Reliable Performers

When it comes to gardening, we all want the flowers we plant in our garden to thrive and survive.

We expect plants to manage with very little input from us once they have been planted. Sometimes, the plants will thrive but sometimes they will fail. And when a plant fails to thrive, it can be for a variety of reasons, like wrong soil conditions or lack of water or that we have just neglected them. This can make us feel disheartened, convinced that we are just not green-fingered. But what if there were plants which just survived no matter what level of care they got or how green-fingered we are? Here is a list of my favourite plants which just perform without any extra special care or attention. Unlike some plants which are very needy, these plants will almost thrive on neglect. They simply get on with the task of providing colour and beauty in the garden without too much fuss.

DEIRDRE’S FAVOURITE RELIABLE PERFORMERS

Geum ‘Totally Tangerine’ (Fig.1) Totally Tangerine Avens

This gorgeous Geum is a fantastic perennial for the garden. It thrives in full sun and can grow to about 1m high. It has stunning orange flowers which are produced from April to September. It will benefit from deadheading which will encourage another flush of blooms later in the summer but it will equally thrive with no attention at all.