Hardy Perennials

Hyssopus officinalis 'Alba' is a much less well known variety of hyssop. Also known as 'White Hyssop' the plants sport bright white flowers from July to October. Widely used as a 'taste enhancing' herb or wildlife plant, the plants are a dark, vibrant green with a spiky, upright habit and narrow tongue-like leaves which have a peppery scent when stroked.

Iris bulleyana is a classic species Iris from western China. It belongs to a small group of oriental species which are entirely hardy and are of great value to the gardener. The plants are successful in any moist garden soil. Flowering from June to July, the blooms with mid purple flowers and dark purple veins.

Yellow Flag Iris is a common and widespread native plant in Britain. This good-looking plant is a wetland plant that is especially showy in bloom and has been transplanted into well-watered gardens all over the world.

Iris versicolor is one of the few species in garden cultivation. Although happiest at the waterside the plants will also perform well under average to moist border conditions. Flowering from May through to July, each stalk produces up to five violet-blue flowers with ruffled petals and bold purple veining.

'Kermesina' is an attractive and popular cultivar of Iris versicolor. Flowering from May through to July with claret-purple flowers with ruffled petals and bold purple veining. It may be grown in shallow standing water or moist shoreline soils and suitable to be grown in constantly moist humusy soils of a border.

Knautia arvensis is an attractive native perennial herb of well drained grassland. It can be found throughout Europe in meadows, rough pasture, hedgerows and verges. Though it is by nature a perennial, it will flower and produce seed the first year if grown as an annual, either autumn or spring sown.

Knautia macedonica has been hugely fashionable for years and is likely to remain so for many more. This lovely and versatile perennial blooms from late spring to autumn with dark-crimson, richly glamorous pompoms. Established plants produce literally hundreds of blooms in one season.

'Melton Pastels' is a great border plant, densely flowering plant with strong stalks of pin cushion flowers in shades of shades of pink, cherry red, mauve and purple. The tall stems make excellent cut flowers and are good for the middle of the border, giving a succession of blooms through till autumn.

The Kniphofia hybrids have extended both the flower colour and height range. The usual fiery reds and oranges work particularly well in a planting scheme based on 'hot' colours - use them to light up sultry August borders. The cooler yellow, cream, ivory and sometimes green flowers is more restful.

Lavendula angustifolia is an excellent plant for low informal hedging and as a specimen evergreen for borders and formal gardens. Flowering generally begins from mid to late June to early July. The flowers have a rich sweet scent and are highly attractive to bees and other beneficial insects.

Munstead Lavender is a fragrant robust English lavender that, due to its short size and tightly held blooms, makes a great hedge. It flowers profusely in the spring, after which a good pruning will provide an attractive grey bush with highly aromatic leaves.

'Ellagance' are first year flowering lavenders, 'Ellagance Ice’ is the white flowered variety. The deliciously perfumed, pure white blooms make an enchanting informal aromatic hedge in the garden. The flowers are produced from July onwards and are highly attractive to bees.

Fragrant, free flowering and heat and drought tolerant. Lavandula angustifolia ‘Vicenza Blue’ bloom the first year from seed. This especially fine lavender has bold clustered flower spikes of deep lavender-blue from mid July to early September.

Coveted by every devotee of flower arranging, the perennial variety 'Woodcreek' is extremely useful and popular. Long lived and very productive year after year, it makes a stunning spectacle when in bloom. Airy clouds of tiny white papery flowers hover all summer, on leafless fine stems that are perfect for picking.

With tall spikes of pink and mauve tiny flowers, Linaria ‘Canon J Went’ is an undemanding hardy perennial. Bone hardy, long-lived and drought-resistant, they are wonderful in the perennial border, for naturalised planting schemes, mass plantings or gravel gardens and a great choice for cut flowers.

The more I see of this rather attractive little plant, the more I grow to appreciate it. Now I seem to spot it all over the place, in meadows, woodland, road verges and gardens. The bright yellow fragrant flowers can be seen in blossom from the end of April through until mid September.

Lupin 'Noble Maiden', occasionally called Fraülein, feature soft ivory white buds that open to pure clean white. The flowers open from the bottom up making for a longer blooming period. Stunning in the border or in a vase.

George Russell developed his Lupins aiming for, and achieving a central stalk or spike totally obscured by colourful flowers. 'The Governor' is one of the most popular from the series and features deep ultramarine blue blooms each with white flag.