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

[unlucky83]

Forgot to say
We have normal strawberries (happy, get a few fruit each year) but we also have wild strawberries - good ground cover and my children like the berries - they put runners everywhere but they do keep weeds down and act as ground cover...

[TheHuffAndPuffALot]

De-lurking to ask the Op would you consider requesting MNHQ move this thread to the Gardening topic? It would be such a shame for this thread to disappear.

[OliviaMMumsnet]

@TheHuffAndPuffALot

De-lurking to ask the Op would you consider requesting MNHQ move this thread to the Gardening topic? It would be such a shame for this thread to disappear.

Don't worry, am already on it. It's on my threads I'm on and I will move it soon I promise.
Am planning a trip to an open garden with a plant sale to nab some bargains.
Thanks for this thread all. tis v helpful.

[whiteandyellowiris]

oh yeah, I think its a great idea to move, it so we can all keep it

[DeWe]

The best ones in my garden are dandelions. They grow with no effort from me at all.

Actually they grow best in my lawn. The grass otoh grows best in the flower bed...

[iseenodust]

Japanese anenome (sp?) self seeds too. We have purple but you can get white.
Aquilegia is lovely in lots of colours and just self seeds too.
Crocosmia.
Can't beat a blowsy peony.
Oriental poppies.

[pot39]

Perennial geraniums and David Austen Roses, peonies are the only things that are absolutely reliable. IN a small garden like ours in S London, plants have to really earn their place, so smelling divine and looking like a tarts knickers put DA roses at the top of the list. The geraniums are brilliant come back year after year and some flower from May to October.
Columbine-aquleiga are good too they self seed but revert to white/pink what ever you started with. Japanese Anemones are real stars.
I have planted 1000's spring bulbs in the 18 years I've lived here and left with v few-weather, slugs, squirrels seem to have done for them.
Other things I've planted and killed ( mainly slugs and snails kill them not me) include lupins, delphinimums, any number of classy daisies, Lilies, cotton lavender, verbascum etc etc

[Gnomi]

Oh you lovely people, thank you so much for this thread. I'm shamelessly marking my place to steal ideas .

[ouryve]

Dandelions, thistles, buttercups, ground elder....:o

[VerySmallSqueak]

I agree withpot39 in that it seems that delphiniums,daisy types,and lilies (other than day lilies) seem particularly easy to kill off.

Avoid stuff that needs staking too (another mark against delphiniums in my book) as it's a PITA.

[elfycat]

I have all of those ouryve plus bind weed and stinging nettles. My garden is very green.

[VerySmallSqueak]

If you haven't got ground elder or bindweed,keep an eye out if you buy plants at fetes etc that you are not getting more than you bargained for in the pot.
Any sign of nasty perennial weeds in a pot,avoid it like the plague!

If you have never grown a Verbascum Olympicum (sp?) and you have a reasonable size garden,you must grow one (they are biennials I think) at some point because they are spectacular.

Don't forget about sticking a few humble sunflower seeds in for the kids.

[WestmorlandSausage]

my aquilegias and lobelias come up year after year.

[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.

[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.

[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

[DavidHarewoodsFloozy]

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

[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.

[funnyperson]

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

[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.

[BlueSkySunnyDay]

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

[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.

[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>

[OliviaMMumsnet]

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

[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/