Are herbaceous borders 'out of fashion'; and, if so, why?
A border comprising only herbaceous perennials can be labour intensive and offers little appeal in winter which is why mixed border, including some shrubs, have taken their place.
Modern herbaceous plants themselves are mainly hardy perennials, needing no annual removal, whilst even the routine attention to staking is less with some of the rather shorter and more robust modern varieties. Plants now tend to be spaced closer together and the value of this ground cover in terms of weed suppression is widely recognised; modern chemical weedkillers have been of value too. The herbaceous border itself has largely evolved into the mixed border, in which shrubs of varying sizes form a permanent framework within which herbaceous perennials are planted. Nor is the border always is a long, narrow area, confined to the peripheries of the garden; the advent and popularisation within the past fifty years of the island bed, usually within an area of lawn, has added a new dimension to herbaceous gardening for many. With careful planning and choice of plants, the modern mixed border should be the mainstay of all-year round appeal for most gardens.
Is it better to grow herbaceous perennials from seed or to buy plants from nursery?
It is better in general to buy plants as you will have a much wider range of varieties; including many of the best which can't be raised from seed.
The major drawback to raising herbaceous perennials from seed is that you have available a very limited range of varieties of each type of plant, and very often, not of the best varieties. This is because many types of plant simply don't come true from seed and must be propagated by cuttings. Moreover, most of the perennials offered as seed are hybrid mixtures which will give rise to plants in a range of colours and of varying quality. If you want to know exactly how your plant will appear when mature therefore, raising your own from seed will be of little benefit to you. If you are happy to embark on this horticultural lottery, however, it must be said that you always stand a good chance of producing at least some very good individuals which you can, of course, propagate further by cuttings in future years. The second major advantage of buying herbaceous perennials as plants is that of time to flower. Very few, raised from seed, can be guaranteed to flower in the first season, whereas most bought as plants will.
Is it better to divide and plant herbaceous perennials in autumn or spring?
At one time, I would recommend autumn for mild areas, spring for colder ones but now that winter in general are less harsh, it really make little difference.
If you buy herbaceous perennials in containers from a nursery or garden centre, you can fairly safely plant them at any time. Removing an established plant from the open ground is, however, a rather different matter, for it will experience extensive root disturbance. If this is done during the period of active growth, the plant will then lose water through its leaves faster than its disturbed roots are able to replace it, with the result that it will wilt and die. During the winter, moreover, damage will almost certainly be caused to the roots if herbaceous plants are dug up. In the weeks before the plant is able actively to repair this damage, the broken tissues will encourage rot to set in which will very probably bring about the demise of the entire rootstock. Hence the reasoning behind confining moving and dividing to the Spring and Autumn. With most types of perennial, it matters little which season is chosen and the general maxim to select the period furthest in time from their flowering season holds good. Nonetheless, with those perennials, like paeonies, which rather resent disturbance, usually by virtue of having thick, fleshy roots, moving in Spring, shortly before growth recommences is probably safer, especially in colder northern areas. Division of paeonies, Helleborus and the few other types resentful of disturbance, shouldn't be attempted.
Is it possible to grow herbaceous perennials satisfactorily in a poor, shady site?
Yes but the range of varieties is limited and you will need to improve the soil as much as possible first.
Shady, certainly; poor, with severe limitations. The ability of many herbaceous perennials to tolerate shade is an important aspect of mixed border design, for the taller growing inhabitants of the border will inevitably take some light from the lower growing ones. In a naturally shady situation therefore, it is perfectly possible to select and plant simply those that are happy in such conditions, although it must be appreciated that the range of colour and form will be very much more limited than in the ideal position for a mixed border, which is with maximum exposure to the sun. The following list gives some suggestions for shade tolerant herbaceous perennials, their colour range, time of flowering and approximate height, although it should be remembered that, in a modern mixed border, some shade tolerant shrubs will be needed also. Not all varieties of each type are shade tolerant; check our plant catalogue.
Aconitum Partial shade; Alchemilla Partial shade; Aruncus Partial shade; Asarum Full shade; Astilbe Partial shade; Cimicifuga Partial shade; Digitalis Partial shade; Euphorbia Full shade; Filipendula Partial shade; Geranium Full shade; Helleborus Partial or full shade; Lamium Partial shade; Omphalodes Full shade; Trachystemon Full shade;
Of the plants mentioned above, those most tolerant of poorer soils are the euphorbias and the lamiums. Dry shade is less easy to correct, although even here, generous applications of organic matter will be very beneficial. Plants from the list that are fairly tolerant of dryness include alchemilla, digitalis, euphorbia, geranium, helleborus and lamium, and, these, together with such plants as bergenia, cyclamen, Epimedium, Hypericum, ivy, Iris foetidissima, pachysandra, Symphytum, teucrium, vinca and Viola labradorica , will at least bring life and colour to an otherwise difficult habitat.
Is there an easy way around the perpetual problem of tying in and staking herbaceous perennials every year?
Many taller flowering perennials will need some form of support. The traditional way has been with canes, preferably green, but even here, visual improvement can be made and labour saved with many species by placing three, four or five canes around a group of stems and tying around the whole, rather than staking each stem individually. With some of the really dense clumps of massed stems, twigs, inserted around the clump before the flowering stems have elongated, will sometimes be found very effective, without any need for tying in at all. In recent years, several proprietary supports have appeared on the market, comprising metal rings or tripod structures on legs, sometimes with adjustable heights and diameters.
How important is mulching for herbaceous perennials?
Very; for even the species mentioned earlier as tolerant of fairly dry conditions will benefit from the improved moisture retention that mulching imparts to the soil. The golden rule with mulching, in any gardening situation, is to remember that a surface mulch will maintain the soil in its existing condition. Thus, mulch a dry soil, and it will remain dry. Always mulch after rain or after giving the soil a thorough soaking therefore. Spring is generally the most beneficial time to apply a mulch for it will help to conserve moisture during the summer, although a mulch in autumn has the rather different benefit of protecting the crowns of perennials from penetrating winter cold. The best overall mulching material is well-rotted manure, compost or pulverised bark.
What are 'herbaceous Clematis' and how should I grow them?
They are varieties of clematis that have relatively short, weak stems. They have the growth habit of rather floppy herbaceous perennials but can look very pretty in a border.
There are in total around four herbaceous species in a total of about twelve varieties. The commonest are Clematis heracleifolia and its varieties such as Crepuscule, Cote d'Azur and Wyevale, with blue, hyacinth-like flowers in late summer on stems of 60 - 120 cm; C. integrifolia, up to about 60 cm, July flowering and blue in Hendersonii but a very pretty pink in Rosea; and C. recta, the most vigorous species with masses of small, white, sweet scented flowers on rather lax 1.5 m stems. Herbaceous Clematis will thrive in similar conditions to the climbing types and prefer alkaline soil. The shade at the roots that they enjoy is, of course, provided by the other plants in the border. The biggest mistake in growing herbaceous Clematis is to try and stake them; this is never really successful and they are much better allowed to scramble over and through other, bushy plants. Pruning is performed by simply removing all top growth during the Winter.
I want to attract butterflies to my garden; what plants should I choose to do this?
Almost everyone knows the butterfly bush, Buddleia davidii , in its numerous varieties, although butterflies find other Buddleia species appealing too. Nonetheless, for simply attracting butterflies, there are many other valuable plants: Candytuft; Golden Rod; Ice Plant (Sedum spectabile and related species); Hawthorn; Lady's Smock; Lavender; Pinks; Lilac; Sweet violet; Michaelmas daisies; Thyme
Having attracted butterflies, it is then possible to go some way towards helping them to increase their numbers without turning the entire garden into a wilderness. If the garden is large enough, a clump of stinging nettles can surely be accommodated somewhere, for this will provide food for the caterpillars of small tortoiseshell, red admirals and peacocks; a buckthorn somewhere in a hedge will similarly be appreciated by brimstones whilst even the smallest of gardens has room for a clump of jack-by-the-hedge which will provide food for the butterfly that, for me, is the real harbinger of Spring, the orange tip. All of the butterflies mentioned occur throughout much of the British Isles, but in certain areas, many other species are likely to live in the surrounding countryside and could be persuaded to breed in your garden. Vetches, trefoils and other legumes will encourage common and chalkhill blues, plantains will attract some of the fritillaries, and many of the taller growing grasses will bring in some of the browns, for instance. Whilst thinking of butterflies, moreover, don't forget moths. Although many species are small and insignificant, there are few more exciting sights when sitting in the garden on a warm summer evening than to have hawk-moths visiting night-scented flowers. Honeysuckle, white summer jasmine, night-scented stock, petunias and tobacco plants will all be attractive to some of the larger species.
Is it true that there is such a plant as a blue poppy or is it a myth, like the blue rose?
There are several species of blue poppy. All belong to the genus Meconopsis and are true members of the poppy family. They need moist, organic, acidic soils to thrive.
We supply M. baileyi and M. betonicifolia . It is also possible to raise it from seed , although many gardeners experience problems with damping off before the seedlings are well established. There is, moreover, a great deal of variation within the species and not all plants are truly perennial, some dying after a single season's flowering, whilst some strains do not have the rich kingfisher blue that is the real attraction. The blue poppy prefers very light shade and a well-drained soil, although with plenty of moisture at the roots; the ideal site therefore, would have a light, preferably lime-free soil into which plenty of acidic organic matter has been incorporated.
My pampas grass is enormous but it never has any flowers. Why?
Non-flowering is most often explained by the owner having bought (or raised themselves), a plant grown from seed. Many of these seedling forms are very shy flowerers and a plant of selected strain should always be chosen therefore. We sell only named varieties of Cortaderia.
It is worth considering the rather shorter growing forms of pampas grass; Cortaderia selloana 'Pumila' has plumes less than 2 m tall and is very compact. The form known as ' Silver Comet' is shorter still, reaching only 1.2 m and having attractively variegated leaves. Nonetheless, given an established clump that is failing to flower, a generous feeding with sulphate of potash in the early Spring might just be sufficient to persuade it to burst into life. Remember to clear out as much as possible of the old foliage in the Autumn too; setting fire to the clump is the method usually recommended for this, but although it is generally satisfactory on large plants, there is always the risk of killing a small one. A very stout pair of gloves provides a safer means.
I would like to grow ferns in the garden. What varieties should I choose and do they need special care?
Hardy ferns are very easy to grow and will always thrive best in a shady, moist position. We offer a range of types including species of Adiantum, Asplenium, Athyrium, Blechnum, Polypodium and Polystichum.
There are many perfectly hardy native and exotic ferns that can be grown outdoors and are not in the least invasive. They occur in a wide variety of size and leaf shape and some have the advantage of being evergreen. Most ferns are not fussy plants although almost all will thrive best in cool moist conditions and with at least partial shade.
My Michaelmas daisies are devastated with mildew every year; is there anything that can be done to prevent this?
Much the best way to tackle the problem is to grow varieties that are mildew resistant.
Having selected a good variety, it is important to minimise the impact of mildew by good cultivation. Regular attention to watering and generous use of mulches will help to maintain a moist environment between the plants which discourages mildew. And if you do grow older varieties of Aster novi-belgii, you may need to use a fungicide spray.
I would like to compliment my perennial flowers with a range of foliage plants; what do you suggest for a range of colours and leaf shapes?
We offer a wide range but among the most valuable in borders are varieties of
Artemisia; Bergenia; Hosta; Lamium; Mentha; Ophiopogon; Phormium; Yucca; Grasses and Bamboos.
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