Choosing Perennials

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Either Evergreen Or Herbaceous

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Perennials fall into two groups, these are Herbaceous and evergreen.  Herbaceous perennials suit very cold climates.  Both groups grow in Spring and Summer and die down in Winter.

Choosing perennials, both herbaceous and evergreen with perhaps the odd small shrub will afford wonderful continuing colour and a pleasantly enduring look throughout the year.  To rid your perennials of infestations of insects, fungal diseases and mites is easy and we suggest using Rose Rx, a 100 percent organic compound made from neem seed oil.  It repels virtually every known pest, from spider mites, whiteflies, Lily beetles and Japanese beetles to black spot and powdery mildew. It not only works for roses but all flowers and ornamentals, and is safe for houseplants and food crops too.    

 

Choosing perennials to plant in your garden 

Regardless of what kind of perennials you intend choosing, nearly all herbaceous plants go into dormancy and die down during winter, leaving the ground uncovered between four to six months. Therefore a more acceptable compromise, especially for rather small gardens, is choosing perennials that have a well balanced combination of both evergreen and herbaceous plants.  Get advice from a local nursery or go to GardenExpress and see their wide range of perennials, both winter and summer flowering, as well as their other products.

Choosing perennials to compliment your garden

As most herbaceous plants do not flower until late spring and early summer there is no reason why annuals should not be mixed in with perennials to contribute to seasonal colour and add stability as well as variety.  Floral designers sometimes use these innovative plant towers for flowers and trailing plants to create instant vertical accents for garden parties, weddings and other special occasions. Put a cascading plant on top for a topiary effect, and add foliage plants or trailing flowers on the bottom. Create a dramatic vertical accent, just invert to create a conical shape .Can also hold gazing balls, birdhouses, lanterns and candles Made of steel Small is 36" H Large is 48" H Top holder is 9" diameter; middle is 5-1/2" diameter. (Please click on image at right)

 

 

 

Choosing perennials that flower for lengthy periods

There are quite a few long-flowering evergreen perennial shrubs growing to about one meter high and almost as wide that are ideal for planting in a sun drenched border among already established bushes.  Some of these include French lavender, Black-eyed Susans (Dimorphotheca or Osteospermum species), the wide range of Marguerites, and Kingfisher daisies that will give colour almost throughout the year when lightly trimmed after each flowering burst.

Choosing perennials that change colour

Throughout the different seasons for example, geraniums that flower from spring right through to autumn.  They are also more correctly known as Zonal pelargoniums and are at their best during the winter months.  Quite a few varieties, such as ‘Ann Tilling’, have light lemon to lime green coloured leaves during the summer, then change to a golden, reddish bronze during the colder months.

 

These mix well with contrasting types like ‘Leonie Holborow’ that change colour from bronze green to chocolate during winter.  Geraniums and hundreds of other pelargoniums grow happily outdoors in all but extremely frosty or very hot tropical climates.  In fact many houses nestled in the Austrian Alps have geraniums growing in their window boxes with an amazing brightness of colour.  So, if you are looking for a flower that will tolerate the cold, then you couldn’t do much better than choosing perennials from this group.  As this site grows we will reveal information on dividing this group of herbaceous plants that are happy to flower in well-drained or even soggy soils.  Their diversity is almost without end.

 

We have purposely barely scratched the surface of this vast topic.  For amongst the hundreds of varieties available, it is a significantly difficult task to perform when it comes to choosing perennials for your garden.