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 very pretty, unusual, autumn herbaceous perennials. Its grace and late flowering period make it a must for the garden. Fleshy leaves bear unusual greenish yellow sprays of flowers. Height and spread 20-30cm.
Masses of almost raggedy pure white flowers from October to December. A stunningly beautiful variety, excellent for extending colour in the garden. Prefers a sheltered semi shaded site. Height 30cm.
Profuse heads of large pink flowers Sep-Nov, red-backed rounded green fleshy foliage, 20cm.
Excellent ground cover for rockeries. A mat-forming saxifrage with white rosettes. Flowers in Spring. Height 20cm.
This superb variety will be smothered in attractive flowers all summer long! What's more, unlike many other varieties, it boasts a compact habit and rigid stems. Height 20-40cm (8-16"). A clump-forming perennial with purple flowers from mid to late summer.
The beautiful, denim-blue flowers are held on strong stems and are excellent as cut flowers, lasting well in water. Ideal Conditions: Prefers full sun, or partial shade with free-draining soil or compost. Possible Situation: Great for pots and rockeries or gravel gardens. This variety is perfect for adding flashes of rich, dark colour and depth to any display.
Pincushion flower. A clump-forming perennial with grey-green leaves. Pretty pale blue flowerheads from mid to late summer. Height 60cm. Spread 60cm. Flowers from July to August. Herbaceous.
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 sky blue flowers from early to late summer. Height 60cm. Spread 40cm. Flowers from July to August. Herbaceous.
Pincushion Flower. A clump-forming small variety of this perennial with soft lilac blue flwoers from early to late summer. Height 60cm. Spread 60cm. Flowers from July to August. Herbaceous. Hardy.
Large, vivid, violet pincushion flowers combined with a vigorous but low mounding habit. Very free flowering and blooms continuously from late spring to first frost. Quite mildew resistant compared to other Scabiosa. 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.
A beautiful variety with coral pink, star-shaped flowers in summer and autumn on tall 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.
Not often seen in gardens, this is a cousin to the Gladiolus, native to South Africa. Plants form a clump of narrow iris-like leaves, bearing short spikes of large, brilliant red, star-like flowers in autumn. The flowers on this selection have broader petals than other varieties. Performs best in regions with cool summers. Evenly moist soil will result in a great late-season display. Nice for cutting. May be wintered indoors in cold winter regions, easiest to accomplish by growing in large pots.
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.
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.
'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.
Clusters of star-shaped dark purplish red flowers from late summer and early autumn. A clump forming perennial with erect stems of purple-tinted dark green leaves. Height 40cm. Spread 40cm. Flowers from August to September. Herbaceous. Hardy.
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.
A clump-forming perennial with erect very dark purple stems and leaves. Clusters of star-shaped pink flowers with orange-red centres from late summer and early autumn. Height 45-60cm. Spread 30cm. Flowers from August to September. Herbaceous.
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 45cm. Spread 60cm. Flowers July to August. Hardy to -8°C. Well drained soil in a sunny place.
False Mallow. An erect perennial with rounded rich green leaves. Spikes of purple-pink flowers with fringed petals from early to mid-summer. Height 90cm. Spread 45cm. Flowers from June to July. Herbaceous. Hardy.
Little Princess is an upright, herbaceous perennial with a mound of rounded, deeply lobed green leaves. In spring until summer, it bears tall, upright, leafy stems, which are clothed with pale-pink, saucer-shaped flowers.
Campion. A clump-forming alpine with bright green leaves. Magenta-pink flowers from late summer to autumn. Height 25cm. Spread 30cm. Flowers from August to September. Semi-evergreen. Hardy.
False Solomon's Seal. A clump-forming perennial with veined mid-green leaves. Plume-like creamy white flowers in spring followed by red berries. Height 90cm. Spread 60cm. Flowers from April to May. Fruits from June. Herbaceous. Hardy. Shelter from cold winds.
Golden Rod. A compact bushy perennial with bright green leaves. Clusters of bright yellow flowerheads in late summer and early autumn. Height 25cm. Spread 25cm. Flowers from August to September. Herbaceous. Hardy.
Tall cork screw stems of scented white flowers up to 45cm high. Enjoys some lime and likes a loamy soil. An easy and hardy orchid Evergreen. Hardy.
Lambs Ears. A mat-forming perennial with grey-green leaves. densely white-woolly. Erect woolly stems of purple-pink flowers. Height 45cm. Spread 60cm. Flowers from June to September. Evergreen. Hardy.
Lambs Ears. A mat-forming perennial with silvery grey leaves, densely white-woolly. Non-flowering. Height 45cm. Spread 60cm. Evergreen. Hardy.
Deep green serrated leaves cover the ground completely. Lilac pink flower on foot long stems rise above flat growing, ground covering foliage in June July and August.
Straight stems are topped with short fat spikes of purple-pink flowers (a very unusual colour), which sit above a rosette of long, mid-green leaves. Lots of stems, lots of colour.
Stoke's Aster. An evergreen perennial with rosettes of mid-green leaves with conspicuous greenish white midribs. Long-lasting large blue flowerheads with a whitish blue centre from mid-summer to early autumn. Height 60cm. Spread 45cm. Flowers from July to September. Evergreen. Hardy.
Meadow Rue. An erect airy perennial with dainty leaves and fluffy deep lilac flowers with purple stamens in early summer. Height 1m. Spread 45cm. Flowers from June to July. Herbaceous. Hardy.
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