Flowering shrubs, what am I doing wrong?

[Dancergirl]

I should point out that I'm a completely novice gardener

I bought some plants recently from my local garden centre. They were hardy perennials, can't remember the names unfortunately but I was assured by a staff member that they would flower all summer then come back next year.

Within a week or two of planting in the garden, the flowers have pretty much gone. I have irrigation so they get plenty of water and garden faces South.

What's gone wrong?

Can't really say unless we actually know what the plants are. Possibly though, you may have to deadhead the flowers and some new ones will grow to take their place.

The job of flowers is to attract insects fro pollination, once the flower is pollinated it can die and let a fruit/seed head develop.

Most plants come with labels so that you know what it is that you bought. If you haven't still got these, photos might help.

Try trimming them a bit to deadhead any flowers, give them some tomato feed when you next water them, and keep going! Some plants flower better in their second year.

If you just trim them, you might chop off the unopened flowers.

Best just to deadhead the ones that have already been and gone, and just hang fire for a bit.

Garden centres sell plants at theur most attractive - ie whilst they are reaching their peak of flowering. It will all be downhill from there for this year.

You haven't done anything wrong. The plants you bought (perennials, not flowering shrubs, they are different) have finished flowering for the year.

You need to plant more for a longer season of interest in the garden.

I always recommend lavender as it has such a long flowering season.

Thank you, that's very helpful. So hopefully they'll flower more next year....?

Other than lavender (I have some in the front garden), what else can I plant now to give colour? Something that will last all summer...?

Japanese anenonomes are in flower now and will continue through autumn. Also dahlias and sedums. I would keep them in their pots for now, keep them well watered and give them a week feed. Plants in flower suffer a shock if they are up rooted at the wrong time of year. I suspect this is what has happened to your plants. Are you able to tell us what you bought.

Unfortunately mid summer is not a good time to buy plants. They have been too long in the garden centre in their pots and are quite stressed.