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.
A mat-forming, evergreen perennial with large, dark green leaves turning red in autumn and spikes of pink flowers turning red when mature. Height 25cm. Spread 50cm. Flowers from July to October. Evergreen. Hardy.
A mat-forming, evergreen perennial with dark green leaves turning red in autumn and spikes of pale pink flowers becoming darker when mature. Height 20cm. Spread 30cm. Flowers from July to October. Evergreen. Hardy.
Bistort. A clump-forming, semi-evergreen perennial with mid-green leaves and slender spikes of red orange flowers. Height 1.2m. Spread 1.2m. Flowers from July to September. Semi-evergreen. Hardy.
Bistort. A clump-forming, semi-evergreen perennial with mid-green leaves and slender spikes of black tipped, red flowers. Height 1.2m. Spread 1.2m. Flowers from July to September. Hardy.
A really nice, not over exuberant variety with long, fat spikes of rich red flowers carried on slender stems above large, mid-green leaves. Because the flowers are so big this makes more of an impact than other Persicarias. Not invasive.
Bistort. A clump-forming. semi-evergreen perennial with mid-green leaves and slender spikes of bright red flowers. Height 1.2m. Spread 1.2m. Flowers from July to September. Semi-evergreen.
Long red bottlebrush like flowers produced from summer onwards on relatively compact plants. Sunny well drained spot. Height 60-80cm. Hardy.
Bistort. A clump-forming semi-evergreen perennial with dark green leaves and short spikes of pink flowers. Height 1.2m. Spread 1.2m. Flower colour Red. Flowers from July to September. Hardy.
A clump-forming perennial with hairy mid-green leaves. white beneath and short spikes of fragrant pink flowers. Height 90cm. Spread 90cm. Flower colour Pink. Flowers from July to September. Semi-Evergreen. Foliage colour Green. Hardy.
Red Dragon' is a vigorous, spreading perennial with lance-shaped, purplish-green leaves with a bold central splash of purple bordered by a silver chevron marking and rounded clusters of tiny white flowers in late summer and autumn.
An upright perennial with multi-coloured foliage with v-shaped marks and loose spikes of green flowers turning red. Height 60-90cm. Spread 60-90cm. Flowers from August to September. Herbaceous. Hardy.
Jerusalem Sage. A mound-forming, shrub with grey-green leaves, woolly beneath and dark golden yellow flowers in early and mid-summer. Height 1m. Spread 1.5m. Flowers from June to July. Evergreen. Hardy. Sheltered Site.
Phlomis russeliana is a hairy perennial to 90cm in height, with large, ovate, rough-textured grey-green leaves. Stout stems bear whorls of hooded, soft yellow flowers 3cm in length.
Meadow Phlox. An erect perennial with narrow green leaves and fragrant, lilac-pink flowers in early and mid-summer. Height 90cm. Spread 45cm. Flowers from June to July. Herbaceous. Hardy.
Meadow Phlox. An upright herbaceous perennial with narrow foliage and dense panicles of fragrant white flowers with dark eyes in summer.
Meadow Phlox. An erect perennial with narrow green leaves and fragrant. lilac-pink striped white flowers in early and mid-summer. Height 90cm. Spread 45cm. Flower colour Lilac White Pink. Flowers from June to July. Herbaceous. Foliage colour Green. Hardy.
Perennial Phlox. An erect perennial with narrow green leaves and fragrant clusters of pink flowers in mid-summer and early autumn. Height 90cm. Spread 60-90cm. Flowers from July to September. Herbaceous. Hardy.
Upright perennial to 1.2m tall, with lance-shaped leaves and rounded heads of fragrant, dark-eyed violet-blue flowers in early summer.
Perennial Phlox. An erect perennial with narrow green leaves and fragrant clusters of pink flowers with a purple eye in mid-summer and early autumn. Height 90cm. Spread 60-90cm. Flowers from July to September. Herbaceous.
Compact, bushy mound-forming, herbaceous perennial with broadly lance-shaped, dark green leaves and, in summer, upright panicles of fragrant, pink flowers with darker pink eyes.
'David' forms fragrant, pure white flowers through summer and early autumn above slender, toothed mid-green leaves. Plant in fertile, humus-rich, moist but well-drained soil in partial shade.
Perennial Phlox. An erect perennial with green and cream variegated leaves. Fragrant clusters of pink flowers in mid-summer and early autumn. Height 90cm. Spread 45cm. Flowers from July to September. Herbaceous.
Summer Phlox is very popular for its midsummer display in the border.
Huge blooms release clouds of beautiful perfume in summer, and as Phlox are excellent as cut flowers this can be brought into the home too. Natural dwarf and disease resistant, they are happy in borders and containers with neat, compact upright foliage. Attractive to butterflies. Prefers well drained soil in sun or partial shade. Height 30cm. Spread 45cm. Hardy perennial.
Compact, dwarf, upright to bushy, clump-forming, herbaceous perennial with lance-shaped, mid to dark green leaves and bright panicles of light blue flowers in summer.
Compact, bushy mound-forming, herbaceous perennial with broadly lance-shaped, dark green leaves and, in summer, upright panicles of fragrant, pink flowers with darker pink eyes.
Compact, dwarf, upright to bushy, clump-forming, herbaceous perennial with lance-shaped, mid to dark green leaves and upright panicles of purple flowers in summer.
Compact, dwarf, upright to bushy, clump-forming, herbaceous perennial with lance-shaped, mid to dark green leaves and upright panicles of purple flowers in summer.
Huge blooms release clouds of beautiful perfume in summer, and as Phlox are excellent as cut flowers this can be brought into the home too. Naturally dwarf and disease resistant, they are happy in borders and containers with neat, compact upright foliage. Attractive to butterflies. Prefers well drained soil in sun or part shade. Height 30cm (12”). Spread 45cm (18”). Hardy perennial.
Magnificent heads of lavender pink flowers with petals that bleed into pure white centres. Plant them in borders close to paths and patios where you can catch their enchanting scent on warm summer evenings. Phlox flowers make wonderful cut flowers so you can enjoy them indoors too! Height: 90cm (36").
White with pink buds & eyes giving the effect of being blush pink. Real beauty, deliciously scented and compact.
Perennial Phlox. An erect perennial with narrow green leaves and fragrant clusters of pink-tinged. white flowers in mid-summer and early autumn. Height 75cm. Spread 30cm. Flower colour White. Pink. Flowers from July to September. Herbaceous. Foliage colour Green. Hardy.
Perennial Phlox. An erect perennial with green and white variegated leaves. Fragrant clusters of pale lilac flowers with a deeper lilac-pink centre in mid-summer and early autumn. Height 90cm. Spread 45cm. Flowers from July to September. Herbaceous.
Clump forming perennial with cream and dark green, variegated foliage. The upright stems are topped with large clusters of mauve-pink flowers in summer. The blooms are heavily perfumed, filling the air with a sweet fragrance.
Bold orangey, star-shaped flowers with dark orange-red centres smother this perennial during summer and early autumn. Its striking flowers will illuminate your beds and borders, perfect for adding that Cottage Garden feel to any planting scheme. They also make an excellent cut flower and have a light, distinctive fragrance.
Clump forming perennial with cream and dark green, variegated foliage. The upright stems are topped with Bi-coloured pink edged yellow flowers are produced from June-September. Dead head to prolong flowering. The blooms are heavily perfumed, filling the air with a sweet fragrance.
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