BULBS & PERENNIALS

PRODUCTS & SERVICES

Bulbs and Perennials add the interest and finishing touch to a garden. Many of them provide both interesting textures and a colourful display. Most of them flower in spring, summer, or autumn, hence with careful planning, there is always plenty of colour in the garden

Description

• Bulbs and perennials come in all types, shapes, colours and uses

• Renowned for their spring, summer and autumn colour

• Flowers come in almost all colours.

• They range in height and spread from flat ground covers to 1.5 metres tall

Uses

• Plant in mixed borders

• Great ‘fillers’

• As groundcovers, on banks and over walls

• As an under planting of trees

• In pots and containers

• Many are good for floral art

Requirements

• Full sun

• Good clay loam soil with summer water holding capacity

• Some slow release food at planting and follow up with Rose fertiliser in spring and mid-late summer

• Deep watering in dry summer periods

• Most bulbs and perennials are free of pests and diseases.

• Possible pests are: Aphids and caterpillars. – spray with ‘Mavrik’ (Safe to bees and soft on ladybirds)

• Possible disease : Powdery Mildew – spray with Yates Greenguard

• Removing spent flowers will prolong flowering

• Most bulbs and perennials die back to ground level in winter.

• Evergreen perennials will require cutting back to keep them tidy and to encourage new growth

Season of availability

Bulbs

• Early spring flowering bulbs such as - Anemones & Ranunculus are available in Feb – March

• Main spring flowering bulbs – early cheer, daffodils, tulips, hyacinths, bluebells freesia etc. are available in March - April

• Late spring flowering bulbs such as Lilliums, Calla lilies, are available in July August

• Summer - autumn flowering bulbs, such as dahlias are available in September - October

Perennials

• There is a huge range of perennials, and whilst many can be procured over several months, the majority are available for a short window of about 2 months, just prior to, and during the flowering period for each particular variety.

Popular Species & Varieties

Bulbs

Under this general heading we include corms and tubers. Bulbs are old favourites, and the most popular are listed here. There are of course many more.

• Winter / Early Spring flowering – Anemones; Crocus; Early Cheer; Ranunculus; Tingitana Iris.

• Spring Flowering – Babianas; Bluebells; Daffodils; Jonquils; Tulips;

• Summer / Autumn Flowering – Begonias; Calla Lilies; Dahlias; Gladioli; Liliums.

Perennials

There are literally hundreds of perennials available. For convenience here we only list the most popular. We have also arbitrarily divided them into

• Long-lived perennials – those that tend to be very tough and thrive year after year.

• Short-lived perennials – those that are require or are best replaced with new plants every year, or every second year.

​

This split is a little arbitrary, as some perennials may be long lived in ideal conditions but short lived in unsuited conditions.

Long-lived perennials

Agapanthus; Alstromeria; Ajuga; Anigozathos (Kangaroo paw); Aquilegia; Armeria (Thrift); Arthropodium (Reinga Lily); Aster; Astilbe; Canna lily; Clivia; Convulvulus spp.; Dianthus; Leucantemum (Shasta Daisy) Hemerocallis (Day Lily); Delphinium; Bergenia; Heterocentron (Spanish shawl); Hellebores; Heuchera; Hosta; Liriope; Penstemon; Phlox; Scabiosa (Pin cushion flower); Sedum.

Short-lived perennials

Arctotis; Argyranthemum (Marguerite Daisy); Brachycome; Catmint; Chamomile; Chrysanthemum; Heliotrope (Cherry Pie); Coreposis; Cyclamen; Diascia; Euphorbia; Felecia; Gaillardia; Gaura; Gazania; Geranium; Gerbera; Lithodora; Perennial Petunia; Primula / polyanthus; Salvia; Verbena; Viola.