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Favourite herbaceous perennials

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  • Hostafan1Hostafan1 Posts: 34,889
    HOSTAS
    Devon.
  • Daylilies will do well anywhere except full shade, they are very drought tolerant. They come in a variety of colours and sizes.
  • I still remember that Q&A BBC gardener in one of the GW issues two years ago "I still struggle to get out the Alstroemeria roots in one of my clients' garden".
    When I had an Alstroemeria, the plant itself didn't develop well, but its roots had done. The root are white tuber like and I have the impression that everything that has got this kind of roots has got a habit of spreading.

    I my garden.

  • B3B3 Posts: 27,505
    I don't grow them but I've heard they can be thugs under the right/ wrong conditions
    In London. Keen but lazy.
  • LoxleyLoxley Posts: 5,698
    edited May 2023
    In my opinion, Persicaria amplexicaulis is one of the easiest and most indispensible herbaceous perennials, and it comes in a range of colours from white to pink to dark purple to scarlet. It's very adaptable and flowers continuously from high summer to late autumn.

    Persciaria a. 'Janet':





    "What is hateful to you, do not do to your neighbour". 
  • JennyJJennyJ Posts: 10,576
    Purple toadflax (Linaria purpurea) is a good easy filler - not especially showy, but self-sows so you can have lots of it in between other plants. There are also pale pink and white forms, but I find those less robust.
    Doncaster, South Yorkshire. Soil type: sandy, well-drained
  • FairygirlFairygirl Posts: 55,117
    There's one orangey/yellow alstroemeria which is a thug. Most are reasonably well behaved as far as I know.
    Loads of hardy geraniums will be fine, but also look for plants which are drought tolerant for a site like that, especially if you're in one of those areas that experiences long periods of zero rainfall. Lychnis, Fennel, and Asters will all cope well with sunny, drier conditions. 
    Can't help with dry shade, as it's something I don't really have anywhere. 
    It's a place where beautiful isn't enough of a word....



    I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
  • Busy-LizzieBusy-Lizzie Posts: 24,043
    I once had a thug yellow alstroemeria that was a thug but it was an old variety. There has been a lot of breeding of new varieties in recent years and now there are some lovely ones.
    Dordogne and Norfolk. Clay in Dordogne, sandy in Norfolk.
  • B3B3 Posts: 27,505
    edited May 2023
    The geranium to avoid is wargrave pink. It's a menace!  No problem with any others in my experience.
    In London. Keen but lazy.
  • GardenerSuzeGardenerSuze Posts: 5,692
    For shade Geranium Lily Lovell is beautiful at this time of year.
    Full sun Libertia Perigrinans is a favourite if mine.
    I have worked as a Gardener for 24 years. My latest garden is a new build garden on heavy clay.
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