Aim to create a garden with colourful Perennial Plants to enjoy every month of every year.
Visit Garden Centres and other gardens every month to see what is growing well now,
and to find plants that you would like to add into your garden.
Take notes and take photos of ideas you would like to add.
Include shrubs for variety and textures and height. Start with evergreens, perennials and shrubs.
Use foliage colours and perennial flower colours and see what makes it all come together to create your garden.
January – Hellebores
Hellebore Niger can flower around Christmas
Hellebore hybrids “Viv Victoria”
Hellebore “Emma” flowers later
Hellebores usually don’t freeze nor get frostbite because Hellebores make their own antifreeze.
February – Ipheion “Starflowers”, Jessie is blue and Alberto Castillo is white
Like sun and free drainage, are ideal under deciduous shrubs.
Snowdrops – also make their own antifreeze
March – yellow Doronicum (for example “Harpur Crewe” variety)
Like clay soil, and like dappled shade woodland edges
Doronicum add height, up to 90cm tall x 60cm.
Keep dead-heading and flowers can last into April or sometimes longer.
Daffodils can also be used and the bulbs coated in chilli powder to deter squirrels.
April – Veronica / Speedwells (for example “Tissington White” evergreen)
Like sun or part shade, and like reasonable soil.
Shadier moist soil bring more flowers.
Great edges for pathways,
Give vertical accents and add height and mass.
45cm x 60cm
May – Camassia
Like clay soil, moist soil, Sun or part shade, Storm-resistant. Alba or Caruden. 90cm x 50cm
Avoid Iris as they take a lot of space for two weeks flowering.
June – 15 outstanding Alliums – Late Spring to early Summer
15 outstanding Alliums :
“Karataviense” pink globes,
“Purple Sensation” large purple globes,
“Mount Everest” white,
“Pinball Wizard” purple globes,
“Christophii” purple more star-shaped petals,
“Gladiator” purple,
“Globemaster” big purple globes,
“Graceful” white globe,
“Lavender Bubbles” variety flower in September,
“Belgaricum” overhanging threads with tiny flowers on the ends,
“Nigrum” white (“Christmas Carol” flowers around Christmas),
“Atropurpureum” red-purple half-globe,
“Schubertii” red-purple spikes,
July – Salvia –
Salvia like sun and free-draining soil
Don’t like damp frost, so need Frost-protection,
Take of the top third in October and cut down shorter in winter, and buy in spring and take cuttings.
Some flower until October, but may not be longest-lasting flowers,
“Hot-lips” – red and white but goes all-white in sunshine.
August – Oenothera – 90cm x 50cm
Like full sun and good soil (or good soil in containers)
Take cuttings and don’t cut-back too hard.
Varieties include “Ice-cool” and “Rosy” and “Ruby, Ruby” and “Helena
Rudbeckia also does well both in the ground and in containmers.
September – Acteas – 150cm x 80cm
Like sheltered shaded areas
Need LOTS of food – Compost, Mulch, etc
North–facing or West–facing or East–facing
RHS say Acteas like moist but well–drained, or poorly–drained soil
Varieties include “Queen of Sheba”, “James Compton”, (and RHS recommend “Brunette”)
October – Verbena “Bampton”
Like poor sun-baked soil, self-seeding (remove green seedlings) 35cm x 45cm
November – Chrysanthemum “Dixter Orange”
Sheltered spots, and cut down and mulch before frosts start
Will flower from Spring to Autumn, evergreen if in sheltered spots, deadhead for more flowers
75cm x 50cm
December to March – Erysium “Winter Joy”
Reasonable soil and sun, ideally well-drained
“Bringing it all together”
Shrubs add background and winter mass and interest
Aim for a variety of textures, but keep it simple rather than “one or two of every possible type”
Pittisporum Tenuifolium, Sarcoccoca Confuse, Hebes (Veronicas), Euphorbias, Psuedodictamnus, Grasses
Planting shapes – avoid rounded clumps, try “Teardrop” shape 2 in front and one behind, or others.
Aim for 70% verticality – use spires, buttons, plumes, and umbellifers.
Think of a sequence of things in flower around all seasons,
Think of seasons of interest beyond the pure Flowers colour and shape. Grasses are your best friend
Ground Cover
Stachys Byzantina for sun and well-drained soil.
Lamium maculatum “Beacon Silver” for shadier areas
Geraniums – especially spreading forms to knit and weave through – e.g. “Mrs Winder”
Plan it out
What plants do you want to get the colours combinations you want in each season?
See what will make it all come together and make charts if necessary
Radio broadcasts fortnightly at 10am every second Tuesday,
10am on 04th February and onwards
https://www.gardeneditor.co.uk/radio includes several Recorded broadcasts.
