Small space I Big ideas
Follow Chris’s tips for growing perennials in small spaces for continuous colour every season
Perennials are plants that entertain us in the summer and fall back under the protection of the soil for winter, only to return the following year. They can include trees and shrubs, but the traditional herbaceous plant is the painter’s palette of the garden, offering a huge array of colours and forms. It’s the stalwart of the classic cottage garden the UK is famed for.
The good news is you don’t need a huge space to use these plants, and they can be a long-term, cost-effective option. In fact, a small open border, good-sized raised bed or even a large pot will do as long as it’s in a sunny spot with fertile, well-draining soil.
You can really express your design flair by painting with these plants. Go for hot colours such as helianthus, rudbeckia and coreopsis, for example, blended in small drifts, or cool tones such as blue salvias, silver artemisia and white phlox. Of course, you could also throw the rule book away and mix-up the plants you love the most.
There’s a few techniques to get the most out of your herbaceous plants. Stake taller varieties against the wind to help them keep their shape. Prolong summer colour by clipping dead flowers at the stem base, as this encourages the plant to produce more. The bees will thank you for more blooms too. Most plants will also benefit from lifting and division every five to seven years depending on vigour.
Although known best for their summer colour, herbaceous perennials are superb for seasonal interest. There’s bright green shoots in spring, interesting se
