Unidentified blue flower Evolvulus glomeratus. Well I didn't know back then that they came in other colours. Wow!
Perennial flowers can be grown singly or in groups (but always plant them in threes or fives otherwise they can end up looking a bit like a row of vegetables). It just looks better to have flowers in odd numbers. Annuals and biennials can then be used to fill in any gaps and complement the perennial flowers.
Ipomoea macrantha
The Moonflower. This is definitely the one I had. Ipomoea alba.
The Moonflower is the only plant which brings tears to my eyes even thinking about it, because it is so beautiful. It flowers for most of the year, its perfume is out of this world and you can just sit and watch each flower opening. This takes less than half an hour and it is time very well spent. It's a climber and will completely surround your house if you plant several. The seeds are very large and easy to collect. This hardy perennial plant will flower for most of the year in a temperate climate. You can buy these large and treasured seeds online.
In the following List of Perennials, there will be some which overlap with the Annual Plants. Some types can be Annuals depending on where you live, and some are hybrids or cultivated types which are continually being developed to deliberately extend their flowering period which, after all, is what we all want.
The Essential Seaside Daisy.
I Love The Seaside Daisy. Also Called Fleabane. 308Simpan Always, always, start your garden with Erigeron (Seaside Daisy or Fleabane). Even if you put it in a pot at your door. You can't kill it and it is absolutely delightful. It blooms and blooms 'as if it meant it'. For at least 5 months of the year. The Seaside Daisy is like the Fairy Rose: it always has white, pale pink and deeper pink flowers on the bush at the same time. That's its main attraction for me. Photo Credit.
Gozdzik brodaty Dianthus barbatus. 'Sweet William'. A stunning photograph of mixed Dianthus and Pansies. Another beautiful Perennial noted for its heavenly perfume is the Oriental Lily. This is so exquisite that it is a very popular flower for Bridal Bouquets nowadays. The Pink Stargazer Lily is more highly perfumed than the white.
A List of Perennial Flowers. Some Of The Most Common and Easiest Types To Grow. Geraniums Daisies Shasta Daisy Salvia Chrysanthemums Lilies Phlox Coneflower Daylilies Lobelia Poppy Moonflower Morning Glory Clematis Wallflower Seaside Daisy Iris Flower Forget Me Not Anemones Lily of the Valley Coreopsis Agapanthus Peony Bergenia (Saxifragas) Campanula Blue-Eyed Grass Dianthus Evening Primrose Evolvulus Forget Me Not Verbenia Sweet Pea River Rush Lavender Ice Plant
Find more perennials with pictures: List of Perennial Flowers A to Z.
When To Plant Perennials.
The best time to plant your perennials so that they thrive well is in Spring and Austumn, neither too hot nor too cold. Perennials planted in Summer can be devastated by heat and may just whither up and die. So choose the best spot for these stars of your garden: one where they will get good soil, compost and mulch, adequate water and the right amount of sun according to the plant tag. Brunfelsia bonodora Brunfelsia bonodora.
One Perennial which is a must have for me - sweet memories of childhood in this one - is the heavily fragrant Brunfelsia shrub. It's often called the 'Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow' plant and one look in spring or summer will tell you why. It always has flowers which are just dying (whitish for Yesterday), blooming well (dark blue for Today), and heading towards full bloom (pale blue for Tomorrow). It shares this lovely habit of three different colours at the same time with the Seaside Daisy and the Fairy Rose. A delightful habit.
Ever Wondered Just How Perennial Flowers Do Survive The Winter When It's Really Cold? Perennials can survive the winter underground using the snow to actually help them cope. The plants stay snug and warm with the snow on top insulating them from the extremely cold temperatures. If you have added mulch in the autumn around your perennials, this helps them too. But the most interesting fact is that their roots have the ability to filter water into the surrounding soil so that the water in their roots does not freeze! Then when the danger of freezing to death has passed they take back their water and get ready for spring. This is why we see Crocuses and many others shooting up through the snow. They have been able, not only to survive, but to start to grow even when it's still snowing. Not only that, but they actually use the snow to keep them warm. That's clever! Even Humans use the snow to keep warm if they are lost by building a snow cave.
The Ephemerals.
The Bluebell Woods in Spring. A Fleeting Glimpse Of Bluebells In Early Spring. 308Simpan Hyacinthoides non-scripta. (Bluebell).
The other group of plants labelled by their flowering cycles are the Ephemerals (meaning fast-fading).
A good example of these are wildflowers which make the most of the short season when conditions are just right, such as the gorgeous display above, and desert plants also belong in this group. Desert plants are any plants which receive less than 10" of rain per year.
The group a particular plant belongs do is heavily influenced by the environment, the amount of sunlight and water it gets, the temperature and just how it is going to reproduce. Getting the balance just right is an extraordinary feat which the plants, fortunately, work out for themselves. We just need to know what, when and how our plants are going to meet their need to reproduce - so we know where to put them.