ACORUS GRAMINEUS – SWEET FLAG
As the weather gets colder you can still warm up your garden with much needed colour from these perennials
WE DON’T normally associate perennial plants with the offseason of late autumn through winter. The mainstay of our traditional flower borders, they are grown for their beautiful blossoms and interesting foliage, and are a group that come back from year to year but don’t form woody stems.
So, we don’t have to abandon them completely at this time of year. If you walk into a garden centre you will see tonnes of hellebores smiling at you with their white and purple flowers, waiting to brighten your plot right through the Christmas season.
Others that perform well through winter can also be extremely useful. Here’s my list of overwintering perennials.
GOLDEN Variegated Sweet Flag is a wonderful grass-like plant which is extremely useful for its textured interest throughout autumn and winter. It has 12ins golden leaves with green stripes, and that’s plenty of colour to brighten up shady spots or damp, sunny areas.
It’s native to Japan, so prolonged dry spells may cause leaf tips to brown. The foliage colour and intensity of variegation depend on how much light it gets. Lots of sun will lead to a golden colour, while deeper shades highlight green. Variegation is strongest in moderate shade.
CAREX
ANOTHER excellent grass-like plant is Carex and C. oshimensis ‘Evergold’ or C. morrowii ‘Variegata’ are especially good at this time of the year. Carex comans ‘Bronze Perfection’ is a fabulous evergreen plant with a naturally cascading habit that adds colour and movement to any planting scheme. These plants are great for winter patio containers – combine them with some bright winter pansies and bachelor buttons for a seasonal colourful display.
HELLEBORUS
THIS genus has loads of choices that are hardy. The Christmas Rose is popular for its midwinter white flowers, often appearing in the snow. Others have flowers in shades of green, red, and purple. A must for winter interest, due to its architectural foliage and beautiful flowers.
LIRIOPE MUSCARI
A CLUMP-forming perennial with some cultivars having leaves so dark they are practically black, this is good to group with other plants for interest. As a tough, drought-tolerant ground cover they’re great for awkward places in the garden.
Liriope is low-maintenance and tough. It can grow in sandy or clay soil well as in full sun or part-shade as long as the ground has good drainage.
SEDUM ‘AUTUMN JOY’
WHEN so much else ends as summer says goodbye, Sedum ‘Autumn Joy’ is just beginning to put on its show. The plant has fleshy leaves and grows to 24ins. Its large heads of pink flowers appear in early autumn, eventually fading to a copper colour before finally turning red.
The blooms can last from August into November and are wonderful for attracting butterflies.
They prefer moderately fertile, moist soil in full sun, but can take it drier.
IRIS UNGUICULARIS
THIS is a vigorous evergreen perennial that brings much-needed colour to empty winter borders from October to March.
If it’s happy, its narrow grassy leaves are topped with beautiful lilac or light blue honey-scented flowers, all winter long.