact, spreading evergreen perennial with toothed, dark green leaves, tiny clusters of white flowers. Height 15cm. Spread 60cm. Flowers from June to July. Evergreen.
A spreading evergreen perennial with toothed, dark green leaves with attractive white margins, tiny clusters of white flowers. Height 25cm. Spread 60cm. Flowers from June to July. Evergreen. Hardy. Excellent groundcover in shade.
Paeonia ‘Coral Charm’ bears exquisite coral-pink, semi-double flowers on slender stems. It’s ideal for growing in a large, mixed border, and looks beautiful in a vase. For best results, deadhead ‘Coral Charm’ after flowering and mulch around the base of the plant annually, with well-rotted compost or manure.
Semi double blooms open a pink coral colour, then as they mature the colour changes to apricot and finally a soft yellow. With a mature plant holding flowers of all these shades simultaneously. This is one of the best of all peonies and no collection is complete without it. Early flowering, during May. Medium height growing to approx. 90cm.
Peony. A clump-forming perennial with deep green foliage and pretty, large double, ruffled pure white flowers. Height 75cm. Spread 75cm. Flowers from April to May. Herbaceous. Hardy. Sheltered Site.
Aristocratic peony with semi double or double flower with multiple layers of creamy buff petals with orange red flares. The blooms become increasingly more double as the plant gets older. The newly opening flowers have a distinct orange tint. Its a really bushy and leafy plant which looks healthy and glossy right up to the autumn frosts.
Intersectional peony, longer flowering than other peonies. Semi double apricot blooms with red tinged edges fading to deep yellow with red flares. This plant is absolutely sensational in full bloom. Deeply cut dark green leaves which look smart and healthy all summer long, turning red in autumn. Height 75cm. Spread 50cm. Very vigorous habit.
Ruffled white blooms that are flushed with lavender at the centre.
Unusual, rare and highly collectable; intersectional peonies flower for much longer than other types of peonies. 'Hillary' has stunning, huge semi-double rosette flowers of raspberry and apricot, turning cream as it matures.
Old Rose Dandy is an upright, bushy, herbaceous perennial with dark green leaves divided into nine elliptic or lance-shaped leaflets and, from late spring into summer, strong, erect stems bearing fragrant, semi-double, cupped, apricot to rose-pink flowers, marked crimson at the base of the petals.
Peony. A clump-forming perennial with mid-green, deeply cut foliage and pretty, large double, garnet red flowers. Height 75cm. Spread 75cm. Flowers from May to June. Herbaceous. Hardy. Sheltered Site.
Peony. A clump-forming perennial with mid-green foliage and pretty. Single large. bowl-shaped rose-pink flowers with a central boss of creamy yellow stamens. Height 90cm. Spread 80cm. Flowers from April to May. Herbaceous. Hardy. Sheltered Site.
Peony. Bright rosy red blooms, sometimes described as tyrian rose colour, are held on strong stems. The plants have a dense bushy habit with lustrous dark green foliage. Early to mid season. Medium height to around 90cm with a good upright habit.
Peony. A clump-forming deciduous perennial. Large double pink flowers. Flowers from May to June. Herbaceous. Hardy. Requires moist but well drained soil. Full sun or partial shade.
Peony. A clump-forming deciduous perennial. Large double red flowers. Flowers from May to June. Herbaceous. Hardy. Requires moist but well drained soil. Full sun or partial shade.
Peony. A clump-forming perennial with mid-green foliage and pretty, large double. loosely arranged, pure white flowers with crimson marks at the base of each petal. Height 90cm. Spread 80cm. Flowers from April to May. Herbaceous. Hardy. Sheltered Site.
Classic double light rose-pink flower with in-curved lighter pink central petals on light green foliage. Excellent cut flower. Any fertile, free draining soil in full sun or part shade in any sheltered position. Height 90cm. Spread 50cm. Easy to grow if in good soil.
An herbaceous, bushy perennial. Dark green divided foliage. Large, single, fragrant white flowers with ruffled petal edges central cluster of golden-yellow stamens. Height 80cm.
Peony. A clump-forming perennial with mid-green, deeply cut foliage and pretty, double, white and pink flowers. Height 100cm. Flowers from May to June. Herbaceous. Hardy. Sheltered Site.
Fragrant, semi-double coral pink flowers on an upright, bushy plant with glossy leaves. Like all peonies, it makes an excellent cut flower. For best results, grow 'Pink Hawaiian Coral' in rich, well-prepared soil in full sun.
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