Everything you need to know about creating a garden full of flourishing perennial plants

If you’re looking for ways to create a garden that flourishes year-round, perennial plants are for you. Perennial plants are classed as plants that live for two or more years, as opposed to shorter-lived annuals and biennials.

There is a huge variety of perennial plant species, ranging from ferns and grasses to flowering ground covers, making it easy to create a perennial garden to suit any style of home and landscape.

Spring is the best time to plant perennials. In warm climates, most perennials will grow continuously throughout the year while in colder, seasonal climates their growth is usually limited to the growing season.

Here, garden guru Dale Vine shares his tips on planting perennial flowers and vegetables as part of your spring gardening routine.

Massed perennial plantings are the keynote of this lovely, liveable garden , bringing a touch of woodland to its Melbourne setting . (Credit: Australian House & Garden)

Perennial flowers

Springtime brings a burst of bright colour from many perennial flowers. Marigolds, violas, calendulas, borage and nasturtiums are all annual favourites, and many can be found potted up for their happy colours – in feature pots, hanging baskets or alongside an entrance path to properties that are for sale to improve their kerb appeal.

Perennials also provide fantastic interest in a larger garden when used as a border plant, almost inviting your eyes to gaze deeper into the garden. September is a good time to plant perennials in warmer parts of Australia but wait a little longer if you live in an area prone to late frosts. Annual flowers will not cope well with low temperatures – you may lose them quickly or they could suffer unsightly frost damage.

With their large grey-green leaves and mauve wispy flowers, plume poppies (Macleaya cordata) form the backdrop to a richly textured mix of perennials that includes dahlias, asters and feather grass in this perennial garden in NSW . The spent flowerheads at left are ornamental artichoke (Cynara cardunculus). (Photographer: Claire Takacs | Story: Australian House & Garden)

Perennial vegetables

Perennial vegetables are just like other ornamental perennial plants, and grow from a dormant root or tuber usually called a crown. They are available from nurseries or mail-order specialists.

They’re particularly popular with busy gardeners who don’t want to replant each year and include artichoke, arrowroot, horseradish and rhubarb which can all be dug up, divided and then replanted during spring.

Once they are replanted, water them regularly as they will suffer some stress from their roots being divided. Seasol (seaweed concentrate) mixed with water will help combat root stress.

Globe artichokes are usually grown from suckers planted in late winter and set about a metre apart to allow for the huge size of the plant in late spring as it begins to send up its edible buds. (Photographer: Sharyn Cairns | S tory: Country Style)

Other popular evergreen perennials

• Catmint (Nepeta x faassenii)
• Gaura (butterfly bush)
• Lamb’s ears (Stachys byzantina)
• Indian Hawthorn (Rhaphiolepis ‘Oriental Pearl’)
• Coastal rosemary (Westringia fruticosa)
• Box shrub (Buxus)
• Hydrangea
• Hostas
• Avocado

The front garden at the home of landscape architect Hugh Burnett this is a symphony of colour and textures. This silvery-grey block is created by combining strappy leafed bearded iris with lamb’s ears and Plectranthus . (Photographer: Brigid Arnott | Story: Australian House & Garden)

What is the difference between annuals and perennials?

While perennials live and can regrow for up to three years, annuals are any plant or flower that completes only one growth cycle before dying off. Annuals are typically bright, vibrant and showy; examples include petunia, begonia, geraniums, marigolds, sunflowers and dahlias. Biennials, on the other hand, will last for two years but will only flower in the second year. After that, they drop seeds and in another two years, your supply will have replenished – examples include black-eyed Susan, parsley, fennel and silverbeet.