Perennial Garden News and More

Perennial Garden News

Time Saving Tips for Perennial Flower Gardens - Associated Content

Time-saving tips for perennial flower gardens are essential. Perennial gardens are cost effective, and they will save you planting time. Maintaining a perennial flower garden does take time in itself. This ...

Monroe memorial garden kept in bloom - NJ.com

It's not a very big garden," he said, "but she described her daughter and told me how much she liked blue and purple colors." Myers decided on a perennial garden featuring Naklee's favorite colors and a butterfly ...

Heuchera: An Easy to Grow Shade Perennial - Associated Content

But beauty needs to have reliability and endurance for my perennial garden these days. Heuchera thrives in the shade and tolerates the heat and humidity of my southern locale. As if that's not enough, the Heuchera ...

Chicago Woman Stands Up to Cancer with Inspiration from Perennial Garden - PRLog (free press release)

PRLog (Press Release) – Aug 26, 2010 – CHICAGO, August 25, 2010 -- Five years ago Lynn Rutstein was in the middle of chemotherapy treatments for breast cancer as her 40th birthday approached. Although she was in ...

September landscape & garden calendar - Nashville Tennessean

And while spring is a gardener's prime time for planning and planting a perennial garden, September — late summer and early fall — offers a nice surprise: It's also a good time to plan and plant perennial beds.

Family's cottage garden featured in Better Homes magazine - Kansas City Star

there's a bountiful vegetable and self-seeding annuals garden on one side and a habitat-style perennial planting on the other side. The classic cottage-style creation, which Joe calls "Linda's Garden," is featured on ...

Tour the Xeriscape Garden with Ulster experts - Times Herald-Record

STONE RIDGE — Cornell Cooperative Extension of Ulster County's master gardeners will guide a tour of their Xeriscape Garden on Sept. 19. The lush and colorful garden features flourishing perennial herbs ...

Chaste tree graces the late-summer garden - Oregonian

In the late-summer garden, the chaste tree ( Vitex agnus-castus ) can play a dynamic role ... it can be treated as a perennial and cut back to the ground each spring. Like the butterfly bush, it flowers on new wood.

Get a whiff of new herbs in our rooftop garden - San Francisco Gate

Here are a few newcomers growing now in The Chronicle's rooftop garden, along with suggestions for using them ... Cultivation: A perennial, lemon verbena blooms in summer. Plant in full sun. Shrublike growth to 36 to ...

Installing a cottage garden right in the front yard - LoHud.com

Perennial Garden, Gardening, Perennials Guide to Planting Flowers

Information on your perennial plants. We provide gardenig tips on perennial flowers.

Perennial flower gardening for beginners: Perennial plant care and ...

Your complete guide to perennial plant and flower care. Perennial gardening for beginners, including garden tips and perennial gardening advice and information.

Perennials - Perennial Garden Design - The Helpful Gardener

Perennial Garden Design | A helpful article on designing a perennial garden.

Garden Perennials

Garden Perennials is a plant nursery owned and opereated by Gail Korn specializing in Hemerocallis, also know as the daylily. Daylilies are the perfect perennial. A wide ...

Perennial Garden Plants, Your Expert Guide for Flower Gardening

Useful and practical guide for perennial flower gardening and design authored by a Plant Biologist and a Consulting Horticulturist.

Perennial Gardener.com Perennial Plants Perennial Flowers ...

Perennials are basically plants that live for more than two years, growing back each year from their root stock.

Best Way - Garden Perennial Planning | eHow.com

Best Way : Garden Perennial Planning. You can have beautiful color and flowers from early spring through fall if you plan your perennial garden well. The planning process may ...

Best Way - Purple Perennial Garden Ideas | eHow.com

Best Way : Purple Perennial Garden Ideas. Purple has been a symbol of royalty and power for thousands of years. Only the richest and most powerful men could afford garments of ...

Perennial Gardening

A well-designed perennial Garden can provide many years of beauty and enjoyment. Careful selection of plant materials and thoughtful planning can result in a full season of color.

Voting Question: How is caustic soda used as a weed killer?

I've been asked by a client to put caustic soda on his garden to suppress perennial weeds. His concern is that after the area has been dug over,perennial weeds such as dandelion,dock and other taproot varieties will grow through the new turf he wants laying.How effective is caustic soda? How much needs to be applied? more

Resolved Question: What are the flowers that look like Livingstone Daisies?

What are the flowers that look like Livingstone Daisies and grow wild mainly in Devon and Cornwall. They seem to be perennial and tend to be only pink, not multicoloured like the annual Livingstone Daisies. My sister brought a cutting back but I'd like to see if I could grow a lot of them in my garden. Does anyone know what they are and where I can buy them. Thanks for everyone's help, I do know what thrift looks like and it's not that nor is it Dianthus. It definitely looks like Livingstone Daisies (Mesembryanthemum) but is a perenniel rather than an annual. more

Resolved Question: I collected some poppy seeds from my Mother's garden last year. When is the best time to sow them,?

I collected these seeds last year and have kept them in a dry condition.However, I'm not sure which variety they are. Unfortunately my Mother and Step Father have now passed away so obviously I can not ask them. The plants themselves were about 900mm-1.0m tall and the heads quite large, about 50mm across. I would really like to germinate these seeds as the plants would serve as a reminder of my late parents. I would also like to know if they are annual or perennial, and where to sow them Ie directly into the open ground or in a seed tray and grow on from there. more

Resolved Question: Once the Poppies go dormant and not attractive, what perennial flower is good for a late summer replacement?

I may have planted too many in my flower garden seeing as to how many I have this year. Four of them surrounding a birdbath, they were beautiful and a show stopper. Now the blooms are done and their lots of leafs. I need to know if there is a perennial flower I can plant that would bloom after the poppies are done in their place for color. Knowing now what I've learned on their deep root system, it may not be a good idea. Plus the leaves of the poppies are pretty thick, and 'is' there a plant that would tolerate that shade and even have a chance to grow upward and flower? The garden gets lots of sun and is shared with two roses, shasta's, cornflower, black-eyed susan, lupin, and another plant, can't remember it's name. Any answers would be appreciated. And, is it a good idea to cut off the flower stem after blooming? more

Resolved Question: what type of perrenials should i go for?

im after some perennials for garden but only want them to grow about 60 cms high do you know any good one (also i have young children and pets nothing poisenous) many thanks for people that have answer this question you see basically same plants over and over in garden shops around where i live so i came on here then i can order on line for some nice ones more

Voting Question: what type of flowers should i go for?

im after some perennials for garden but only want them to grow about 60 cms high do you know any good one many thanks for people that have answer this question more

Resolved Question: Flowers that last through spring and summer in uk?

Does anyone know of any I can plant now either as seeds, bulbs or the flower plants that will last all year? I have four empty flowerbeds and am clueless as to what to do with them. I end up going to flower stores and going away with nothing as I don't know what is a worthwhile purchase - am on a budget. My aim is to have a garden full of colourful flowers. It'd be a bonus if theywere perennial but i don't mind! please help! x:) more

Resolved Question: How do I make a garden border!?

After mowing the lawn of my new house I discovered a small border running along the fence so I cleared it of grass and weeds and now I want to plant there. I have a bit of an idea how to do it. I intend to neaten the edge with my edging tool and turn over the soil (which is quite wet) with a fork and pick out the stones. What do I do next? I was going to dig in some top soil or compost ti the places I wanted to plant. Is this correct? Also what plants can I use? Do I really need to test the acidity of the soil? I just want a few hardy perennials that will grow anywhere and don't need too much attention. The border gets some sun but the rest of the day is shaded. I really want to keep my budget low as it is a privately rented house but I don't want to grow from seed as I want an immediate effect. Can anyone help? Many thanks for those who give an actually helpful response. more

Resolved Question: Problems with rose bushes.?

I have a large patio which is on the same level as my house; there are steps down from the patio to my lawn. I have a 70’ x 4’ planting area which is encompassed by a wall which is 4’ high and the coping stones on top of this bring it to the same level as my patio. Many years ago we planted a number of rose bushes in this, then when they died I replaced them. Unfortunately these bushes have never flourished and I later discovered that I should not have planted roses in the same place. I am told that the original rose bushes would have removed the nutrients from the soil that they needed, consequently the replacements were starved of these nutrients. These tired looking bushes now need digging out and I would prefer to replace them again with rose bushes. Is there anything that I can add to the soil to enable new rose bushes to thrive? .Or can you suggested some other type of bush which is equally attractive and perennial. Incidentally the second lot of roses were planted through holes in plastic sheeting and this is covered in tree bark. Unfortunately I think that the plastic will have to be pulled up, however it will be very difficult to remove the tree bark, can this just be dug in and mixed with the soil. I hate gardening, I am clueless and unfortunately I will have to pay someone to do the work as it is physically beyond my capabilities. I would also like your advise as to what time of the year that this work should be carried out. Please help. Thank you Jessie, that's briiliant. more

Resolved Question: which small perennial plants?

I know very little about gardening but what I do know is I would like Perennial plants/flowers only and ones that are no taller than 18". If possible I would like ones which flower through each season.Can anyone advise what I should buy. The garden has full sun - when it shines that is. more

Resolved Question: gardening help required?

Just moved in to a new garden,on the North side of the garden it is a bit waterlogged,the area gets full sun from first thing until about 2pm,I am looking for perennial plants that like a bit of dampness,can anyone suggest plants that would I be able to plant in this area. more

Resolved Question: Can you identify this garden perennial please?

It stands about 18" and has strappy leaves.http://www.flickr.com/photos/37219504@N03/3566481633/sizes/l/ more

Resolved Question: Can you identify this garden perennial please?

It stands about 18" and has strappy leaves.http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?pid=464693&id=1225651078&ref=mf#/home.php?filter=app_2305272732 more

Resolved Question: Can you identify this garden perennial please?

It stands about 18" and it has strappy leaves. http://www.facebook.com/home.php?filter=app_2305272732#/photo.php?pid=464693&id=1225651078&ref=mf more

Resolved Question: Does anyone have an effective way to get rid of ground elder?

(bishops weed) please. I have tried everything known to man to gert rid of this pesky weed. I've dug bag-fulls of runners of the stuff. I've used roundup professional. I've used salt I've tried bark and weed cover. Nothing seems to work. I have to add I inherited an old garden and it may be that I disturbed dormant roots when I started sorting my perennials more

Resolved Question: What flowers will you be growing in your gardens this season?

From Virginia, here What do you envision this year? I personally lean towards annuals such as Zinnias, Marigolds, Petunias, Portulaca, Calendula, etc. Some seeds are 7th generation and older. I have plenty of perennials, too. It occurs to me that we may know the same flower by different names! What annuals or perennials do you prefer to work with and what ideas are you working with for your gardens this year? *Edit 1* Kathleen-Virginia is covered in Bluebells this year! Like no prior year! It's a sight to behold, especially driving along the Shenandoah River, where they're on both sides of the road. It's such a pretty sky blue it's nearly disorientating. Taxed till I die-Dude, you're missing something, seriously! Maybe veggies are your thing. Maybe just a window garden or some houseplants. Remember the "footprint we leave on the environment" concept. more

Resolved Question: Can you recommend some hardy evergreen shrubs for my garden?

There are a lot of blank areas in my borders, and as I have quite a few children and am very busy, I find it hard to keep them weeded and maintained. The weeds are impossible to beat. Over the years I have spent fortunes on perennials but they never seem to come back the next year! This is not helped by some of my children deciding to dig holes in the borders now and again. Also my husband goes out to weed and then rips half the perennials up as well. To put it simply, my garden is a bit of a mess at the moment! I wanted to fill in the gaps with some easy to maintain evergreen shrubs. My soil is verging on alkaline but the camelia and rhododendron that I've got seem to have done well. Some parts of the garden are very shady, others are sunny. In the shady parts it is hard to grow anything. We have one hosta that is absolutely choka with snails in the summer and filled with holes, so I don't fancy any more of them! Many thanks in advance. more

Resolved Question: A gardening question?

I have a ceramic bowl that is quite large but only about 2 and a half inches deep, it has drainage holes in the bottom. Can anyone think of any perennial plants that would grow well in it? It would have to be something that has quite shallow roots. I'm trying to get a herb garden going, any herbs that would grow well in it? Failing that anything really, I'd just like to use it for something. Thank in advance! more

Resolved Question: I am new to gardening and would like a nice garden in the spring, Can anyone tell me when to plant bulbs which?

spring, can anyone tell me when to plant and which bulbs are the best also if they are perennials (excuse spelling), I am a senior Citizen so it must be easy, but I would love a really colourful garden in the spring, and I need all the help I can get regarding bulbs. more

Resolved Question: If dividing plants, are the clumps individual or single plants?

If it is a large clump of lilies, I have seen people saying, "I am now dividing this plant," and so describing it in the singular. But has the clump all come from the same bulb? In this photograph the divided iris is described as "rhizomes" ie plural, but in the notes as "the plant": http://gardening.about.com/od/perennials/ss/DividingIrid_3.htm When dividing some small plants recently I had to detach many small flowers. Were they new growths from seed, or part of the whole? For instance, it is clear in the pic below that there are several individual bulbs and therefore several plants. Why would someone say they were "dividing THE plant,2 when it is in fact several? Would all of these bulbs have grown from the same original bulb? Are they physically linked even at this stage? http://www.dkimages.com/discover/previews/772/310741.JPG would it be right to assume, then, that the aster is planted singly, through seeding would multiply, while other plants' roots form many stems from the same original plant? more

Resolved Question: why do we plant perennials in borders?

is it as they have a tendency to spread and cluster? What about annuals, where in a garden is it best to plant them? more

Resolved Question: Is a big garden easy to manage?

Basically I want to know how to make it look good with as little maintenance as possible, someone mentioned that I should get together a plan of what I want it to look like and divide it up into easy to manage segments. I have an absolutely vast back garden which is about half the size of a football pitch and my two front gardens probably make up the same. It's a lot of hard work to try and keep on top of cutting the hedge and mowing the lawn and I want something that is very simple, looks good, and somewhere I can relax in the summer. Is there any sort of perennial flowers I can use that need little if any maintenance? someone mentioned I should just plant rose bushes as it's simply a case of cutting them back and weding out around them every once in a while. ANY other hints/tips/ideas are GREATLY welcomed. Thanks for your help. more

Resolved Question: What perennials should I plant in the garden?

I have just moved into my new home and the garden is a real mess,Im sure once the lawn has been mowed and the borders weeded is should start to take shape.I am wanting to plant some perennials in the borders and am unsure of what to plant,and what is available this time of year.As the borders are large I was thinking of something quite large that will fill the borders.Any ideas greatly received..thanks more

Resolved Question: How to be rid - bindweed?

Help please. Due to illness my newly planted garden in Spring has been covered by the dreaded bindweed. It has covered my infant perennials and I do not want to start pulling it out as I might take the plants with it. Does bindweed go over in the winter. I have a rough idea where the plants are. I would appreciate any suggestion where to begin. Thank you. more

Resolved Question: What perennials are blooming in your garden right now?

I have daisies,black-eyed Susans,daylilies,asiatic lilies,and coneflowers. more

Resolved Question: how to increase blooms in the garden?

Hello. I have planted lots of new garden plants - mostly grown from bulbs or seed planted last autumn/ this spring. I have lots of leaves but a relatively poor show in blooms. I'll get one flower, then another but never lots at the same time. Any ideas? There are anemones, aquilegia (some of which is ok), cosmos, stardust, should be some freesias and love in the mist at some point and there were other bulbs I can't remember (or identify now cos the lollypop identifiers disappeared). Some plants (irises I think) haven't flowered at all... Will some of the perennials do better next year? I try to keep things organic... Thanks for any help. I was pretty careful where I put the bulbs but the garden's a bit funny in terms of light. It's not dark as such - but there are lots of trees surrounding it which have gone manic with all the rain! more

Resolved Question: WHich perennial plants can I grow in a garden pot which is 1.5 feet wide and 1.5 feet deep?

Resolved Question: My garden is very prone to moss. Northern UK?

It is quite small. And light is blocked at various times of day, except on the northern side. When I moved in, there was nothing but knee high grass. Over the 4 years, I've planted various hardy perennials and figured out what will grow where. I'm aiming for complete ground coverage with different colours through the year. I've still got a few blanks to fill in. It occurred to me today that in areas where nothing has succeeded yet, I might be better to leave the moss, as this might keep weeds down. Also would welcome suggestions as to what will grow best in shade, northern facing, Scottish temperatures. thanks nettie - good advice. I've actually got some roses facing north and they are doing fine, including a wild one that I grew from seed. Glad to hear the moss won't do any harm. I've also got hostas and hebes, but am thinking of getting more. But bluebells just don't come through at all. more

Resolved Question: Wanted a scented, climbing, miniture rose. Please advise me.?

I'm looking to buy a scented, climbing, miniture rose, which is easy to grow. The rose will be on a wall which only has sun from 1pm onwards. Also any suggestions to any lovely shrubs, perennials for the same part shaddy garden? xx I live in the UK. Any help appreciated x more

Resolved Question: Can anybody correct this text in english?

Feel free to change words or sentences I was passing a really ugly period of my life, now to live seemed to me useless, what had happened to me in the last times was for me something unbearable, ugly, it was destroying me. All the people near to me were worried for my health: I didn't go out, I didn't eat and I was in a perennial confusional condition. To try to improve my situation my best friend proposed me to make a vacation lodging for a week in her vacations house, a delicious cottage placed near a lake, in an isolated and completely uninhabited zone during that period of the year. I accepted only for doing her happy, honestly I didn't see anything of profit. Of the first days I don't almost remember anything... I was touching the apex of my desperation, the only things that I remember were that I often stopped watching the lake, sitting on a bench situated in the garden of the residence, observing what surrounded me, reflecting on the cruelty of the life shedding litres of tears. They have been ugly and difficult days, but suddenly something very strange happened to me, something that could not be explained. A morning, in fact, I oddly woke up happy, all of my worries and my problems were suddenly faded away, disappeared out of my mind. I didn't succeed to explain this phenomenon; everything was so perfect, after so much time I felt reborn. It was a very beautiful day, the sun shone in the sky and I immediately ran in that garden that for days was the place of my desperation. I had never seen anything so beautiful, I saw everything with different eyes, I found the peace. My beautiful reflections been interrupted by the presence of a young man that could not have more than twenty-seven years. He wore fisherman clothes, but he was not fishing, he was observing the blue sky sitting in the green lawn of an house near my cottage. I had never seen him before, additionally I knew that nobody lived those zones during that period of the year. He turned to me and, when he realized that I was looking at him, he made me a sign with his arm, and I responded to the waving. He immediately came to me astonished, and he started quickly to walk in my direction. "Hi! - he told me smiling when he was close to me - How are you? ". I said that everything was alright and when I asked the same question he interrupted me saying: "Don't you see how much beautiful is here? It seems like an heaven, it is so hard to believe that before I detested it. I worked here, I was a fisherman, but now I live here, and I see this place with different eyes.". I was spellbound for his words, he was describing what I was feeling. It almost seemed that the place had something magic, everything was changed. “When have you arrived here? This morning?”, I asked him, “Me? No, it’s a long time that I don't move from this lake.”. I was surprised: ” I have never seen you before!.” “I know it yet…” he answered me with a smile. We stayed the whole day chatting, the hours passed happily and I talked about myself, and about the reasons that make me need to isolate myself in that earthly paradise and how suddenly everything changed in me. His company was very pleasant, even thought he didn't speak a lot about himself; it seemed like if that lake was his only reality. The following day passed in the same way. In the evening, while I was preparing me to assist to the amazing sunset on the lake, the telephone rang. Who could he be? By now it was a long time that I was there, and nobody had ever looked for me. I answered and on the other side of the telephone I heard her voice: ‚Hello?!. it was her, Sarah, my friend that wanted to know how I was. „Hi Sarah! -I answered happy – How are you?" , but she kept on repeating ‘hello’ and to say that she didn't hear me. So I had to hang up, but it made me feel a little bit, because I really wished to talk with her. The following day the scene repeated again various times and I noted that her voice became always more anxious and worried. I was sorry for her, I also tried to phone her back, but the thing worsened the situation. I thought a lot about these facts, and I often wondered what Sarah could think, I didn't want to make her stress. The day after I waited for her phone call, but it didn't arrive. I was asking me why she had not called me yet when I heard the house door opening downstairs. I leaned out from the staircases and I saw her… it was Sarah; she came to visit me. "Hi Sarah! " I shouted happily, but she didn't hear me, and she started to wander around the rooms in sorrowful way. "Hey Sara! " I repeated more times, but her… nothing; she moved in a nervous way, but when she went down the staircases to go in the basement I heard a cry of terror! "What is happened to you? " I howled frightened. I ran toward the basement, she was there, on the steps, paralyzed, immovable, trembling... When she fell down crying, I succeeded to see what shocked her. While Sarah stammered "Why have you done it?!" I saw it, but I couldn’t understand immediately … Why my lifeless body was there? more

Resolved Question: How bad is cat poo/wee for a garden?

Several cats, including our own, use areas of our garden as a latrine. (They have to go somewhere!) Are their waste products bad nutrients for soil? If so, what is a good, humane way, to deter them? I have started doing quite a lot of gardening, (I've never been interested until recently, but I'm actually quite keen, now!) They use 2 "borders" of soil as their loo, each one about 10 square metres. I also (did) have a lot of perennial weeds in those areas, but have dug them all out....I think. I want to turn those areas into flower/shrub beds. Any advice on improving the quality of soil would be appreciated, too. I have (fairly good?) sandy soil, with an East facing garden and I live in SW England. Apologies for the multi-faceted question! Thanks in advance. $Billy Ray$ Valentine.... I don't really think that rant was appropriate. I love cats, and I was merely asking if their waste products were poisonous to the garden.... I'm pretty sure our faeces are quite detrimental to the well being of the planet, and I know cats enjoy hunting wildlife, but humans can be prone to that vice, as well. Oh, and I'm pretty sure that rodent infestation is relatively cataclysmic for a garden, also. Can you think of a better deterrent/cure than a cat? more

Resolved Question: Am I able to leave perennials in pots in garden for 2-3 days before planting without slugs eating them?

Resolved Question: Could this ivy be killing my privet hedge?

Hi, We have lived in our house for five years now and over that time, the hedge to the right and rear of our garden has slowly been dying off. About eight feet of the back and twelve of the right hand side have died now and the only thing we can think of is that the perennial ivy which grows there is killing it. It is of the type that you generally see growing on trees, vine like stems with heart shaped mid green leaves and pure white trumpet like flowers. To be honest, I'm not even sure if it is definately ivy. Can any gardeners out there give me any advice before it all dissapears. Thanks for all the good answers. The only problem I have with getting rid of it is that I don't actually know whose garden the roots are in. If I spray the weedkiller on the leaves, will it still kill the roots. more

Resolved Question: Are Atilbe evergreen?

I dont understand why garden books dont indicate very often or not if something is evergreen! When it indicates that it is perennial, does this mean it necessarily isnt evergreen? for example "Foam Flower" is evergreen? and perennial? how come? thanks for your answers! SORRY, MEANT "ASTILBE" more

Resolved Question: Seeds of doubt, Do you like these?

From old readers digest If you eat a toadstool and don`t die, it`s a mushroom A prune is a plum that hasn`t taken care of itself Seaweed is something you don`t want your neighbours to do when they look in your garden A perennial is a flower that continues to live after it dies. Do you know any more of these? more

Resolved Question: Is this a good time to plant perennial ryegrass seed for a new lawn? I have 200 square metres of garden.?

Brand new topsoil was installed a few weeks ago and raked. I live in South-East England and it is currently wet and 15C in the day and 10C at night but it is expected to get milder in the next few days. more

Resolved Question: Are you soily responsible for perennial problems with your garden?

Resolved Question: What are the best plants (preferably perennials) to deter cats from spoiling the garden?

Preferably plants that will grow at the base of a hedge where the cats come and go to the next door property. more

Resolved Question: Gardening in southern Spain?

please could Ihave suggestions for unusual herbaceous perennials and other species to give a cottagy feel to a large Andalusian garden? I already have, osteos, marguerites, hollyhocks, cosmos and want to recreate a wild look apart from the usual architectural plants ie palms and succulents found in this area.Any suggestions would be appreciated more

Resolved Question: Are most perennials planted by seeds?

I am new to gardening but would like to grow stuff I see in my garden book like candy tuft or astilbe, or alyssum or foam flower, or shasta daisies, etc. I am new to this. do you just buy seeds for these at Wal-Mart or something and just throw them out like Zinnia seeds or something?? more

Resolved Question: Are most perennials very easy to plant?

like candy tuft, achilia, yarrow, phlox, etc? do you plant many by throwing seeds out, just like you would for zinnias?? I am new to gardening. more

Resolved Question: Question and recommendation on perennial to plant?

i am going to be tilling an area in my garden that will cover a fairly good side of my back yard and am wanting to pick out a good perennial to grow there. It gets partial sun (6 hours) and it is in a temperate climate . I have a leaning towards a Salvia called "Ostfriesland" (East Friesland) and it looks so beautiful. But I think it only blooms for the months of June and July, so would like to know from any garden experts, if it would be a good idea to plant something in with it to give that area of my yard extra bloom time. I was think of possibly just throwing some zinnia seeds among it or planting another perennial in with the salvia. Is this advisable? what other suggestions you might have? I also like the way Alysum or Artemisia look. Basically I want something that blooms good and for longtime which is elegant. And does not look just awful in winter time. more

Resolved Question: how would you classify plants into different uses for design purposes?

Trees, Shrubs, "perennials", groundcovers, vines, grasses???? and if anybody can help me understand what a "perennial" is i would really appreciate it. It seems to be a very vague term, since many flowering shrubs could also be called "perennials" and shrubs could also be considered "groundcovers" as well, making "groundcover" a confusing term as well. But I think when you are classifying plants you should divide them into their uses in a garden , right? more

Resolved Question: Could perennial flowers be considered a type of "groundcover"?

I am just trying to clarify for myself the different categories of plants in designing a garden. I pretty much have catergorized as thus: 1. Deciduous Trees a. Lawn Trees b. Flowering Ornamental Trees 2. Evergreen Trees/shrubs 3. Deciduous Shrubs a. Flowering b. Non- flowering 4. Decidous Groundcover a. Flowering b. Nonflowering 5. Evergreen Groundcover 6. Vines I am trying to decide if i can leave it at this or should i make seperate categories for "perennials" like flowers. But I think that flowers are used as "groundcovers" arent they? CAN ANYBODY RECOMMEND ANY CHANGES TO HOW I CLASSIFIED PLANTS FOR DESIGN PURPOSES? I JUST WANTED TO MAKE IT SIMPLIFIED AS POSSIBLE. RECOMMENDATIONS VERY APPRECIATED. more

Resolved Question: What flowering perennials can I grow in a north-facing border?

I have a border about 10 metres long that receives no sunlight at all but would like to add some colour (pref. year-round). Hardy perennials that flower would be ideal but what will survive there? I have a creeping plant with purple flowers in a similar spot that seems indestructable but I don't know what it is so I wouldn't know what to buy! It's a new house and I'm fairly new to gardening. more

Resolved Question: Perennials. (Assuming this means comes back every year)?

Ive got a tiny garden and I mean tiny (postage stamp size) What plants can I use that wont 'take over' the small amount of soil I have. I want something that will come back year after year. more

Resolved Question: Gardening. How do I keep a Crocosmia or Lucifer Perennial over the Winter in my Garden?I Live in Midlands UK.?

Resolved Question: how do i harvest northern sugar cane?

i have northern sugar cane growing in my garden in scotland for the first time this year. what do i do with it. how do i eat it. will it survive a winter assuming it is perennial. more

Resolved Question: What kind of formal , traditional,structural planting would be appropriate for a Georgian country house ?

I have a large garden approx.half an acre with 14 trees ,a long drive and a courtyard at the back. There is a front bed which is overgrown and a big lawn.What plants would be appropriate ? I would like suggestions for perennial planting.pots and features.We are a family of myself and 2 children ,the house is in the country and looks just like a georgian doll's house.Any advice would be welcome . more

Our Perennial Garden Page