perennial rich gardens
Geranium climbing over Helichrysum italicum
When visiting a garden centre, you might have seen plant labels with the word perennial. What does perennial mean and why is it important for us to select perennials for our gardens. Simply put a perennial plant is a type of a plant that lives for many years. Perennial plants regrow every year, which contrasts with annual plants, which only live for a year.
Why we should have more perennials in our gardens?
Perennial plants are known for their longevity
As the name perennial suggests, these plants come back year after year.
This also means that planting perennials for the garden is a much more economic option, as you don’t have to spend money every year to add new plants. Moreover, perennial plants are easy to propagate, meaning you can make more plants from just one plant!
Perennial plants are more resilient
When compared with annual plants, perennials are more resilient (hardy), which means they can withstand a variety of harsh conditions. This is related to the fact that perennial plants develop a deeper and stronger root system, allowing them to search for water and nutrients in deeper levels of soil.
When thinking about the climate change and limited water available for plants during the dry spells, this is a very important feature, as many perennial plants can tolerate drought.
All year-round interest in a garden
Planting more perennials for the garden will create a fascinating array of colours and structures that will provide you with an interesting and dynamic piece of landscape across all seasons.
There are many varieties of perennial plants easily available in nurseries and garden centres, many of which have a prolonged flowering season, re-blooming until late autumn.
Moreover, perennials will not only deliver a super bloom during spring and summer time, but their fascinating skeletal forms will add another important and striking structural dimension to a winter garden.
Viola riviniana
Fantastic ground cover
There are many varieties of perennial plants that act as a great ground cover (Ajuga, Viola riviniana).
Their root systems, by simply hugging the soil, can prevent erosion, especially on slopes, as well as protecting from water damage. Ground covering perennials also help to reduce water evaporation from the soil.