what perennials do you like?

[lionbeast]

please tell me what you like,as i need ideas for my new garden

so far ive thought of fuschias

Geraniums (cranesbill) - good in most situations esp shade, long flowering v.hardy good ground cover, most soils
Periwinkle (you can get green or variegated) good for those awkward difficult-to-grow stuff in areas
Salvias (perennial type very differnt from annual variety)- for sun
Shasta daisies - they make good cut flower too,in sun
Lavender - though technically a shrub I think. You'll have to replace after 5-6 years or so, need chalky soil

geraniums are fab - easy and flower all through the summer
chrysants-different varieties flower at different times in the year and yo ucan cut them for the house
there's a variety of wallflower that's a perenial, can't remember proper name, but it is brilliant.

I love aquilegias (hope that is correct spelling!!)

Achillea (yarrow) - different colours. Tall varieties and short ones. Need full sun. Good long lasting flower, you can even dry it (if you're in to that kind of thing)

Stachys (common name Lamb's Ears) - again full sun. Very tactile silvery furry leaves, flowers purple spikes. Also good dried

Ooohh I'm getting very excited now!

i like lots of colour and easy stuff
im just reserching your ideas now, please keep them coming im very grateful

Japanese anenome - either white or pink, v. good for shade. Flowers late summer well into autumn

Are you into herbs? Marjoram & oregano can do well in poor or dry soil, lots of small purple flowers, attracts LOADS of bees and insects and butterflies.

oh yes i love herbs

Sage good (nice purple-ish foliage) but gets really scrubby and have to pull up after a couple of years

Thyme is brilliant but have never really got it to grow in garden v. well - grows best in pots

thanks for taking your time to post to me so nice of you.
i wish i knew as much about gardning as you do primulaveris how did you start out? i wish my grampy was still alie he was a supreb gardener, mum and da have no interest in gardening at all so i havent really lernt much about it, ive got a few books from the libary
you don't live near milton keynes do you? if so id love to meet a gardening friend
maybe there is some sort of club i could join?

Hello lionbeast - well snap, got most of my gardening knowledge from my grandfather, also my father in law is fantastic so all that knowlege comes from wider family really

Only thing is I don't 'do' veg (in gardening sense that is)

I dont live near MK I'm afraid! Nice to meet another gardening mum online though!

I love paeonies, scabious, iris, perennial geraniums, hardy fuschias, snapdragons (these do last quite a long time), there are some lovely coloured verbascums now, veronicas, pinks, at this time of year hellebores (particularly the dark or spotty ones). I also have some bog-lovers - astilbes, iris sibirica etc but they like damp feet so not suitable for every location.

Lionbeast, if it is a new garden ie. blank slate, the best advice i never followed was to pick a few good strong trees or shrubs,something with either shape or colour that you like and suits the space. If your working with a new garden and you do that the very first year then you have built a base that you can work around in the following years.

I spent years faffing about with perennials and by now i could have had a garden full of trees that turn orange in autumn, rhodo's or camelias that are covered in pink, red, orange flowers in March/April etc. Think about a hedge. If you need one, start a fruiting hedge with blackberries, etc.

hi, it is a newish garden, abouit 12 years old but we have two tree already cherry and apple ...yum

thankyou all for the great advice
ive got a feeling this gardens is gonna turn out great

are snapdragons perennials? i love them

penstemon - flower all summer and really easy to take cutting from, so if you buy a couple of different colours , you can soon have a really colourful garden (pastels also available)