I too love perennials…new to them just a few years ago. SO much less work than beds of annuals & MUCH more interesting! So exciting in spring seeing them come up again. Have learnt so much from Rosie’s tutorials, both online & the in person workshops in the nursery which are great.
Hello Rosie, I totally agree with you, cottage garden + perennials is exactly my style. I also use aromatic herbs as perennials and mix them with the rest. Rosemary, aromatic salvia, thyme, marjoram , even parsley look beautiful when in flower. I grew up in Versailles so the park was my everything (play, picnics, flirts, running around the canal, etc) and although beautiful, formal French garden/park style is a bit sterile in the sense that there is no surprise. Everything exudes control.
I started gardening about 10 years ago but feel like such a beginner. My path from cottage gardener, adding more naturalistic plantings has been exciting. I've made lots of mistakes. I live by the words of Samuel Beckett. "Fail better."
Hi Rosy, I have a variegated Wigelia (about 6ft. high) which has been reverting back to its original variety over the last few years. I'm planning on cutting it down to a couple of feet and cutting out the green branches. I'll probably sacrifice the flowers for a season, hopefully it will be worth it in the end. Love your channel by the way, I've learnd a lot thanks to you.
I have fun with perennials but also have realized you have to keep in mind - right place right plant. This is important for beginners and any gardener actually. We all have fails when the plant is in the wrong place. If you want folks to plant more perennials, I guess you need to educate them about this. Maybe group the plants in your nursery by plant requirements. Not just sun/ shade and zone, but also flowering season, wet or dry conditions. - because these are the aspects that trip us up as gardeners. I’m having trouble under an oak tree where I have success with many plants like phlox, but lost both a hardy aster and a Baptisia. - perhaps root competition? I don’t know.
My baptisia is in full sun and I keep cutting it back as it grows into a monster lol Its neighbours are many hemerocallis, gaura, a rose and a corkscrew hazel,
Wish I had a garden. People likely say "get a houseplant" as IF that is even an equivalent. It's not even close. It's NOT close. It's like saying put a rubberband in your hair if you're cold and need a hat.
