Perennial plants will provide long term plantings in your garden. Trees and shrubs are perennials which form the structural and boundary interest in a site, enhancing the hard landscape theme and the style but it is the perennial plants which will dress the landscape and provide long term interest around which other planting ideas can be tried and devloped.

Because they are long term, planning and planting needs to be done with care. Consider the form of the perennial plants chosen - are they of architectural interest like spires of delphiniums or the spiky heads or eryngium or are they for ground cover such as Geranium pratense or Alchimillea mollis? You also need to think about whether they form clumps, are straggling and how they spread. Will they take over a bed by putting out stolons or rhizomes, will they provide coverage against weeds? Think about the color scheme and plan accordingly.

Whatever you decide, the preparation and planting of the perennials will determine their success and ultimately, their impact on your overall planting scheme.

Once you have selected the site, check the pH of the soil and its type to make sure you choose the right plants for the location - 'right plant, right place' is an old adage but one which has relevance in any site and selecting the perennials from the thousands available which suit your site is paramount to success.

Next, dig the area thoroughly and make sure you remove all parts of perennial weeds like nettle, thistle and dock because these can regenerate from even a small piece of plant left behind. Good preparation means less work later.

Add a general fertiliser of equal parts N,P and K to the soil and lightly fork the area over.

Plan the planting area - drifts or color blocks for example and set out your plants, making sure they have the required space between each plant so they can obtain enough light, space (to avoid moulds and rusts) and nutrients.

Choose a day which is nether windy nor too hot and plant the plants, starting with the tallest and largest and then fill in with the smaller plants. Soak plants first and gently tease the rots out to ensure good soil contact. Plant perennials to the same depth as they were in their pots or in the nursery/cold frame and gently firm in around each plant.

Water the area well after planting and add a mulch of organic material. This will help retain water, cut down annual weeds and keep the roots cool in summer and warm in winter.

Next thing- wait until the plants become established, watching for pests like aphids and fungi and treating at the first sign.

Then, most importantly - enjoy!

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