Perennials for a novice gardener

[Bill HH]

Can I get a word in for campanula persicifolia. Usually comes in blue or white, flowers for ages, and more or less looks after itself (though it flowers best if you deadhead the old flowers). Here's some info- the write-up says its prone to slugs, rust etc. but I've been growing them 20+ years and never had any problems at all. I don't think it'd have any problems growing in NE England.
Campanula persicifolia | Fine Gardening

I love Campanulas on the edge of a wall so they can hang down, they just don't stop flowering. In Torquay we have miles of stone walls and they are all over the place, no one plants then, no one waters them and they grow out of cracks that apparently have no soil in them. One has even started to grow on the roof of my house 40 ft up.

This one is trying to cover my compost bins.

[robmarston]

I like all campanulas and this is a good recommendation. One of the plants that ignited my interest in gardening.


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[andy_j]

This is my plant order for this autumn. This is to gap up existing plants where i lost a few during the very wet winter.

20 Peony Sorbet
10 Echinacea Purpurea
10 Sanguisorba obtusa
10 Stachys Hummelo
12 Rosa Flower carpet red
15 Heliopsis* var.*scabra'Spitzentänzerin'
15 Eryngium any silver or blue variety to 1m
20 Rosa Bright as a button
15 Kniphofia Light of the world
15 Gaillardia Burgunder
20 Rosa Flowercarpet coral/amber.sunset
20 Kniphofia Timothy/red rocket/fireglow/Elvira
15 Echinacea Tiki torch/orange passion/marmalade
20 Rudbeckia Goldsturm
15 Crocosmia Lucifer
10 Acanthus spinosus
20 Salvia nemerosa blue
10 Salvia Cerro potosi
10 Helenium Sahin's early flowerer
20 Saponaria Max Friel
10 Salvia Icing Sugar
20 Rudbeckia little goldstar
12 Penstemon red
15 Peony coral sunset
30 Phlox clouds of perfume/kirchenfurst
30 Erysimum Winter orchid
10 Echinacea Hot summer/hot papaya/secret passion
10 Echinacea Primadonna white
10 Echinacea marmalade
10 Phlox Norah Leigh
10 Sasa Veitchii
20 Heuchera pluie de feu/firefly/lipstick

10 Fuschia Genii
1 Trachycarpus fortuneii

[bend1pa]

Just to add that most perennials require full sun to flower well. A few can tolerate some shade and still flower fine.

I'd add to the list tuberous begonias (too late for this year) but next March they start selling them in garden centres. They are a bit more work as they are not hardy and need to be stored in a shoe box out of the way of frost during winter, but looked after they last for years with bigger and better displays each year. They are one perennial that will flower well in dappled shade and give a good display.