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.
An erect clump-forming perennial prized for its brilliant clusters of vanilla-scented rose-pink flowers, which bloom continuously for weeks from midsummer to early autumn. Low maintenance, this perennial plant is generally pest and disease free. Deer resistant.
Asclepias can be evergreen or deciduous perennials or subshrubs, with simple, entire leaves and umbel-like clusters of small, distinctively shaped flowers followed by paired fruits containing seeds embedded in silky fibres. Attracts bees and butterflies. Low maintenance.
Beautiful deep rose flowers on tall strong stems. Good size flower heads which are loved by butterflies. USA native. Vanilla scented flowers.
Kings Spear. Clump-forming with narrowly triangular blue-green leaves. Attractive yellow flower spikes of yellow, striped green. Height 1.4m. Spread 30cm. Flowers from June to July. Herbaceous. Hardy.
Clump forming perennial with green leaves. Height 25cm. Spread 45cm.Flowers from May to July. Herbaceous.
Brilliant turquoise blue flowers with sunshine yellow centres over compact green foliage. Ideal Conditions: Prefers full sun, or partial shade with free-draining soil or compost. Possible Situation: Best used as a central feature in a tub or container, or for the mid border or raised bed.
Beautiful lavender jade blooms with sulphur yellow centers. Superb in September. Prefers full sun, or partial shade with free-draining soil or compost.
Brilliant purple flowers and compact green foliage. Prefers full sun, or partial shade with free-draining soil or compost.
Strong rose-purple blooms with a fine, almost filament looking properties to the petals. Prefers full sun or partial shade with free-draining soil or compost.
Also known as Michaelmas Daisies, these old favourites bloom from late summer into autumn with a multitude of elegant white, long lasting, daisy-like flowers.
Michaelmas Daisy. Clump forming bushy perennial with green leaves. Stems of mauve-blue flower heads. Height 30cm. Spread 45cm. Flowers from August to September. Herbaceous.
Upright, perennial with dark green leaves. Bears long lasting clear lavender-blue flowerheads on stout stems. Height 60cm. Spread 40cm. Flowers from July to September. Herbaceous. Hardy.
Rosy-pink daisy flowers on upright green foliage. Ideal Conditions: Prefers full sun, or partial shade with free-draining soil or compost. Possible Situation: Best used as a central feature in a tub or container, or for the mid border or raised bed.
This forms a mid-sized mound of green leaves, bearing loads of small, white yellow-eyed daisies from midsummer onward. Should not require pinching to control height. Long blooming and great for cutting.
Clump-forming perennial with handsome green foliage Open plumes of lilac-pink flowers. Height 90cm. Spread 60cm. Flowers from July to August. Herbaceous. Hardy.
Upright feathery plumes of mauve-purple flowers. Astilbe 'Black Pearls' is a late flowering variety with sturdy upright stems that make unusual cut flowers. The bright blooms contrast beautifully with its exceptionally dark green foliage, which forms a dense and leafy clump. This showy perennial enjoys a reliably moist soil, making a good choice for damp borders or planted next to a pond.
Carefree, easy plants bothered by few pests, Astilbe make a superb addition to semi-shade areas of the garden. They will tolerate full sun if kept properly moist. Mid to late season flowering stile has long, narrow, glowing red plumes with bronze foliage.
Vigorous perennial with handsome dark green foliage. Plumes of deep crimson-red flowers. Height 1m. Spread 50cm. Flowers from July to August. Herbaceous. Hardy.
Compact variety, bearing dark green/bronze leaves and masses of light pink flowers. It's perfect for growing towards the front of shady borders with other shade and moisture loving plants such as hostas and primulas.
A compact white astilbe with dense white plumes in summer. Ideal for small gardens.
Clump-forming perennial with handsome green foliage. Open plumes of bright pink flowers. Height 90cm. Spread 60cm. Flowers from July to August. Herbaceous.
Clump-forming perennial with handsome green foliage. Long lasting plumes of deep red flowers heads during summer. Flower-heads turn brown and remain on the plants into the autumn. Ideal for soils that remain moist all summer.
Soft pink flower spikes. Leave change to light green in summer. Red edged foliage. Vigorous and floriferous plant.
A dense carpet of fern like foliage surrounding handsome feathery plumes of bright pink flowers. This vigorous performer is a compact, semi-dwarf variety that is very hardy and pest resistant.
Light pink flower plumes borne on red stems during the summer. Faded flower-heads turn brown and remain on the plants into the autumn.
Early season bloomer; very compact foliage with upright ruby-red plumes, very floriferous; blooms early summer.
Delicate, papery flowers which are held on wiry stems above attractive deeply lobed, mid-green leaves.
Hattie's Pincushion. Clump-forming perennial with lobed green leaves. Attractive deep rose-red flowers. Height 60cm. Spread 45cm. Flowers from June to June. Herbaceous. Hardy.
Hattie's Pincushion. Clump-forming perennial with lobed green leaves. Attractive deep rose-red flowers. Height 60cm. Spread 45cm. Flowers from June to June. Herbaceous. Hardy.
A beautiful compact variety with small dark purple flowers on top of dark stems. It has a long flowering period.
Delicate, papery, soft-pink flowers which are held on wiry stems above attractive deeply lobed, mid-green leaves. This delightful masterwort is a vigorous variety with a much longer flowering period than most pink or red varieties.
A clump forming perennial with dark green leaves with dark-red flowers on branching stems. Works well in both a modern and cottage garden scheme. Performs best in heavy clay soils.
Upright, clump-forming, herbaceous perennial with palmate, deeply lobed, mid-green leaves and, in summer, erect, branching stems bearing umbels of tiny, dark red to reddish-purple flowers surrounded by prominent, lance-shaped, maroon bracts.
A classic cottage garden flower, this astrantia has large white and green pincushion flowers surrounded by a white ruff. Foliage is dark green and deeply lobed. It does best on a moist soil. The dried flowerheads can be used in arrangements or left on the plant to provide interest through into autumn.
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