Herbaceous Perennials, Alpines & Grasses

Herbaceous Perennials

Herbaceous perennials means that the plant has non-woody stems that reach their full height and produce flower within one year. This happens before dying back over the winter but whose roots remain alive and reappear in the spring ready for a repeat performance.

Herbaceous perennials are often the mainstay of garden borders, they flower each year and help to create structure of the gardens appearance, so their placement must be considered carefully. They are usually planted in a wide border or bed and often arranged in size order, with towering blooms at the back and smaller plants at the front. This prevents the taller plants from obscuring smaller ones and robbing them of much needed sunlight; it also forms an attractive tier effect. Herbaceous perennials can also be planted in mixed borders, so plants flower at different times of the year.

We stock a huge variety of herbaceous perennials some of our most popular are Delphinium, Lupin, Aquilegia, Heuchera and Astilbe.

Alpines

Alpine plants are plants that grow in an alpine climate. Many alpines are hardy, so can cope with cold winters. However, they don’t like standing in cold, wet soil, so the main thing to consider when growing them is drainage.

They are very versatile plants and a wide range can be grown in a limited space. They also look great in gravel gardens, rockerys and raised beds.

We have a lot of different types of alpines available at Wilkinsons including Saxifraga, Phlox, sedum, Dianthus and Sempervivium.

Carex buchananii 3 litre £5.99 Upright bronze foliage, year round interest
Aubrieta Dr Mules Variegata 2 litre £4.99 Masses of purple flowers, ground cover
Geranium Johnsons Blue 2 litre £5.99 Long flowering, profusion of blue flowers
Lupin Manhatton Lights 3 litre £7.49 West Country Lupin with two tone flowers

(All prices before discount with share and save card)

Grasses

Grasses can be used to great effect in gardens from providing a calming presence, to more exuberant types being the sole focus of the design. Grasses tend to provide all year round interest particularly in the autumn/winter with their colouring.

Suitable to well drained soils, particularly gravel and wildlife gardens. Grasses give height, structure and texture to planting schemes. Leave plenty of space between tall varieties and plant in a hole deep enough, so that the root ball will be a little deeper than the plant was growing in its container. Water well after planting for a few weeks until the plant is established.

Grasses we often have in stock include Carex, Festuca, Stipa and Cortideria.

Herbaceous Perennials, Alpines & Grasses