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.
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.
One of the latest red Astilbes to bloom beginning in midsummer. Long, scarlet red, feathery plumes dangle above the bushy clump of dissected, green foliage which emerges deep red spring. Excellent cut flower.
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.
Highlighted against glossy dark green lacy foliage, the profusion of narrow pink-lavender plumes are dense and fuzzy. This tough variety blooms later, mid to late summer, and will tolerate drier conditions than most.
Clump-forming perennial with handsome dark green foliage. Feathery spikes of purple flowers. Height 90cm. Spread 1m. Flowers from July to August. Herbaceous. Hardy.
Tough new cultivar that produces masses of large, creamy white, flower plumes in midsummer. The foliage is bronze-green and glossy and not as coarsely textured as other Astilbes.
Clump-forming perennial with handsome green foliage and elegant plumes of deep rosy lilac flowers. Height 30cm. Spread 30cm. Flowers from June to August. Herbaceous. Hardy.
Soft pink flower spikes. Leave change to light green in summer. Red edged foliage. Vigorous and floriferous plant.
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.
Vigorous perennial with handsome bronze foliage. Plumes of pale pink flowers. Height 50cm. Spread 40cm. Flowers from July to August. Herbaceous. Hardy. Will tolerate very moist conditions.
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. Open plumes of pale pink flowers. Height 90cm. Spread 60cm. Flowers from May to June. Sun or light shade, moist. Herbaceous. Hardy.
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.
Salmon pink buds. Soft apricot pink flowers. Attractive blue-green foliage. Fragrant flowers.
Light pink flower plumes borne on red stems during the summer. Faded flower-heads turn brown and remain on the plants into the autumn.
Clump-forming perennial with handsome dark green foliage. Feathery spikes of white flowers. Height 50cm. Spread 1m. Flowers from July to August. Herbaceous.
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.
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 'Claret' is a beautiful variety with deep red pincushion flowers. 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: 60cm, Spread: 45cm.
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.
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 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.
Mound-forming hardy subshrub with white woolly stems and heart shaped yellowish grey-green leaves. Small white-pink funnel-shaped flowers. Height 60cm. Spread 75cm. Flowers from July to August. Evergreen.
Yellow upright flowered begonia with good branching habit. Well suited for window boxes and patio containers. Fast growing.
Rich scarlet flowers from midsummer to early autumn. Its extremely attractive to bees. Grow plants in moist but well-drained soil in full sun or partial shade. Mulch around plants with garden compost annually, and divide congested clumps in spring.
Showy reddish-maroon flower heads above spreading, upright mid-green aromatic foliage.
Elephant's Ears. Clump-forming perennial with mid-green leaves. Soft pink flowers darken with age giving a two-tone effect. Height 30cm. Spread 30cm. Flowers from April to May. Evergreen. Hardy.
Bright pink trumpet shaped flowers are carried in towering clusters on strong stems that emerge from a mass of very, large, shiny mid green leaves. Evergreen.
Bergenia are evergreen rhizomatous perennials with leathery, rounded leaves and dense, erect clusters of bell-shaped pink or white flowers in spring 'Bressingham White' is an evergreen, rhizomatous perennial to 35cm, with dull green, rounded leaves and plentiful erect racemes of pure white flowers.
Clusters of magenta pink flowers are held on strong stems just above a mound of shiny mid-green leaves that are strongly flushed with red during the autumn. Flowers on and off throughout the growing season.
Clump-forming, evergreen perennial bearing oval, leathery, glossy, dark green leaves and, in spring, upright, dark stems bearing dense clusters of open bell-shaped, pale pink flowers turning darker pink with age.
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