In designing with plants, it is the perennials that ensure that there is constant change, and that there is always an element of surprise or interest in the garden.
Getting to know the dormant and flowering periods of the plants is essential to achieving the right balance in the design, so that as one perennial goes to sleep, another awakens.


Perennials, perhaps more than any other group of plants, are available in a huge range of colours, forms, textures and fragrances in both foliage and flower. There are perennials suitable for almost every area of the garden: from full sun to full shade, in large gardens or small beds and to suit every mood or style. Popular perennial plants include Penstemon, Gaura, Canna, Dahlias, Salvias, Lupins, Columbines, Lilies, Delphiniums and Hellebores - oh! the list is endless.

A perennial plant (Latin per, "through", annum, "year") is a plant that lives for more than two years, unlike an Annual which grows, sets seed, gayly disperses it and then dies - all in a single season. Perennial plants are divided into two large groups: those that are woody and those that are herbaceous. They can be short-lived (only a few years) or they can be long-lived, and can vary in size from only a few millimeters to over 10 meters tall. They include a wide assortment of plant groups from Ferns to the highly diverse flowering plants like Orchids and Ornamental Grasses.


Perennials typically grow structures that allow them to adapt to living from one year to the next. These structures include bulbs, tubers, woody crowns, rhizomes plus others. They might have specialized stems or crowns that allow them to survive periods of dormancy over cold or dry seasons during the year. Many perennials have adapted to survive under extreme environmental conditions: some can survive hot dry conditions, or cold temperatures. These plants tend to invest a lot of resource into their adaptations and often do not flower and set seed until after a few years of growth.



Many perennials produce relatively large seeds, which can have an advantage as they produce larger seedlings after germination that can better compete with other plants or more quickly develop leaves, ensuring their survival.

In warmer climates, perennials grow continuously. In seasonal climates, their growth is limited to the growing season. For example, in temperate regions a perennial plant may grow and bloom during the warm part of the year, with the foliage dying back in the winter. These plants are deciduous perennials. Regrowth is from existing stem tissue. In some species, perennials retain their foliage all year round; these are evergreen perennials. Come in and take a look around. We've always got something pretty, perky and persuasive in the perennial line.

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aka Lily of the Nile

Dwarf. Ultra-miniature agapanthus growing to only 10 cm high which features classic pure white double blooms which appear above the foliage all summer and reaching just 20 cm in height. Great border plant, suitable for containers. Evergreen.

 

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aka Sedge

Attractive NZ native grass that forms a clump of tussock-like foliage. The leaves are a dark bronze purple. Upright and graceful, looks fabulous planted in large drifts. Hardy to just about any conditions but happiest in a sunny position that does not dry out completely in summer. Evergreen.

 

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aka Hair Sedge

Native Hair Sedge.. The name Comans means "luxuriant head of hair" and this native Tussock Grass certainly has a fine head of green needle foliage. Tolerant of just about any conditions including coastal. Quickly forms a clump and is invaluable for adding texture to the garden. Evergreen.

 

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aka Tussock, NZ Sedge

This native 'grass' is really tough and hardy tolerating cold winds and almost any soil. The brick-orange foliage looks very graceful as it waves and dances in the wind. Ideal for planting in large drifts. If the clumps become a little untidy just chop back hard for renewed vigour. Evergreen.