How does someone who love plants and thinks about them every day choose just a dozen perennials to showcase and say are favourites? I will preface this blog by saying these are the ones I’ll choose just for today or even just this month and next month or next year there will be a whole different dozen that I’m loving. (That’s my excuse and I’m sticking to it!) Not to mention, that there are thousands of perennials and their varietals to choose from in the world (aren’t we lucky!) and so it’s a bit of a task just narrowing the selection to a mere 12.
Maybe we could make a gardener’s dozen a round number of 14 and then that would at least give me an extra two. Yes let’s do that…..

I’m just going to say, these aren’t in any order of preference, just how they bounced out of my brain and onto my list as I was thinking of perennials while sitting in a warm sunny spot in the garden. I haven’t even tried to incorporate all the beautiful perennial grasses in this list, as they would fill up the list all on their own - so we will leave them for another blog (coming soon - now that I’ve thought it I’ll have to write it!)

Let’s go…..

Sedum ‘Autumn Joy’ going through pink stage

Sedum bonariensis ‘Autumn Joy’
There are very few sedums that I’m not enamoured with, but Autumn Joy seems to be the ongoing favourite for me and for every other plant person I know. It performs from early spring through to late late Autumn / early winter before you are forced to snip the now deep brown flowers and the tall flowers changes colour through every season from pale green, to pink, to terracotta, to burnished red, brown and deep chocolate. Flower height is about 70-80cm and they are a succulent so very hardy and can be found growing from Tasmania to Queensland.

Perovskia atriplicifolia
Sometimes known as Russian sage and that beautiful name has now been changed to Salvia yangii - how disappointing. The plant itself will definitely perform for you - it’s hardy, long lasting with silvery foliage and throws up the most wonderful lavender blue spire flowers. Likes well drained dry gardens and just occasionally it’s been temperamental, but does well from country to city, and looks good in the garden from about November to April. But really does look it’s best in repitition. One plant loses it’s impact a little, even in a small garden. About 80cm + high and prefers a sunny position.

Verbena bonariensis
A fabulous dreamy perennial that can mix well with other low growing ones as it’s flowers pop up out of the foliage up to 2m high. Purple blue flowers. Good drought tolerance, hardy and long lasting.

Agastache ‘Blue Boa’
Agastache are a great addition to the spring summer autumn garden and this one is a favourite with it’s lovely blue flowers that are just the right colour under the Australian sun. Plant in lovely sweeps through the middle front of the garden amongst grasses as it grows up to 80cm - 1m high. As with most of the Agastache it’s hardy and tough and looks good for a long time through the season. It’s leaves almost have an aniseed scent.

Salvia nemorosa ‘Caradonna’
It’s almost impossible to choose a favourite Salvia and there seems to be one for almost every type of garden. They are the hardiest of plants and consistently perform and also come in such a variety of colours from blues to purples to whites and greens. The Caradonna is clumping, upright with purple black stems and violet blue flowers. It grows about 60cm high and like most salvia prefers full sun. Salvias are quite woody but look amazing planted in odd number sweeps that are repeated through the garden.

Astrantia major ‘Snow Star’ or ‘Woodbridge White’
The romantics of the perennial garden, these lovely frothy flowers get to approx 50-60cm high and look almost delicate amongst the other plants in the garden. They are great in a semi shaded dry patch in the garden and also make a great cut flower. I can’t choose between these two varieties as to which is better so probably do both! They also have interesting leaves.

Heuchera americana
This evergreen Heuchera with it mass of frothy white flowers on top has been a wonderful addition to many clients gardens. It loves a semi shaded, shaded patch and does well even in a dry section. It’s a mounding perennial up to 45cm and the flowers pop out the top to approx. 65cm through spring and summer.

Anenome ‘Honorine Jobert’
The white anenome planted on mass is a classic and Honorine is the one I find performs consistently. Hardy and good for dry or moist gardens, it flowers for ages and prefers a semi shaded or shaded position in the garden.

Lysimachia cletheroides
Beautiful and interesting. The flowers almost look like little swan necks craning to see what’s happening. Hardy and a good performer, but the flowers aren’t as long lived as other perennials but it just looks so good, it’s worth having. It’s a mounding perennial and dies right back and will continue to spread a little, so keep an eye on it. Flowers go to approximately 65-70cm high.

Alchemilla rothii
This has my preference rather than Alchemilla mollis (Ladies mantle) and generally have much more success with it. Success with A. mollis is definitely hit and miss in our climate. A. rothii has lovely green interestng leaves and behaves more like a low ground cover, with suckers almost like a strawberry, but is hardy, doesn’t mind a shady spot or clay soil but doesn’t really like full hot sun. Doesn’t really flower but the leaves and colour make up for it.

Sanguisorba officianalis
Another garden romantic, with wavey burgundy purple flowers on long stems that grow up to 60cm. Mixes with silvery leaved plants and mid size grasses beautifully and doesn’t mind sun or semi shade. Great for sweeps of 3’s or 5’s or repeated through a perennial garden.

Aster ‘snow white’
Asters have become a summer, autumn flowering favourite and also are a great cut flower. This one has masses of little white flowers and gets to approx. 50cm high. Good cut flower, drought hardy, full sun, doesn’t need staking and looks great amongst roses and other perennials when you need a hit of something beautiful coming through in the mid to late summer garden.

Melianthus major
A classic and really it’s all about the leaf shape and colour! Quite large and tall - 1.5-2m high with the most beautiful green deeply serrated leaves. Sometimes will produce a reddy brown flower late summer.

Geum ‘Mrs Bradshaw’ or ‘Tangerine’
Lovely geums! Pops of colour in the form of delicate flowers swaying around in amongst the rest of the garden. Perform well and don’t mind sun or semi shade or a lack of water and are quite compact so can be planted in amongst other clumps of plants. Don’t need to be in great sweeps but still good to plant in at least 3’s for a little impact in amongst the rest of the garden. Tangerine is most beautiful clear single orange and Mrs Bradshaw is the best dark raspberry red double.

I’ve reached my gardener’s dozen of 14 and there are still so many I use all the time that I have left out. Salvias, Ajuga, Hydrangers (are they really a perennial), Stachys, Asters, all the daisies, Kniphofia, Allium, Sanguisorba, Euphorbia, Delphinium, Eupatorium, Diplarrena Bergenia, Campanula, Angelica, Veronica, Cerinthe, Phlomis, Hellebores, and so many more.

There will obviously have to be more lists made. Next will be grasses as they are such an integral part of the garden and I can’t imagine not putting them into plant lists. They sway in the slightest of breezes bring movement and dance to the garden and look so good mass planted.

Three little tips for using perennials in your garden:

1. Try and find the varietals that give you the best colour combinations & interest in your garden. For example, there are about 8 varieties of sedum that we use all the time and they are all called ‘Sedum’. So look for the specific variety that will do best for you in terms of height, colour, interest. Sedum ‘Autumn Joy’ or S. ‘Purple Emporer’ or S. ‘Matrona’.
There are lots of different named varieties of every perennial. Yes, it can get a little confusing but please at the same time don’t let this put you off! It’s not as complicated as you think. It’s better to experiment and plonk it in and then replace if it doesn’t work. You’ll learn more and more as you garden and chat to other gardeners and experts, but trying to find the best varieties just helps to get the right colours, heights, textures and interest for your garden. If you’re overwhelmed and just don’t know, get a little advice and don’t be afraid to ask. Gardeners are a friendly lot and love to chat varieties and plants at any time.

2. Perennials are really easy to propagate by cutting or division. (Don’t worry about growing them from seed, that’s a long journey better left to the professional enthusiasts!). So create your own plants for very little outlay or fill up the gaps in the garden with plants you already have and you know perform well for you.
If a gardening friend has a few perennials you love, swap a few cuttings or a little rooted section for something lovely or they may be kind enough to just give you some. This way if you’re unsure if it’s going to work in your garden, you can try before you shell out lots of expense. Or if you’ve been wishing for a certain variety, and have found it hard to get, this is great way to get it in your garden. Having said that, I do try and always support locally grown plants by people who know what they are doing and love it enough to do it for little money or kudos. But gardeners are generous souls and love to share!

3. Plant perennials in the garden in sweeps of 3’s, 5’s, 7’s or 9’s etc to get a whole swath of colour and interest meandering through the garden beds. You just don’t get the impact or joy from having just one planted on it’s own. Even in small gardens, it’s important to do this. As you will see, being easily propagated comes in handy once you have an established plant or three until you have the beautiful sweep of colour and interest you need.

Happy Gardening ♥

A garden designer’s dozen favourite perennials

Three little tips for using perennials in your garden:

Autumnal Celebration Cake

No Dig Gardening: the secret to easily creating the most beautiful gardens.