When it comes to choosing your plants and flowers there is a vast array of specimens available.
Perennials are plants that live for many years, and are used to add splashes of colour throughout the year, in all parts of the garden. Knowing what to plant where is the key to successful gardening. Examples of perennials include Geraniums, Foxgloves and Delphiniums.
Annuals are plants that grow from seed, flower and die within a 12 month period. They add seasonal colour to any garden. Annuals can be hardy, half hardy or tender. Tender annuals are also known as Tender perennials.
Half-hardy annuals are known better as bedding plants. Pansies, lobelia and busy lizzies are good examples of half hardy annuals. They flower profusely all summer but are killed by the first autumn frost.
Hardy annuals, such as Sweet Pea, Larkspur and nasturtium can withstand the colder weather. Hardy annuals are the easiest plants to raise. As they don’t need any heat, they can be sown straight into the cold soil in spring.
Tender perennials do not withstand frost, and are used purely for summer colour. Unlike bedding plants, which die off, tender perennials return the following year. Fuchsias and pelargoniums are common tender perennials.
Bulbous plants are grown from a bulb or corm. Daffodils, Hyacinth and Crocus are good examples.
Climbers are plants that reach towards the light. They support themselves by clinging to neighbouring plants, walls or any other support available. Sweet Peas, Clematis, Ivy and Honeysuckle are often found clinging to trellis' and pergolas.
Pond plants love to have their roots in water. Waterlilies like to be in deep water, whilst the Flowering Rush prefer to sit on the margins of the pond. Water hyacinth love to float about freely along with the water soldier.
Biennials flower in the second year after being grown from seed. Foxglove, Honesty and Wallflower are all biennials.
A Shrub is a plant with many wooden stems rising from the ground level. They are smaller than trees. The Butterfly bush, Hardy Fuchsia and Lavender are all types of bushes.
A Tree is a woody plant with a single erect trunk, which is at least 3 inches in diameter. Trees can be deciduous or evergreen. Weeping willow, Laburnum and Cherry are all species of trees. Trees bring height to gardens.
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