Perennials That Come Back Every Year

If you want a garden that becomes better with time, perennials are a brilliant choice. Unlike seasonal bedding plants, hardy perennials return year after year, bringing colour, texture and interest back to your borders and containers.

This week in our Monday Garden Guide, we are focusing on reliable plants that return each year, including summer favourites such as penstemons, hardy geraniums and salvias. We will also look at lavender, which is technically an evergreen shrub rather than a herbaceous perennial, but is often planted alongside perennials for long-lasting summer colour and scent.

Why Choose Perennials?

Perennials are a great investment for the garden because they do not need replacing every season. Once established in the right position, many will return each year and often grow bigger and stronger over time.

They are ideal for filling borders, softening edges, adding colour to containers and creating a more established look. Many perennials are also loved by bees, butterflies and other pollinating insects, making them useful for wildlife-friendly planting.

Perennials are not completely maintenance-free, but choosing the right plant for the right place will make them much easier to care for.

Lavender for Scent and Summer Colour

Lavender is one of the most popular summer garden plants, and for good reason. It brings beautiful flowers, silvery foliage and a wonderful fragrance to the garden.

Lavender works well in sunny borders, patio pots, pathways and wildlife-friendly planting schemes. Its flowers are often visited by bees, making it a lovely choice if you want to attract pollinators.

Plant lavender in a sunny position with free-draining soil. It dislikes heavy, wet ground, especially during winter. Once established in the ground, lavender is fairly drought tolerant and should not need frequent watering, although plants in pots still need regular checking during dry weather.

To keep lavender compact, trim it after flowering, usually in late summer. Avoid cutting hard into old, woody stems, as lavender may not regrow well from old wood.

Penstemons for Long-Lasting Flowers

Penstemons are excellent for adding colour through summer and into early autumn. Their elegant, tubular flowers come in shades of pink, purple, red, white and blue, often with attractive markings inside the flower.

They work well in mixed borders, cottage-style gardens and sunny planting schemes, helping to fill gaps between shrubs and other perennials.

Penstemons prefer a sunny, sheltered position and fertile, well-drained soil. Removing faded flower spikes can encourage more blooms and keep the plant looking tidy.

Avoid cutting penstemons hard back in autumn. Leaving some top growth in place helps protect the plant during winter. In spring, once new growth appears and the worst weather has passed, old stems can be cut back to healthy growth.

Hardy Geraniums for Easy Colour

Hardy geraniums are reliable, easy-going perennials that suit many garden styles. They are different from the tender summer “geraniums” often used in pots and hanging baskets, which are more accurately called pelargoniums.

Hardy geraniums, also known as cranesbills, can spread gently through borders, helping to cover soil and soften the edges of paths or planting areas. Many varieties flower for a long period and are useful for adding relaxed, natural colour.

They are a good choice for gardeners who want attractive plants without too much fuss. Some prefer sun, while others are happy in partial shade, so it is always worth checking the plant label before choosing a position.

After flowering, many hardy geraniums can be cut back to encourage fresh new foliage and, in some cases, a second flush of flowers.

Salvias for Bees and Bold Flower Spikes

Salvias are colourful plants that produce upright flower spikes in shades of blue, purple, pink, red and white. They add height and movement to borders and look especially good planted in groups.

Bees often visit salvia flowers, making them a useful choice for pollinator-friendly gardens. Salvias also work well with lavender, ornamental grasses, echinacea and other summer-flowering plants.

Not all salvias are the same. Some are hardy perennials, while others are tender and need winter protection. Hardy border salvias usually prefer a sunny position with well-drained soil. Tender salvias may need to be moved under cover or protected from frost in colder parts of the UK.

Remove faded flower spikes to encourage more blooms. For less hardy shrubby salvias, avoid cutting them back hard in autumn. It is usually better to leave growth in place over winter and prune in spring.

How to Plant Perennials in Summer

Container-grown perennials can be planted in summer, but they need regular watering while they settle in, especially during hot or dry weather.

Where possible, avoid planting during the hottest part of a heatwave. Choose a cooler or overcast day, or plant in the morning or evening.

Before planting, water the plant well while it is still in its pot. Prepare the soil by removing weeds and loosening compacted ground. If the soil is poor, mix well-rotted compost or soil conditioner into the wider planting area rather than filling only the planting hole.

Dig a hole slightly wider than the root ball, place the plant at the same depth as it was growing in the pot, firm it in gently and water thoroughly.

Adding bark or mulch around the plant can help keep moisture in the soil and reduce weeds. Apply mulch to moist soil and keep it away from the stems or crown of the plant.

Using Perennials in Pots

Perennials are not just for borders. Many can be grown successfully in containers, making them useful for patios, balconies, courtyards and smaller gardens.

Lavender, compact salvias, penstemons, hardy geraniums, heucheras, hostas, sedums and small ornamental grasses can all work well in pots, depending on the position.

Choose a container with drainage holes and use a suitable peat-free compost. For long-term planting, a peat-free loam-based compost is often a better choice than lightweight multi-purpose compost because it holds its structure for longer.

Container-grown perennials need regular checking during dry weather, as pots dry out faster than garden soil. They may also need feeding during the growing season and repotting or dividing after a few years.

Caring for Perennials

Once established, many perennials are fairly easy to care for.

Water during dry spells, especially in the first growing season after planting. Remove faded flowers where needed to encourage more blooms and keep plants looking tidy.

Cut back tired growth at the right time of year, but do not treat every perennial the same. Some can be cut back after flowering, while others are best left until spring to provide winter structure and shelter for wildlife.

Feeding is not always necessary for established perennials growing in healthy soil. However, plants in containers or poor soil may benefit from a suitable feed during the growing season. Always follow the instructions on the product.

Some clump-forming perennials can be divided every few years if they become overcrowded or start flowering less well. This keeps plants healthy and can give you more plants for other parts of the garden.

Visit Carpenders Park Garden Centre for Perennial Plants

If you would like to add long-lasting colour to your garden, visit Carpenders Park Garden Centre for perennials, lavender, salvias, penstemons, hardy geraniums, peat-free compost, bark, mulch, pots, plant feeds and garden tools.

Whether you are planting a new border, filling gaps or adding reliable colour to containers, long-lasting garden plants are a wonderful way to create a display that returns and develops year after year.

Coming Next Week

Next week in our Monday Garden Guide, we will be looking at small garden ideas, including what to plant in pots and raised beds for maximum impact.