Perennials with staying power

Discover the best perennials to plant now for interest and impact throughout the summer months so you can enjoy a long season, says Tamsin Hope Thomson

- Tamsin Hope Thomson

THERE’S a bewildering choice of perennials to buy online and at the garden centre, so how do you choose the right ones for your garden? One way to select perennials is to choose plants that have staying power: this could mean they’re reliable, or flower for a long time or have foliage that creates an impact all through the year. This is especially important in a small space, where every plant needs to add value.

It’s also useful if you’re planting in containers. Combine a compact evergreen shrub, a trailing plant like ivy and a long-flowering perennial and you’ll have a mix that looks good for months.

Transform your garden

At this time of year, it’s exciting to think about plants that will transform your garden through summer. Instead of picking plants that look good for a month and then go over, choose perennials like hardy geraniums, salvias or penstemons that are not only low maintenance but will also flower for months, often well into early autumn. This will save you both time and money.

Other perennials to consider are foliage plants, and while these may not have the star quality of summerflowering plants, they act as a foil to vibrant colour. Plants such as hostas add impact with their large, bold leaves, while euphorbias, with their acid-green bracts or flowers, look striking throughout a planting scheme or used in containers on the patio. Look for plants with variegated foliage for shady borders or big lush leaves for tropical schemes.

Perennials that provide extra value