PRO


Thanks to Jason Hornby, an award winning garden designer, for sharing his knowledge on hardy perennials in his first blog post exclusively for Jacksons.  

How perennials add consistent colour to your garden every spring and summer 

Imagine every spring, as the days get longer and the sun gets warmer, being able to step out into your garden to be welcomed by a cornucopia of colours. Colours that last through into late summer only to come back again, year after year. This is the joy of hardy perennials. 
A reliable group of plants that flower from early spring to late summer each year, and die back over winter.

If you haven’t already considered it, now is a good time to think about not simply planting perennials, but also looking at the overall structure of your garden – something that these plants are particularly useful for. 

A garden border should contain perennials that ascend in height from the front to the back, creating a dazzling display of colour throughout the seasons. The perfect background to this rich tapestry of colourful blooms could be a smart run of timber fencing, that would allow the plants some protection from the worst of the elements, the enemy of taller plants being harsh winds. This adds order that only offsets the naturalistic planting in your boarders and heightens the overall effect of the perennials’ colour. 
Plant these perennials with trees and evergreen shrubs and you are creating a framework and configuration that feels well-organised and considered.

Perennials to consider for the front of your border:

• Salvia nemorosa ‘Sensation Rose’
• Sedum ‘Matrona’
• Geranium himalayense ‘Gravetye’

Perennials to consider for the middle of your border:

• Perovskia ‘Blue Spire’
• Echinacea purpurea
• Helenium ‘Waltraut’
• Persicaria amplexicaulis ‘Firetail’

Perennials to consider for the back of your border:

• Verbena bonariensis
• Foeniculum vulgare ‘Giant Bronze’
• Eupatorium maculatum ‘Purple Bush’
• Veronicastrum virginicum ‘Lavendelturm’

To give a more naturalistic feel to your planting plan, we would always suggest including some grasses. These will deliver texture, colour and movement to your borders. These could include: 

Jason Hornby Guest BloggerStipa tenuissima – this is a wonderfully whispy billowing grass that moves in the slightest breeze
Miscanthus sinensis ‘Kleine Fontäne’  - a stunning silver grass that flowers into Autumn and is great for adding winer interest when your perennials fade away
Pennisetum alopecuroides ‘Hameln’ - this deciduous grass has delightful bottle brush flowers 

Next spring you’ll want to cut your perennial plants back as this will extend the season of interest in the garden with spiders’ webs spun between the lifeless stalks and cobwebs highlighted by the frost.
But the main thing is get those perennials in – you won’t regret it.

Jason Hornby, is an award winning garden designer who creates spaces inside and out that are both beautiful and functional. He believes that your garden should be a reflection of your tastes and needs. Enriching your life by being the extra space you are looking for. It is this ethos that allows him to give rise to gardens which are, quite simply, beautiful. www.hornbygardendesigns.co.uk

Votes: 0
E-mail me when people leave their comments –

You need to be a member of Landscape Juice Network to add comments!

Join Landscape Juice Network

Open forum activity

Pete Henchey replied to T &T gardening services ltd's discussion Mulching Mowers
"Ah ok thanks for the advice"
12 hours ago
Si Al updated their profile
yesterday
Billybop replied to Adam Woods's discussion Coming to a large garden near you!!
"yes these robots are most welcome to take any of my lawn jobs"
yesterday
David Benson replied to Adam Woods's discussion Coming to a large garden near you!!
"very good but there will still be a need for the strimmer and lawn edgers "
yesterday
Adam Woods posted a discussion
Yesterday I went to a client to see this - there are two of them, and have been sold to keep their 2 acres of lawn comprising of 3 massive lawns, with hills,scattered trees and shrubs, together with a traditional square lawn near.  the house. TO cut…
yesterday
Graham Taylor replied to Ag's discussion PA1/6 Applying Bacteria based Moss killers for Lawns
"Just do it................ commonsense says its ok even if mindless bureaucracy suggests not. .  If we've got it wrong, whoever is going to report you +  its not as though you'll be going to prison! "
Tuesday
Vicky Braddock and Cameron Price joined Landscape Juice Network
Tuesday
Cameron Price updated their profile
Tuesday
Fusion Media posted a blog post
In the world of football, the quality of the playing surface can make a significant difference in the game's outcome and the overall experience for players and spectators alike.While top-tier stadiums often boast pristine pitches, grassroots clubs…
Tuesday
Liam Healy posted a discussion
**Posted with admin (Henry’s) permission - Thank you, Henry.** I am selling a custom chipper and trailer set-up. Ideal for small/one person landscaping/gardening. The narrow access means it can pass through most side/garden gates and you can chip…
Tuesday
Peter sellers replied to T &T gardening services ltd's discussion Mulching Mowers
"We tried the grin but massively overpriced, the mulching performance no better than our 537HRX HY'S, not tried the Etesia but the HRX gives us the ability to collect when we need to without messing about with mulch plugs or swapping blades"
Tuesday
Pete Henchey replied to T &T gardening services ltd's discussion Mulching Mowers
"Thanks Peter, so do you have experience with the Etesia and Grin mulching machines?"
Tuesday
Gary R replied to Ag's discussion PA1/6 Applying Bacteria based Moss killers for Lawns
"I'd say no. Unless it's a herbacide or pestercide I don't think you'd need a PA1 / PA6"
Monday
Billybop replied to Andrew Betteridge's discussion Ego hedgecutter recall in Australia
"Cheers for the heads up Andrew, am a big fan of some of the Ego kit, but even without the safety issue the performance of that design of hedge trimmer is totally underwhelming anyhow"
Monday
Andrew Betteridge posted a discussion
Some Ego hedgecutters have been recalled in Australia due to starting unexpectedly. https://7news.com.au/news/ego-power-cordless-brushless-hedge-trimme...
Monday
Si Al liked Adam Woods's discussion Box blight?
Monday
More…