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.
Very wide, dark green margins contrast with a bright, brilliant yellow margin. Between the margin and the centres is a light green pattern. Margins have puckering when the plant is mature. Very large and fragrant, near-white flowers appear in late summer. The perfect choice for shade.
Forms an impressive dome-shaped mound of blue-green foliage. The corrugated heart-shaped leaves are bluest in spring, and mellow as the season progresses into summer. White bell-shaped flowers harmonise well against the blue tones. Prefers full sun, or partial shade with free-draining soil or compost.
A majestic variegated Hosta. Medium-green heart-shaped leaves with a bold central white splash, attended by lighter green streaking to either side. Tall stems bear white flowers, with a hint of lavender in the petal centres in summer. Prefers full sun, or partial shade with free-draining soil or compost.
This beautiful variegated hosta will catch your eye with its sophisticated beauty. Blue-green wedge-shaped leaves have very ruffled, creamy yellow margins. Pale lavender flowers appear in mid to late summer.
Large, deep blue foliage edges with bright green margins. The leaves are heavily corrugated with thick substance. Hardy in zones 3-9, Grow in part shade to full shade locations. This native perennial likes to be grown in moist well drained locations.
Rounded to heart-shaped, deeply puckered grey-blue leaves. Greyish white flowers in early summer. Height 60cm. Spread 1m. Flowers from June to July. Herbaceous. Hardy. Shelter from cold drying winds.
Smooth, lance-shaped, glaucous leaves to 20cm long, are topped with spikes of handsome, lavender-grey, bell-shaped flowers in mid- to late summer.
Pure white leaves with a dark green border. Gold streaks accent the interior margins where the white and green overlap. Lavender blooms in mid-to-late summer. Dwarf, compact form. Height 35-40 cm. Spread 75-80 cm.
Cupped, green leaves with bright yellow margins, dark green centres and white streaks in between. Margins become apple green in summer and the leaves flatten out. Lavender flowers appear in summer.
A rapidly spreading perennial with pretty variegated leaves with shades of green, pale yellow and red small yellow-green flowers are surrounded by white bracts. Height 15-30cm. Spread Indefinite. Flowers from June to July. Herbaceous. Hardy. Protect with a winter mulch. Can be used as a marginal aquatic plant.
Rose of Sharon. St.John's Wort. An evergreen low-spreading shrub with dark green leaves. Saucer-shaped bright yellow flowers from mid-summer to mid-autumn followed by red berries. Height 30cm. Spread 50cm. Flowers from July to October.
Spreading sub-shrub with dark green shiny evergreen foliage and mildly scented dense flower heads in late Spring to early Summer. Flat clusters of white flowers with small pink centres.
Robust perennial with dark green leaves softly hairy beneath. Bright golden yellow daisy-like flowers in late summer. Height 1.8m. Spread 1m. Flowers from August to September. Herbaceous.
A perennial with erect stems of hairy mid-green leaves and very woolly buds opening to orange-yellow daisy-like flowers with wavy petals in summer. Height 60-90cm. Spread 60cm. Flowers from July to August. Herbaceous. Hardy.
Each white petal displays a wide lavender-blue edge that feathers into the golden yellow eye.
Large white flowers are up to 15cm across and have purple blotches and bright yellow accents at the base. The plant’s upright stems and slender foliage add drama and movement to planting schemes.
Large, ruffled blooms in shades of lavender, purple and yellow. Its graceful, sword-like foliage adds structure and movement.
A pretty iris with narrow ribbed bright green and white variegated leaves and stems of purple or red-purple flowers in mid-summer. Height 90cm. Flowers from July to August. Herbaceous. Hardy. Harmful if eaten. Can be grown in wet positions.
Beautiful bearded Iris Germanica with bronzed, orange and rust flowers.
Beautiful bearded Iris Germanica scented deep golden-yellow flowers.
Beautiful bearded Iris Germanica with vivid red flowers.
Vigorous clumps of bushy leaves and tall stems of yellow and violet-blue flowers with veining on the falls in early summer. Height 60-120cm. Spread 30cm. Flowers from June to July. Herbaceous. Hardy. Harmful if eaten.
Beautiful bearded Iris Germanica with yellow flowers splashed with lilac.
Yellow Flag. A vigorous aquatic iris with ribbed grey-green leaves and stems of yellow flowers with brown or violet markings in mid to late summer. Height 1.5m. Flowers from July to August. Herbaceous. Hardy. Harmful if eaten.
'Butter and Sugar' is a clump-forming perennial with narrow, leaves and stems to 80cm, bearing 2 white flowers, the standards with a yellow sheen, the falls flushed lemon yellow towards the centre.
Soft yellow standards flair outwards above dark mustard yellow falls. A neat flower borne on a neat, short plant. Typical slender, mid-green leaves.
Rhizomatous, clump-forming, herbaceous perennial with upright, linear, strap-like, dark green leaves and, in late spring and early summer, erect stems bearing violet-blue flowers with double standards and white-marked, veined falls.
Vigorous clumps of bushy leaves and tall stems of vivid blue flowers with veining on the falls in early summer. Height 60-120cm. Spread 30cm. Flowers from June to July. Herbaceous. Hardy. Harmful if eaten.
Large iris with 12-20 layered petals of lavender pink looks like a rose in the garden.
Iris 'Pink Parfait' produces soft lavender-pink blooms with lighter edging. As the flowers open fully, a yellow centre with a white halo can be seen. Iris sibirica are tough performers, equally at home in moist, boggy soils and dry areas
Dusky, mid-blue, ruffled petals with a distinctive silver edge in May and June and slender, blue-green, strap-shaped leaves. This beautiful, blue, Siberian iris provides vertical interest in a sunny garden border or waterside planting. More vigorous than other varieties it's particularly valuable for holding together deteriorating riverbanks. Dainty pale blue flowers veined darker blue. Height 75cm.
An aquatic iris with arching leaves spotted purple at the bases and violet-blue flowers with white and violet veining at the base of the petals in late spring. Height 75cm. Spread 20cm. Flowers from May to June. Herbaceous. Hardy. Harmful if eaten.
Blue flowers with yellow centre. Height 60cm.
A clump-forming perennial to about 60cm producing a mound of foliage topped with very pale purple daisies with gold centres, borne over a long period from mid-summer to mid-autumn.
Field Scabious. A clump-forming perennial with dull green leaves and bluish lilac or pink pincushion flowerheads. Height 90cm. Spread 30cm. Flowers from July to September. Semi-evergreen. Hardy.
Clump forming perennial with spikes of narrow lemon flowers from green buds and arching leaves flowering from June to September. Height 80cm. Spread 60cm.
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