The basic plants of any flower garden are perennials.
Most are long-lived, relatively easy to care for and every year they will produce flowers or attractive and eye catching leaf displays, often a combination of both, before dying down in the winter months and springing back to life when the warm weather arrives.
Perennials are also, historically, among our oldest plants.
They have been cultivated for centuries and often, as a result of propagation techniques and cross-pollination, bear no resemblance to their wild ancestors.
In some perennials the blossoms have become so specialized through centuries of cultivation that they no longer grow seeds.
Professional and amateur botanists and gardeners are continually developing other perennials.
As a result of this cultivation and in-breeding, many of these highly specialized perennials are not as hardy as other perennial varieties.
Before selecting the varieties to plant it is worth doing some research and not be taken in by a photo or garden centre plant showing a spectacular and colorful display.
It may only last a short while, the plant may be tender so the flower show may be a one off before it dies, and it will probably not be cheap.
Perennials come in all sorts of shapes and sizes which make it easier to solve the problems of short-flowering periods and the resultant unsightly spaces.
One way is to intersperse perennials with annuals, biennials, shrubs, bulbs and flowering plants that bloom either later or earlier than the perennials.
Some perennials are easy to transplant: chrysanthemums, for example, can be moved from one place to another with no noticeable effect on their vigor.
This is another way to keep color and bloom throughout the growing season.
A garden of mixed perennials, either by themselves or mixed with annuals and shrubs can be placed along a path, or as a border, with a background of trees, or a wall or fence.
The background shows the brilliant coloring to best advantage.
Some varieties can flourish in the shade, such as anemone, lily of the valley, day lilies, sweet pea, primrose, hollyhock, harebell and peonies, but these flowers must be chosen carefully and need some sun every day.
Perennials are no different to other plants in their need for water, some are resistant to drought; others need attention to watering during dry periods so the selection of easy care plant types will depend largely on the
