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 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, fertilizing can be helpful. Take care not to over fertilize - 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.
Astrantias are superb perennials for under trees, on a streambank or in a moist border. They will tolerate drier soils as long as the plants are mulched. 'Ruby Wedding' is a beautiful variety with ruby-red pin cushion flowers on maroon stems. After flowering plants can be rejuvenated by cutting them back close to the ground - fresh new foliage and a late crop of flowers start appearing shortly after. Plants do not spread far but are well-known for self seeding. Height: 35cm. Spread: 30cm.
"Ornamental Rhubarb" Spikes of pink or white flowers with large palmate leaves, purple tinted on both sides. Growth: 150cm High x 60cm Spread.
Culver's Root. A tall erect perennial with dark green leaves. Spikes of white flowers from mid-summer to early autumn. Height 2m. Spread 45cm. Flowers from July to September. Herbaceous.
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A low growing Achillea with silver foliage with sulphur-yellow flowers that appear in spring. Prefers full sun, or partial shade with moist soil or compost. Ideal for bed edges, rock gardens, banks, walls and containers.
Yarrow. A perennial with dark green leaves. Orange-red flower heads fade with age. Height 80cm. Spread 60cm. Flower colour Orange/Red. Flowers from June to September. Foliage colour Green. Hardy. Planting instructions - water thoroughly before planting.
'Red Beauty' has flat clusters of deep crimson flowers in Summer and fine green leaves. Ideal for a sunny herbaceous border, Height 2 ft x Spread 2 ft
Yarrow. A compact clump forming perennial with evergreen silvery grey leaves. Dusky Orange fading to yellow flower heads. Height 80cm. Spread 60cm. Flowers from May to September.
Yarrow. Evergreen. clump-forming with grey-green leaves. Flowerheads of mixed colours. Height 60cm. Spread 60cm. Flower colour Mixed Colours. Flowers from May to August. Evergreen. Foliage colour Grey. Green. Hardy. Planting instructions Water thoroughly before planting. Foliage may cause skin allergy
Monkshood: erect with dark green leaves. branched panicles of rich blue flowers. Height 1.2m. Spread 40cm. Flower colour Blue. Flowers from August to September. Perennial. Foliage colour Green. Hardy. Planting instructions Water thoroughly before planting. CAUTION toxic if eaten.
Monkshood. An upright perennial with deeply lobed leaves. Large panicles of deep blue flowers. Height 1.2m. Spread 40cm. Flowers from July to October. Hardy. CAUTION toxic if eaten.
Monkshood. An upright perennial with dark green leaves. Dense spikes of indigo-blue flowers. Height 1.4m. Spread 40cm. Flower colour Blue. Flowers from July to September. Perennial. Foliage colour Green. Hardy. Planting instructions Water thoroughly before planting. CAUTION toxic if eaten.
Monkshood. An upright perennial with dark green leaves. Dense spikes of white flowers. Height 1.4m. Spread 40cm. Flower colour white. Flowers from July to September. Perennial. Foliage colour Green. Hardy. Planting instructions Water thoroughly before planting. CAUTION toxic if eaten
A stellar performer of the plant world - fantastic foliage, an architectural frame and late flowers on lofty strong stems. Actaea thrive in shade and partial shade, although they dislike boggy conditions. They look wonderful at the back of borders and associate beautifully with ferns, Tiarellas and Japanese anemones. They won't thrive in very alkaline and well drained soils. They are in the buttercup family and need similar conditions to most other members of this diverse family. All parts of the plants are poisonous and gloves need to be worn when handling.
Member of the Ranunculaceae family. A clump-forming perennial with black pinnate leaves Pink spike forming flowers Jul-Sep. 60cm. Spread 40cm. Herbaceous.
Member of the Ranunculaceae family. A clump-forming perennial with black pinnate leaves Pink spike forming flowers Jul-Sep. 60cm. Spread 40cm. Herbaceous.
A 'must-have' for a woodland garden. Deeply dissected purple leaves and stems contrast wonderfully with arching spiked flowers. No staking needed.
A perennial succulent with extremely dark purple rosettes of leaves and yellow flowers in Spring. Likes full sun and good drainage
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Flower head of numerous semi pendulous flowers on stems around 50cm tall. Flowers are dark shiny purple in bud, which open to a lavender purple and a single mauve stripe in the center. A deciduous variety, which is very distinct in any border.
African Blue Lily. A clump-forming perennial with strap-shaped deep green leaves. Rounded clusters of bell-shaped. dark blue flowers. Height 25cm. Spread 20cm. Flower colour Blue. Flowers from July to August. Herbaceous. Hardy. Planting instructions Water thoroughly before planting.
Evergreen hardy perennial with midnight-dark foliage, rich blue blooms, and great adaptability to varying soils and moisture levels, 'Black Scallop' is a stunning ground cover with very dark, uniform, glossy scalloped foliage and a dense compact habit.
Hollyhock. Vigorous. upright perennial with rounded light green leaves. Flowers tall and stately Height 2m. Spread 60cm. Flowers from May to July. Herbaceous. Spray with systhane to protect from rust.
A beautiful border and patio Alstroemeria. The prolific flowering upright plant grows to 60-70cm but remains compact. The bicolour flowers are produced from spring through to November and contrasts beautifully with the foliage.
Compact with an upright habit, ensuring that stems are still a good length for cutting. The perfect perennial for borders and patio containers where it will flower continuously from June to November. Height: 75cm (30"). Spread: 60cm (24").
Butterfly like blooms smother attractive foliage from June to November, sometimes longer. Great for cutting and happy in borders and containers. Dead head by pulling the flowers stems gently from the bottom of the plant, the resulting ‘wound’ then initiates new flowers. Height & spread 30cm (12”). Prefers well drained soil in a partly shaded sheltered site. Hardy perennial.
Bronze foliage sets off the glorious oranges and yellows of the blooms above. A fine border plant which will flower for about 5 months of the year, these hardy Peruvian Lilies are compact with an upright habit. Perfect for borders and patio containers where it will flower continuously from June to November. Height: 60cm (24"). Spread: 60cm
Windflower. Erect perennial with suckering shoots. dark green leaves. Flowers semi-double. dark pink. Height 80cm. Spread 60cm. Flower colour Pink. Flowers from August to September. Herbaceous. Foliage colour Green. Hardy. Planting instructions Water thoroughly before planting.
Large, double light-pink flowers up to two inches across. Compact habit. Plants prefer a rich, moist soil and will not tolerate long periods of dryness. In very warm climates provide more shade. Superb for cutting.
Large, single, dark-pink flowers up to two inches across. Compact habit. Plants prefer a rich, moist soil and will not tolerate long periods of dryness. In very warm climates provide more shade.
Windflower. Erect perennial with suckering shoots. mid-green leaves. Very large bright pink . with golden yellow stamens. Height 60cm. Spread 60cm. Flowers from August to September. Herbaceous. Foliage colour Green. Hardy. Planting instructions Water thoroughly before planting.
Windflower. Erect perennial with suckering shoots. mid-green leaves. Very large single white flowers pink-tinged on reverse with golden yellow stamens. Height 1.4m. Spread 60cm. Flowers from August to September. Herbaceous.
Vigorous. erect perennial with mid green leaves. Single white flowers. pink tinged on reverse with golden yellow stamens. Height 1.2 -1.5 m
Herbaceous - vigorous, erect, woody-based perennial with suckering shoots. 3-palmate, toothed, mid-green leaves. Basal leaves are 10-20cm (4-8in) long. Stem leaves are 5-12cm (2-5in) long.Flowers to 9cm (3in)
Short-lived perennial with mid-green leaves. Attractive dense purple bracted umbels of rich dark purple flowers on dark red stems. Height 2m. Spread 1.2m.Flowers from May to July. Herbaceous.
Short-lived perennial with mid-green leaves. Attractive dense. purple bracted umbels of rich. dark purple flowers on dark red stems. Height 2m. Spread 1.2m.Flowers from May to July. Herbaceous.
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This newly bred Cape Mallow hybrid is half hardy and carries a profusion of medium sized strawberry pink flowers on a very compact bush. Height x Spread /Trail 35 x 30 cm. Flowering Time April - September. Possible Situation: Perfect in a bowl for a courtyard or patio, or can be planted out in a garden border. Ideal Conditions: Prefers full sun, or partial shade with free-draining soil or compost. Temperature Tolerance: Can survive winter in very well protected situations, especially if sheltered from hard frosts.
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