10 perennials that shoot quickly for immediate effect
For busy gardeners!
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It takes time to establish a garden… but few gardeners have much patience. People say patience is a virtue, but we must admit: “eternity is long, especially towards the end“. So, how can you enjoy magnificent flowering in the garden as quickly as possible? Well, don’t panic! It’s entirely possible… if you take care to choose perennials that grow quickly and form a beautiful flowering plant from the first year. Here is our little selection of perennials for ultra-rapid effect!
Erigeron karvinskianus, a 'daisy' that shoots everywhere...
Erigeron karvinskianus, also called wall daisy, is a charming little member of the Asteraceae that likes to insert itself wherever it can find a small spot to reseed, later forming large cushions of white flowers. But it’s also one of the plants that will form a beautiful clump of flowers most quickly, in just a few months. This perennial likes sun and well-drained soils, even poor ones, but will ultimately tolerate most soils. This little wildling is clearly an essential for natural country gardens. But not only…
Gaura lindheimeri, an elegant plant that shoots quickly
Gaura lindheimeri ‘Whirling Butterflies’ is a charming perennial with white flowers that will bloom continuously from June to September. It prefers full sun and dry soil and requires no maintenance. This beautiful plant will reward you with a multitude of flowers resembling small butterflies perched on long, very elegant thin stems and will be perfect among some grasses and Buenos Aires verbenas. This perennial is unfortunately short-lived, lasting no more than two or three years, but has the advantage of growing very quickly.
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Bronze fennel, beautiful and tasty
Fennel is well known for its inimitable flavour, but it’s often forgotten that it is also an extremely decorative plant. Even more so with Bronze fennel, whose growth from April to November takes on a magnificent bronze colour. This sun-loving, drought-resistant perennial will quickly reach up to 1.5 metres in height. Note that this fennel is also edible, its stems and leaves can be used to flavour dishes, and it is also one of the host plants of a magnificent butterfly: the swallowtail. So don’t hesitate to plant it among your borders; Bronze fennel will bring verticality and elegance among other lower-growing perennials.
Geranium 'Rozanne', flowers from spring to autumn
If, sadly, you could only plant one geranium in your garden (yes I know, that would be sad…) then choose without hesitation Geranium ‘Rozanne’! This beautiful perennial will flower for many months in a profusion of blue flowers with white centres. This geranium made such an impression that it was awarded the title of “plant of the century” at the 2013 Chelsea Flower Show. Very hardy, it prefers sun but tolerates shade very well. Thanks to its creeping habit, it will very quickly form bushy clumps 30 cm high by 50 cm wide.
Lavatera or shrubby mallow, timeless classic
Lavateras or shrubby mallows are semi-evergreen perennials, as they retain some foliage over winter. They are perennials that grow very quickly and soon reach over a metre in height, producing a lovely pink or white flowering. They prefer sun and rich, moist soil. They can be used at the back of a bed or as a backdrop in a mixed border. Once garden staples, lavateras were shunned for decades. Fortunately their many ornamental qualities and ease of maintenance have meant they are gradually returning to favour. So don’t hesitate to replant them in your garden!
Lysimachia ciliata: as beautiful with or without flowers
Lysimachia ciliata ‘Fire Cracker’ is an astonishing perennial both for its flowering with a beautiful bright yellow and for its magnificent foliage. Indeed, its foliage will turn from purple in spring to green in summer, finishing in orangey-copper tones in autumn. It is a very vigorous perennial that likes full sun, but can grow in partial shade and is very drought-tolerant. This young plant will grow very quickly, somewhat wildly, and will cover a good area of your border in just a few months. This Lysimachia performs wonderfully at the base of other bushes with purple foliage or among flowering displays in warm tones.
Monarda or bergamot, as beautiful in the garden as it is useful in the kitchen...
Monarda ‘Melissa’ or Bee Balm (this name sounds like something from a Tintin album…) is a hybrid perennial that flowers in pastel pink tones above a beautiful clump of aromatic leaves. Indeed, leaves can be used in herbal tea and young shoots can be added to a spring salad. It is a particularly easy-to-grow perennial. It likes sun or partial shade and tolerates ordinary soils, but preferably not too dry. Bee balm is splendid beneath trees with an airy canopy or in the very heart of a summer-flowering border.
Salvia nemorosa, a highly floriferous wood sage
Salvia nemorosa ‘Lubecca’ is one of the hardiest and most floriferous sages, flowering continuously from June to September in clusters of blue-violet flowers. This sage is native to forests of central Europe and the ‘Lubecca’ variety is one of the most compact of the nemorosa. It will form attractive clumps 50 cm high within a year, but no higher. It can therefore be used as edging for borders to create a quickly filled, flowering edge. It tolerates all types of soils, even poor ones, but dislikes wet soils in winter, which reduce its hardiness. Plant in well-drained soil in full sun.
Stipa tenuifolia: grass that thrives anywhere
Stipa tenuifolia also called angel’s hair is a fascinating grass that will form in barely two seasons a beautiful clump of light leaves like hair that will undulate at the slightest breeze. Also at ease in a natural garden as in a contemporary garden, this charming grass adapts to all soils and withstands both cold and drought. Furthermore, this perennial often self-seeds in the most unlikely places. Plant it in sun in dry or well-drained soil and… let it live its life. Stipa tenuifolia plants work wonders to soften the habit of imposing perennials in your beds or when edging a path to tickle your calves.
Nepeta or catmint, indispensable companion to roses.
The Nepeta faassenii ‘Six Hill Giant Gold’ is a variety that is not only delightful with its blue flowers but is also highly ornamental thanks to its silvery-blue foliage edged with yellow. Nepetas are very easy perennials that flower for many months and whose growth is very rapid. They are ideal at the front of a bed or among yellow or orange flower displays, and also work wonderfully with roses by brightening their often unattractive bases. Nepeta grows in all types of soil provided it is well drained, in full sun or partial shade. This perennial is also very hardy and copes very well with drought.
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