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.
Acanthus hungaricus ‘White Lips’ boasts deeply cut, basal dark green leaves. Spikes of white flowers June to August, set in spiny, red-purple bracts. Very floriferous. Height 2-3ft (70cm). Any garden soil. Full sun or part shade.
Bear's breeches. A clump-forming hardy perennial with dark green leaves. Spikes of white flowers with purple bracts produced in summer. Height 1.4m. Spread 80cm. Flowers from July to September.
Bear's breeches. A clump-forming perennial with deeply cut, dark green leaves. Spikes of white flowers with purple bracts produced in summer. Height 1.2m. Spread 60cm. Flowers from July to September. Hardy.
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.
Compact bushy variety of Achillea ideally suited to pots and containers has a myriad of bi coloured deep red flowers with striking yellow button centres make an eye-catching display.
Compact bushy variety of Achillea ideally suited to pots and containers has a myriad of bi coloured rose flowers with striking yellow button centres make an eye-catching display.
Compact bushy variety of Achillea ideally suited to pots and containers has a myriad of bicoloured terracotta yellow flowers.
Yarrow. A large herbaceous perennial with masses of tiny salmon flowers that fade to cream on tall stems above green coloured feathery foliage. Spreads to 25cm over the season. Prefers full sun, or partial shade with moist soil or compost. Hardy.
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. Huge plates of tiny, orange flowers with yellow centres, from late-spring through summer. Perfect for a sunny spot towards the back of an herbaceous border, it works well among other brightly coloured blooms. It makes a fantastic cut flower.
Yarrow. Sneezewort. A perennial with dark green finely cut leaves. Bears double white flowerheads. Height 1m. Spread 60cm. Flowers from June to September. Hardy.
Monkshood: erect with dark green leaves. branched panicles of rich blue flowers. Height 1.2m. Spread 40cm. Flowers from August to September. Perennial. Hardy. CAUTION toxic if eaten.
Monkshood. An upright perennial with dark green leaves. Dense spikes of indigo-blue flowers. Height 1.4m. Spread 40cm. Flowers from July to September. Hardy. CAUTION toxic if eaten.
A very dark, vigorous, black leaved new form. Worth growing for the foliage alone. Very fragrant flowers in September and October. Height when in flower up to 2m. Plant at 60cm centres in fertile soil, they tend to hate thin alkaline soils.
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 and pink spike forming flowers Jul-Sep. Height 60cm. Spread 40cm. Herbaceous.
Agapanthus (African lily) are summer-flowering perennial plants, grown for their showy flowers, Blue. They thrive in any well-drained, sunny position in the garden, or grow these beauties in containers.
African Blue Lily. A clump-forming perennial with strap-shaped deep green leaves. Clusters of open bell-shaped, vivid blue flowers. Height 75cm. Spread 60cm. Flowers from July to October. Herbaceous. Hardy.
African Lily. A clump-forming perennial with strap-shaped green leaves. Rounded clusters of bell-shaped, white flowers. Height 100cm. Flowers from July to September Herbaceous Hardy.
This is the darkest Agapanthus inapertus pendulus cultivar. Drooping inky indigo flowers in late summer. Deciduous. Height 80cm. Spread 50cm.
African Blue Lily. A clump-forming perennial with strap-shaped deep green leaves. Clusters of open bell-shaped, vivid dark blue-black flowers. Height 65cm. Spread 60cm. Flowers from July to October. Herbaceous. Hardy.
African Blue Lily. A clump-forming perennial with strap-shaped green leaves. Clusters of bell-shaped, blue / lilac flowers. Height 60cm. Spread 40cm.
Clumps of large, strap-shaped leaves, from which large umbels of blue-throated, white trumpet-shaped flowers appear from summer into autumn.
Agapanthus Ever Sapphire is a semi-dwarf variety which produces multiple spikes of bright blue flowers all summer in a sunny or partly shaded position. Height 60cm. Spread 60cm.
Agapanthus (African lily) are summer-flowering perennial plants, grown for their showy flowers, Blue. They thrive in any well-drained, sunny position in the garden, or grow these beauties in containers.
Agapanthus Pinocchio is a dwarf variety with the same stiff architectural stems and striking soft blue trumpet shaped flowers of its larger cousins. This compact perennial forms neat clumps of deciduous strap-like foliage that make it ideal for growing in patio containers or towards the front of borders. Agapanthus flowers are excellent for cutting and the ornamental seed heads add structure and interest to autumn gardens. Height to 60cm. Spread 45cm.
Produces an elegant display of dark, purple-black buds that open to reveal starry, violet blooms. The domed flower heads perch neatly upon stiff, upright stems above the slender, arching foliage. Height 60cm. Spread 45cm.
A strong growing hybrid with nodding, blue-purple flowers. Height: 30". Flowers: July - August.
Clump forming deciduous perennial with large umbels of white flowers late summer. Grow in any moist or well drained soil in full sun. Height 1m. Spread 50cm.
A hardy, compact and evergreen, clump-forming plant with clusters of beautiful blue flowers from mid to late summer. Makes a good cut flower.
A compact, clump-forming perennial to 50cm tall with deciduous, strap-like, dark green foliage. In summer, it bears large, rounded umbels of flowers up to 20cm across on short, sturdy stems; the trumpet-shaped flowers are a deep blue at the base with white flaring petal tips.
Agapanthus (African lily) are summer-flowering perennial plants, grown for their showy flowers, white. They thrive in any well-drained, sunny position in the garden, or grow these beauties in containers.
Scented foliage with tubular flowers of smoky lilac opening from dark purple buds. Its compact bushy habit makes it ideal for containers as well as borders. Flowers from July to the first frosts. Attracts butterflies. Height 75cm.
Spikes of deep, violet-blue flowers are held over deep green, upright, branched foliage. Prefers full sun, or partial shade with free-draining soil or compost.
Soft-blue flowers beginning in midsummer. Foliage is chartreuse-yellow, holding the colour well with a bit of afternoon shade. Attractive to butterflies.
Compact and floriferous, well-branched and easy to grow anise hyssop with lavender-purple flowers that bloom all summer long on 18" high spikes over anise scented foliage. It is a hummingbird and butterfly favourite and is a terrific addition to the late summer garden.
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