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 architecturally striking ornamental. A Yucca-like perennial with variegated yellow and grey-green, strap-shaped leaves. The foliage is more than enough interest for any garden situation, but flamingo pink flower spikes might emerge in summer after several years to mature. They are tipped with gorgeous mauve bracts.
Forming tufts of leaves adorned with small purple flowers in spring, this new terrestrial orchid from Japan is easy to grow in all gardens. It loves partial shade and any good garden soil that remains cool. Height to 50cm, flowers early summer. Winter hardy.
Many spikes of white flowers with a purple lip. It likes to be in well drained soil so the roots don’t sit in winter wet.
Great for under-planting to trees and shrubs or add in with your favourite border. This low maintenance perennial plant thrives in shade but will happily perform in sunny locations too.
A quick-growing, clump-forming deciduous, rhizomatous perennial with large, heart-shaped green foliage. Panicles of small, blue flowers with white edges appear in spring. Ideal ground cover for shady areas.
Large, mint green heart-shaped leaves are coated with silver. Sprays of soft blue flowers.
Bellflower. Clump-forming perennial with heart-shaped toothed mid-green leaves. Attractive upturned open bell-shaped pure light blue flowers. Height 25cm. Spread 45-60cm. Flowers from June to August. Semi-evergreen. Hardy.
Bellflower. Clump-forming perennial with heart-shaped toothed mid-green leaves. Attractive upturned open bell-shaped pure white flowers. Height 25cm. Spread 45-60cm. Flowers from June to August. Semi-evergreen. Hardy.
Clustered Bellflower. Spreading perennial with dark green leaves. Dense clusters of tubular-bell-shaped violet-purple flowers. Height 60cm. Spread Indefinite. Flowers from June to August. Herbaceous. Hardy.
Loddon Anna' is a valuable plant for the border with its erect, branching stems which bear large, soft, lilac-pink, bell-shaped flowers right through the summer. Plant in sun or, to preserve delicate flower-colour, partial shade, and in rich, moisture-retentive soil to encourage plenty of growth and flowers. Plants may need staking in more exposed areas. The Royal Horticultural Society have given it the Award of Garden Merit (AGM). Height 120cm. Spread 60cm.
Milky Bellflower. Upright perennial with, narrow, toothed, mid-green leaves. Large panicles of open bell-shaped, dark violet blue flowers. on leafy stems. Height 75cm. Spread 60cm. Flowers from June to August. Herbaceous.
A dwarf hybrid with 30cm short upright candelabras, dense with 7.5cm long inflated cream bells; heavily marked inside with maroon spots. Forms a low creeping mat of foliage.
Produces upto 50 amazing blooms of striking pink-tentacled flowers which flutter above green foliage to give two months of summer colour. A unique and interesting low growing perennial for the front of a sunny border. Height: 45cm (18"). Spread: 25cm (10").
Deep blue flowers in autumn. It forms a mound of slightly toothed, grey-green leaves with silver hairs on the undersides. It's perfect for growing in containers or towards the front of a sunny border. It's flowers are a magnet for bees.
Hardheads. Knapweed. Clump-forming robust perennial with mid-green leaves and stout leafy stems carrying a bright yellow thistle-like flower. Height 1.4m. Spread 60cm. Flowers from June to July. Herbaceous.
Bright silvery-white, textured leaves that resemble the colour of liquid mercury is the main attraction for this plant, making for a superb foil in any large container. Bright yellow flowers appear on tall spikes in summer. Prefers full sun, or partial shade with free-draining soil or compost.
A tough, hardy perennial with "thistle-like" large, lilac pink tufted cornflowers contrast against the silver frosted, soft, feathery foliage. Initially compact in the pot, but will grow taller through the season in containers or borders.
Valerian. An old cottage garden plant often seen growing on walls and dry, stony banks. Attractive fragrant white flowers above bright light green leaves. Height 1m. Spread 1m. Flowers from April to August. Herbaceous.
Valerian. An old cottage garden plant often seen growing on walls and dry stony banks. Attractive fragranced red flowers above bright light green leaves. Height 1m. Spread 1m. Flowers from April to August. Herbaceous.
Spreading perennial with slender red stems and bright, green leaves, with wavy margins, tinted red in autumn. Brilliant blue flowers. Height 45cm. Spread 30cm. Flowers from August to September. Herbaceous. Hardy. Sheltered Site.
Turtlehead. An erect perennial with leafy stems topped with dark pink or purple flowers with sparse yellow beards. Height 60-100cm. Spread 45cm. Flowers from August to September. Herbaceous. Hardy.
A hardy variety of your favourite summer blooms. These beauties are perfect for planting in containers and in the flower bed, as they will brighten up any display with ease! Great for pairing with your cooler tones, like whites or baby blues, or for making a statement with darker colours.
A hardy variety of chrysanthemum. Perfect for planting in containers and in the flower bed, will brighten up any display. Great for pairing with your cooler tones, like whites or pastels, or for making a statement with darker colours.
Blooming Season: Late Summer, Autumn. Mounded, Upright. Compact habit forming a ‘ball’ shaped plant, flowering late in the summer/autumn. Partial Sun.
Clump-forming perennial with prickly, dark green leaves, softly hairy beneath, and rich crimson thistle-like flowers. Height 1.2m. Spread 60cm. Flowers from May to July. Herbaceous. Hardy.
Ornamental thistle. Pure white flowers appear on tall stems for several months in summer.
Clump-forming perennial with prickly, dark green leaves. softly hairy beneath, and rich crimson thistle-like flowers. Height 1.2m. Spread 60cm. Flowers from May to July. Herbaceous. Hardy.
Lily of the valley. A creeping perennial with elegant, mid-green leaves striped white and stems of strongly scented, waxy white bell-shaped flowers. Height 23cm. Spread 30cm. Flowers from March to April. Herbaceous.
A compact, upright, frost-tender, evergreen shrub with oblong, glossy, maroon leaves with bright pink margins and insignificant, creamy-white flowers in spring.
A completely unique colour scheme including vibrant greens, yellows, burgundy and glowing orange. The waxy leaves accentuate the vivid colours brilliantly. Great for large containers and protected borders.
Leaves of 'Inferno' are a vivid mix of bright red, gold, green and claret, and this colour intensifies and deepens as the temperatures drop in winter.
A rounded, evergreen shrub with spreading branches and handsome, bright green leaves, slashed yellow in the centre. Needs a male plant to form berries. Height 1m. Spread 1.m. Fruits from September Evergreen. Frost hardy.
Striking glossy purple foliage. Forms a bushy shrub 1.5m high. Ideal for smaller gardens. A classy container or border plant.
A rounded female shrub with spreading branches and handsome, variegated dark green with broad, pale yellow margins.
Tickseed. Compact, mounded perennial which produces an abundance of fluffy, brilliant golden-yellow and orange pom-pom flowers, densely packed with multiple rows of petals.
Tickseed. A clump-forming perennial with narrow, dissected, leaves and rose-pink, daisy-like, flowerheads. Height 45cm. Spread 45cm. Flowers from March to July. Herbaceous. Hardy.
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