What are your must have perennial flowers?

[smallblueplanet]

Blame Nick Alice he started it!

We've got some roses (enough for my taste), including Pauls Himalayan Musk which I'm a bit worried about the size it will grow to. Its gonna go thru a small tree, but its only small atm, so we'll see.

We've some Alchemilla somewhere - I hope it reappears - I love the way the rain looks on its leaves. Oh, and a pulsatilla that we've never managed to grow well before, it loves our 'downland' soil.

[Earthbabe]

Sure why not EB? Its not buying! What is clary sages latin name, I'm not sure what I'm searching for when googling it!?

Would you like to try some Bergamot as a swop?

Sounds good to me. Clary sage is Salvia sclarea. The flower spike is quite stunning and the scent is wonderful. They are extremely easy to grow and self seed very readily.

I'll pm you my addy.

[Flummery]

I'll agree with alchemilla, day lily, aquilegia - I also love lungwort, really good value because the leaves are great when the flowers are gone. Bistort is another good do-er here. Again, the leaves are attractive too. I have a tall bellflower (nettle leaf type) which seeds everywhere and is a lovely splash of blue in the border. I can't leave out astrantia - masterwort. I have it in a creamy white and a deep garnet colour. And much, much more as they say. I really love hardy perennials.

[nick the grief]

LOL!



Odd, we were looking at getting one of those - googling it, last night. Ok will look to get one now we have the NTG seal of approval! What think you of Quatre Saisons?

Grosely overrated and he's not as good a cook as me .... oh sorry thought you meant Raymond Blancs cafe

Never grown it but it looks OK I love the Cabbage look of these type of roses ( and the english roses come to that).

My roses were all introduced when our house was built (or there abouts - 1898) so I only have a few but the Ferdinand Pichard is a good one.

I went off to David Austins one saturday in the height of summer armed with a note book and sniffed all the ones in bloom and picked them on scent then looks - one or two of the staff sniggered as I rummaged at the back of the beds but why buy a rose, sweet pea or carnation/pink if it doesn't have scent!!

[nick the grief]

I thought we were only talking about perennials, but if we're talking about roses, I don't think you can beat Morning Jewel for a south facing wall - thousands of roses, scented, stands great in a vase and flowers from may til December.
For a north facing wall, Zepherin Drouhin does it every time. Lovely pink roses, beautifully scented, and thornless.
If you have the space for a big shrub rose, Buff Beauty is gorgeous. Beautiful roses over a long period of time, fabulous scent but it doesn't stand well in a vase.

It is my fault ALice I agree with the Zepherine Drouhin (or the sport Katherine Harrop) I don't grow Buff beauty but I do grow Glorie du Dijon and that is a stunner for scent as well.

As to Alchemilla Mollis I have this in one of by borders planted alternately with Lavender (Hidcote I think it is) and it looks incredible with the dark lavender flowers and then a lime green froth of the Mollis flowers

[smallblueplanet]

....
My roses were all introduced when our house was built (or there abouts - 1898) so I only have a few but the Ferdinand Pichard is a good one.

Hadn't realised you were that old Nick!

I agree about wanting smelly roses, they've got to look good & smell good too. Think you might have convinced me about getting a Ferdy Pilchard.

[Birdie Wife]

I love the gracefully understated lily-of-the-valley, solomons seal and white hellebores. Anemones are fab, I've just bought a couple of A. blanda 'Robinsoniana' because it's almost my last name and because the pale blue daisy-like flowers are just so stunning (just like... no, not going to say it!)

[smallblueplanet]

I'd forgotten Solomn's Seal, I really like it. Add another to the list!

[summer]

Unless I have missed it no one has mentioned the Hardy Geranium yet. Wonderful value in the perennial border and such a wide choice. Looks wonderful with the Alchemilla and can be used for underplanting rose bushes as long as it is one of the more compact varieties.
Love the sound of the Morning Jewel rose..will look out for that.
___________
Summer
Such a wealth of info on here..really enjoying this forum!

[inca'smum]

I love clematis ( have 11 in my garden )sea holly ( cause the bees love it ) lupins, campanulas, echinacea and lavender (just bought some really nice kew red ones.) I really like my Verbascums as well especially the olympicum but its really a biannual. Last years flower spikes reached 7 1\2 feet tall.

[Flummery]

Unless I have missed it no one has mentioned the Hardy Geranium yet.

Oh yes, forgot that - and I have LOADS! They are great amongst bulbs too. They hide the straggly old foliage from your daffs.

Flum

[nick the grief]

Anne Foulkard is a good one it has light green foliage and bright Cerise flowers - quite stunning although Buxton Blue takes some beating

[pigletwillie]

Agapanthus, absolutely fabulous flowers and they like it dry so great for dry areas of the country.

[Flummery]

Got some seedlings of agapanthus this year PW. The strange thing is that the original plant is in my front garden and the seedlings appeared over the winter in the veg plot - about 100 feet away and behind the house!

[pigletwillie]

I have them in pots Flum to grow on. Several will be posted out next week to new homes.