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.
Cream blooms smother the beautiful thread like foliage throughout the summer months. Extremely drought tolerant and attractive to bees and butterflies. Great for containers and borders. Height & spread 45cm (18”). Prefers sun in well drained soil. Hardy perennial.
A clump-forming perennial with large. kidney-shaped. bristly. dark green leaves. Strong stems carry many branched panicles of white flowers. Height 2.5m. Spread 1.5m. Flowers from April to July. Herbaceous. Hardy. Sheltered Site.
A bold perennial with pleated, sword-like mid-green leaves. Arching, branched spikes of upward-facing, funnel-shaped, bright orange and red flowers. Height 35cm. Spread 30cm. Flowers from June to July. Herbaceous. Frost hardy.
A perennial with sword-like mid-green leaves. Erect branched spikes of flaming red with hints of burnt orange on the throat of the flowers. Height 50cm. Spread 8cm. Flowers from June to August. Herbaceous. Frost hardy.
Deep red reflexed flowers with streaks of maroon, larger than other crocosmia flowers and more proliferous. Flowering July - August. The leaves are upright and pleated so attractive even when not in flower. They like moisture retentive soil in full sun.
A perennial with sword-like mid-green leaves. Arching, branched spikes of upward-facing, funnel-shaped, orange-red flowers. Height 35cm. Spread 8cm. Flowers from July to August. Herbaceous.
A bold perennial with pleated, sword-like mid-green leaves. Arching, branched spikes of upward-facing, funnel-shaped, bright red flowers. Height 90cm. Spread 30cm. Flowers from June to July. Herbaceous. Frost hardy.
A perennial with pleated, sword-like, mid-green leaves. Arching spikes of upward-facing, funnel-shaped, orange-red flowers. Height 1.2m. Spread 8m. Flowers from June to July. Herbaceous.
'Meteor' is a clump-forming perennial with upright sword-shaped leaves and arching racemes of orange-yellow tubular flowers with yellow throats in summer.
A perennial with sword-like mid-green leaves. Arching, branched spikes of lemon-yellow flowers. Height 60-75cm. Spread 8cm. Flowers from June to August. Herbaceous. Frost hardy.
A bushy, deciduous herbaceous perennial with striking purple-bronze foliage which contrasts with bright, magenta-red double flowers appearing from around July through to early autumn.
A superb dahlia with dark metallic bronze deeply divided leaves. Semi-double bright red flowers with bright yellow anthers. Height 1.1m. Spread 45cm. Flowers from July to September. Herbaceous. Not hardy.
Bicoloured variety with a yellow centre and orange/red outer petals. Superb garden performance, flower colour and form. Continually produces flowers all summer through to the first frosts. Branch freely and are strong sturdy and compact plants.
Green-leafed, bi-colour dahlia.
The flowers are yellow, red and orange. Height up to 20cm. The soil conditions should be well-drained and the plant area sunny.
A pacific hybrid perennial with tall spikes of deep purple flowers. with creamy white eyes. Height 1.7m. Spread 75cm. Flowers from May to July. Herbaceous. Hardy. Sheltered Site. Harmful if eaten.
A pacific hybrid perennial. Dwarf form with spikes of white flowers. Height 80cm. Flowers from May to July. Herbaceous. Hardy. Sheltered Site. Harmful if eaten.
A pacific hybrid perennial with tall spikes of deep purple flowers, with a black eye. Height 1.7m. Spread 75cm. Flowers from May to July. Herbaceous. Hardy. Sheltered Site. Harmful if eaten. Protect from slugs.
A pacific hybrid perennial with tall spikes of flowers, blues, pinks, purples. Height 1.7m. Spread 75cm. Flowers from May to July. Herbaceous. Hardy. Full sun. Harmful if eaten. Protect from slugs.
A short stemmed delphinium with spires of double dark purple flowers with white bees on strong, stable stems. Height 60-80 cm. Flowers May to June.
Compact, clump-forming, borderline hardy, rhizomatous, evergreen perennial with stiff, upright, strap-shaped, blue-green to blue-grey leaves and, in late spring and early summer, panicles of star-shaped, pale violet flowers followed by spherical, glossy, purple fruit.
Clump forming with showy flower stems in summer. Although it can handle periodic wet feet, it’s best to avoid prolonged wet feet. This plant can be used as an accent plant or in group plantings for colour contrast. 55cm high x 45cm wide.
Hardy, cream and rich green variegated leafed 'Flax Lilly'. Ideal for border and large container. Excellent cold weather and frost tolerance. Compact and interesting foliage. Ideal as a foliage plant or as a feature in a large pot. Easy to care for. Ideal Conditions: Prefers full sun, or partial shade with free-draining soil or compost. shelter from cold winds in frosty areas. Possible Situation: Ideal for mass planting for landscaping, or for central features in containers.
Diascia personata is rather special. It produces robust, 90cm stiff stems, densely clothed in lance shaped fresh green foliage. Copious dusky pink flowers with darker markings are produced in terminal racemes from May until the frosts.
This beauty features arching spikes of elegant cherry-red, heart-shaped blooms with white tips held on dark burgundy stems. Blooms late spring to early summer. The delicate ferny foliage matures to an attractive powdery grey-green. Thrives in damp borders and woodland gardens but also makes a fantastic addition to a shady patio container. Protection from direct hot sun is recommended.
Large, deep purple-maroon flared trumpets on very tall, strong springy stems. Ideal Conditions: Prefers full sun, or partial shade with free-draining soil or compost. Possible Situation: Ideal in a border or raised beds.
Funnel-shaped, claret-purple flowers on elegant stems. Ideal Conditions: Prefers full sun or partial shade with free-draining rich soil in a sheltered position. Possible Situation: An architectural plant, ideal in any herbaceous border.
Clusters of pale pink flowers on upright stems. Ideal Conditions: Prefers full sun or partial shade with free-draining rich soil in a sheltered position. Possible Situation: An architectural plant, ideal in any herbaceous border.
Fairy Wandflower found from Natal to the Eastern Cape. Rich coral or salmon pink flowers with whitish bracts, clump forming and free flowering mid July onwards.
Angel's Fishing Rod. Wandflower. A clump-forming perennial with grass-like leaves. Graceful arching stems of delicate, bell-shaped deep pink flowers. Height 1-1.5m. Spread 60cm. Flowers from July to August. Herbaceous. Frost hardy. Sheltered Site.
Angel's Fishing Rod. Wandflower. A clump-forming perennial with grass-like leaves. Graceful arching stems of delicate, bell-shaped deep pink, occasionally purple-red or white flowers. Height 1-1.5m. Spread 60cm. Flowers from July to August. Herbaceous. Frost hardy. Sheltered Site.
Compact variety which forms a low rosette of glossy green leaves in the first year, bursting into flower during the second summer. The flowers are very large, strawberry-rose in colour with darker markings on the inside. Height 75cm. Spread 50cm. Loved by bees, butterflies and moths. Plant part sun/part shade.
Spikes of pure-white, tubular flowers with dark-spotted throats rise above compact clumps of basal foliage in late-spring and early-summer.
A perfect mound of white daisy-like flowers. Yellow green cones are prominent feature and add a touch of freshness to the flower. Clean, moss green foliage is held clear to the ground.
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