Question from a user:Sometimes my perennials go to bed. Are they sleepy? Or are they struggling to stand when they've given so much?
Rain, wind, sometimes both get the better of them. And it is with pain but not without courage that they raise their heads to show once again their colourful finery .
Yes, that's all well and good, but the tangles of stakes that don't know how to stay vertical spoil the whole massif somewhat. Especially with the strings that bend under the flower growth.
In short, tall perennials, when they act as creepers, quickly become a headache for the decorative gardener. Perennials that go down at the first gust of wind or rain, it's ugly! We call it the downpour…after the downpour. I must say that, having been there, I ended up opting for lower perennials among the tall. Nevertheless, here is a – very small – selection that has proven itself.
– Aquilegia flabellata (Columbine) 25cm and A. biedermeier 40cm
– Aster alpinus (Alpine Aster) 30cm
– Autumn Aster that I pinch once or twice before the flush climb. So, I manage to keep them at 60cm
– Chrysanthemum maximum (Summer Daisy) 'Little Silver Princess' 40cm, 'Snow Lady' 30cm
– Coreopsis verticilata 'Zagreb' 30cm, lower than other C Grandiflora, but less susceptible to powdery mildew and drought.
– Delphinium grandiflorum ‘Tom Pouce ’ 30cm, D. nudicale 30cm
– Erigeron replaces summer asters. Cut at the end of the first flowering for a second in September. 50cm
– Gaillarde ‘Kobold’ 30cm
– Geranium; all varieties which are given for less than 40cm. The very floriferous and vigorous Geranium pratense, 60cm, no longer looks like a compact clump after a storm! But it quickly resumes flowering, and withstands well a blow of pruning shears.
– Lupinus (lupine) russell ‘Gallery’ 50cm. Many colors, very nice!
– Santoline . I tried S. Rosmarinifolia and S. neapolinata; same fight, a shearing blow from the moment of flowering. I don't even give the flowers time to wilt, otherwise I'll have a flattened bush in the center.
– Solidago (golden rod). I have a nice, dwarf variety (50cm), I think it's S. 'Laurin', without certainty.
– Stachys lanata :don't let it bloom, otherwise it's all ugly afterwards...
And if you want tall varieties, there are still suitable stakes . It is still necessary to put them at the right time and to connect them firmly. But you'll get there, I'm sure...
Finally, to complete the information on the creation of a perennial bed:https://daniellys.fr/2014/11/15/creation-dun-massif-de-plantes-vivaces/
columbine
Erigeron karvinskianus. No risk of lodging with this creeper!
