what flowers/plants are the easiest to grow, that come back each year?

[whiteandyellowiris]

so far we have done quite well with strawberries, they have come back, a fushia, dianthus, mini apple tree, and some lillies look like that are coming back, but no buds yet

so looking for a few more ideaas

[buildingmycorestrength]

Penstemons are brilliant perennials. Lovely blooms, last for aaaaages, well into November some years, and nice full greenery the rest of the year. Lots of colours, not too sensitive!

[BlueSkySunnyDay]

I don't know about the annual ones but we have the old fashioned perennial geraniums when you lift up the top leaves and stalks you can see lower younger leaves at the bottom. I cut off all the top bit and they flower again.

[whatkungfuthat]

When the geraniums have flowered is it the flower 'stick' that you have to cut close to the ground to get more flowering?

[chipmonkey]

Marking place.....

[Rhubarbgarden]

Re tulip leaves - I was taught to leave them on until they turn brown so that they can feed the bulb. However, they must be removed as soon as they turn brown and not allowed to decay into the soil as this can cause tulip disease.

[whiteandyellowiris]

i'm going to go to a extra nice garden center tomorrow

[digerd]

Rosarium Uetersen

[digerd]

My favourite climbing rose, of which I have 8 on 4 arches ( still not yet blooming this year), is a german bred one from Kordes called Rosium Eutersen. Enormous filled blooms of bright pink which change to paler shades with a perfume and bushy growing habit.

[funnyperson]

Agree, New Dawn is lovely, I have it in the garden, it repeat flowers through the summer and climbs into the oak. Alfred Carriere (ivory, rampant) and Munstead Wood (maroon, fabulous scent) and Gertrude Jekyll (pink, fragrant) and Generous gardener (ivory) are all also very lovely. it is worth checking out David Austin's site.

[BlueSkySunnyDay]

betty it is a really nice rose, fragrant, flowers for quite some time and is the most beautiful pale antique pink colour. Its also survived me moving it 2 or 3 times as I kept changing my mind what to do with the garden.

[bettythebuilder]

BlueSkySunnyDay, that's good to know about rose 'New Dawn'- dh bought me one for my birthday, and since I've planted it, it seems to be doing well, but as my only previous rose experience has been a tough-as-old-boots climber from the pound shop, I was a bit wary about a 'proper' rose!

I have horrible clay soil which kills most things, especially bulbs, but herbs always survive for me- have a bay tree, thyme, sage (take cuttings every couple of years to grow new plants as they go woody after a bit) chives, rosemary and of course mint for Pimms! Red hot Poker also survives (and is a handy snail trap- they don't eat it but do like to shelter among the leaves so are easy to hunt!)

I've found Poundland, Wilkinsons and Poundstretcher to be really good for cheap plants, shrubs, bulbs and seeds- you have to be careful to make sure they look healthy and haven't been hanging around the shop for a while, but they're cheap enough to get some basics in, then go to nurseries for more exotic specimens or specific colours.

[mummylin2495]

Don't forget to get some sweet pea plants, they are lovely and the more you cut the more you will get .

[gardeningmum]

Agree with lots of the above suggestions - perennial geraniums are my fav - lots of variety, beautiful flowers and they seem not to be eaten by slugs and snails. You usually buy them as a plant, rather than growing them from seed - but worth every penny.

Have a few more suggestions with detailed descriptions on my site

kidsinthegarden.co.uk/family-friendly-plants/

[OliviaMMumsnet]

Hallo
Have moved this thread to gardening for posterity.
thanks
MNHQ

[digerd]

ps
And her daffs leaves, but she did tell me she fertilises the bulbs, but not sure when in the year. She always has a lovely show < she's 84 too>

[digerd]

funnyperson
That is what the books say, but none of my neighbours do that as need the space to be replaced with other flowers. One of my neighbours took all her tulips leaves away last month, as she does every year, and in the same patch are now beautiful round cushions of yellow egg plants.

My grape hyacinths and bluebells come back every year just as strong. Sometimes I water them with a fertiliser mix, but mostly forget.

[BlueSkySunnyDay]

We have a lovely rambling rose called New Dawn, its beautiful and has survived multiple (accidental) attempts on my part to kill it.

[FryOneFatManic]

I'll be the first to declare I'm no gardener, that's DP's expertise (professionally as well).

We have a budleia at the back that acts as a screen against the neighbours backing onto us and also attracts bees, etc, so it's nice down that end. However, the flowers are a little too pale for my choice, I much prefer the dark purples, especially for budleia, lilac, lavender, etc. Luckily, the stuff planted by DP mostly comes in this colour.

I'd love to mention the plants we have, they are lovely. But I'd forget their names as soon as DP mentioned them, so can only remember one or two.

[funnyperson]

Arent you supposed to let the leaves die down naturally so as to feed next years bulbs?

[digerd]

The only rose in bloom in our road is a neighbour's in full sun all day, called " Indian Summer". It is beautiful, not a large bushy one and is planted in only 1 foot deep of soil, but pruned hard in autumn. It is an apricot shade and filled blooms.

[DavidHarewoodsFloozy]

This a great thread, will treat myself to a David Austen. rose bush!

[digerd]

I am now struggling with a long, narrow, shallow bed at side of driveway, to get rid of thousands of leaves from the spent grape hyacinths, bluebells, dwarf tulips and grassy type weed, to let the sun get to my now yellow flowering sedum and make room for my bedding begonias which bloom till the frosts.
. It is back breaking, knee joint aching, thigh muscle wrenching and my wrists are hurting

[BlueSkySunnyDay]

The "reliable every year flowers" are poppies, aquilegia's and forget me nots.

Favourite shrubs are the
Choisya - lovely foliage and fragrant white flowers
philadelphus - fragrant white flowers
forsythia - early yellow flowers
skimmia - wonderful fragrant large flower heads

Some of the variegated dogwoods are good as the leaves are attractive and the branches are red.

Cant grow Lillies as we get Lilly beetles, shame as they were very impressive.

[Merguez]

I have one bed which guarantees colour from spring through to late summer.

tulips, followed by alliums, followed by peonies, followed by lavender and roses, followed by anemones.

Sorted.

[WestmorlandSausage]

my aquilegias and lobelias come up year after year.