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 flower colour of this glorious perennial is quite simply breath-taking. From late summer to late autumn, 30cm long upright spikes carry sumptuously coloured purple-blue flowers, which are held at their bases by near-black calyces This is a vigorous plant, but it is not fully hardy, so it will need some protection in winter. Therefore, it is ideally suited to grow near a sheltered, south facing wall.
A shrubby perennial or evergreen shrub with deep green leaves. Spikes of deep blue flowers from late summer to early autumn. Height 90-120cm. Spread 60-90cm. Flowers from June to September. Evergreen. Not hardy. Protect from winter wet.
A shrubby perennial or evergreen shrub with pale green leaves. Spikes of cerise-pink flowers from mid-summer to autumn. Height 1m. Spread 1m. Flowers from July to October. Evergreen. Frost hardy. Protect from winter wet.
Pale-pink flowers from June - October. The plant is suitable for Tubs and Pots or can be grown amongst perennials in Herbaceous Borders.
Masses of hot red flowers, in contrast with dark purple-green stems and leaves. It's more tolerant of coastal conditions than other salvias, and can also stand a bit of shade. The flowers are extremely attractive bees and other pollinators.
This salvia flowers with spikes of violet-blue from June to October and is a magnet for butterflies and bees. The grey-green, aromatic foliage also makes an attractive accent in the summer border.
A dwarf perennial with greyish green leaves. Deep violet-blue flowers from mid-summer to early autumn. Height 45cm. Spread 60cm. Flowers from July to September. Herbaceous. Hardy.
A tuberous perennial with hairy mid-green leaves. Large pale blue flowers from mid-summer to mid-autumn. Height 45-60cm. Spread 45cm. Flowers from July to October. Herbaceous. Tender perennial.
Salvia uliginosa is a robust herbaceous perennial to 2m, with slightly sticky lance-shaped leaves and branched stems bearing short spikes of 2-lipped, clear blue flowers 2cm in length from late summer. Height 2m, Spread 90cm.
Rich purple flowers from mid-summer, flowering for a long period. Pale olive green foliage with an upright growth habit.
Deep Purple flowers cover these tough plants from early spring to frost.
Herbaceous perennial to 1.2m. The leaves have oval leaflets with jagged edges and the rose pink, bottlebrush flowers are carried on thin upright stems from late summer to mid-autumn.
Long, maroon spikes of small flowers, like bottle-brushes, sit on slender, willowy stems above a clump of deeply divided, grey-green leaves, tinted red. Height 1.5m. Spread 50cm.
Mat-forming semi-evergreen perennial, with grey-green foliage reaching a height of 35cm. It displays five-petalled pink blooms throughout summer and autumn on hairy stems.
Bronze tinged foliage and rich deep red flowers in the autumn.
Profuse heads of large pink flowers Sep-Nov, red-backed rounded green fleshy foliage, 20cm.
Tall sturdy habit with large double flowers in a wide range of colours. Height 90 cm. Hardy Annual.
Pincushion Flower. A clump-forming perennial with grey-green leaves. Pretty large blue flowerheads from mid to late summer. Height 60cm. Spread 60cm. Flowers from July to August. Herbaceous. Hardy.
Pincushion Flower. A clump-forming small variety of this perennial with soft lilac blue flowers from early to late summer. Height 60cm. Spread 40cm. Flowers from July to August. Herbaceous.
Colossal, dazzling white flowers which have a tight ‘button’ effect in the centre and flowers around the outside, form a pleated, lacy edge on long, naked stems from early spring to the middle of summer. Prefers full sun, or partial shade with free-draining soil or compost.
Kaffir Lily. A pretty clump-forming perennial with sword-like bright green leaves. Spikes of white flowers in autumn. Height 60cm. Spread 30cm. Flowers from September to October. Herbaceous. Frost hardy. Shelter from cold drying winds.
Kaffir Lily. A sturdy variety, shorter than many others with distinctive light pink flowers that display deeper pink hues as the flower matures. Prefers full sun with free-draining soil or compost.
Kaffir Lily. A pretty clump-forming perennial with sword-like bright green leaves. Spikes of pale pink flowers in autumn. Height 50cm. Spread 30cm. Flowers from September to November. Herbaceous. Frost hardy. Shelter from cold drying winds.
This produces a wonderful array of white flowers which have a lovely pink tint, especially when in bud. This will make a full display in late summer and autumn on lush green foliage. Ideal Conditions: Prefers full sun, or partial shade with free-draining, ordinary, or chalky soil or compost. Possible Situation: Perfect for the border, raised bed or large container to create some height as well as adding form and texture to the garden situation.
The best white flowered "Kaffir Lily" also known as Hesperantha, this is a variety that is not too ungainly and tall, but forms neat clumps of linear green leaves that radiate cup-shaped flowers in late summer to autumn months.
Stonecrop. An alpine with rosettes of glaucous. green leaves. flushed red-bronze in autumn. Clusters of star-shaped. bright yellow flowers in summer. Height 5cm. Spread 20cm. Flowers from June to August. Evergreen. Hardy.
'Postman's Pride' is a new selection with very deep purple foliage. It is blue-purple, with a semi-upright habit. In late summer, deep purple buds open to pinkish-red flowers which turn burgundy in fall.
Ice Plant. A clump-forming perennial with upright stems of grey-green leaves. Dense clusters of starry bright pink flowers in late summer. Height 45cm. Spread 45cm. Flower colour Pink. Flowers from August to September. Herbaceous.
Ice Plant. A clump-forming perennial with upright stems of grey-green leaves. Dense clusters of starry dark pink flowers in late summer. Height 60cm. Spread 45cm. Flowers from August to September. Herbaceous. Hardy.
Sedum Honey Gold is deer and rabbit resistant and prefers to be grown in well-drained soil in sun or part shade. Sedum Honey Gold will thrive outside. Height 50cm. Spread 40-50cm.
Produces deep dusky pink flowers in late summer into autumn on this shorter grower. Usually strong enough not to need staking. A clump former at approx. 60cm tall. A richly coloured plant that contrasts well with other green foliaged plants giving later interest in any dry, sunny border. Needs sun and well-drained soiI.
Large, silvery white leaves have a soft, downy texture, which makes it ideal for a sensory garden, but it will also make an eye-catching feature for a border or pot where it will thrive in a hot, sunny spot. It quickly forms a good-sized clump and will become tolerant of drought once established. It also tolerates salt-laden winds, so will also flourish in a coastal setting.
A striking plant for the front of sunny borders or in pots. Tactile and architectural silver leaves. Mature plants have flower spikes with yellow daisy like flowers. Height 45 cm. Spread 60 cm. Flowers July - August. Hardy to minus -8 'C. Well drained soil in a sunny place.
An unusual umbellifer with fern-like, lacy, blue-green glaucous foliage with impressive flower heads of button-like white flowers that age to soft pink in late summer. Prefers full sun or partial shade in well drained soil.
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