(Question)

Hi there, first of thanks so much for your time, really appreciate it. We recently bought a house and it has a small lawn and a very tiny strip of land in the back after deck and on the side of it. There are few ever green shrubs lining the lawn and that’s pretty much about it. Both myself and my husband are novice in terms of gardening but we all love flowers so bought 3 types of roses – floribunda white, golden shower & red dawn and some kind of lilies. We are looking for help with perennial flowering plants which will last from spring to fall , are low maintenance, are fragrant (but not all have to be fragrant though), different variety, non-invasive, non-toxic and different height. I would like to plant something tall in the back (home exterior wall) and the medium/small height in the front. The house is west facing so lawn is full sun and side & back yard are north and south facing. Also, side and back yard have some trees so basically it is not only partial sun but also get shade from the tree. Since we know nothing about gardening, it will be a HUGE help if you can guide us as which plants to buy and what type of soil and fertilizer to keep handy. Both of us are busy and our children are small so cannot give a lot of time to gardening, hence the perennials. Please know that you all are doing a great job by volunteering to help people like me. I hope to hear back from someone and really really appreciate all the help. Thanks in advance.
P.S. Cannot attach more than 1 pic. If you want I can email later. Let me know.

(Answer)

Planning a new garden space can be both exciting and daunting at the same time. Tall, short, wide, thin, hot colours, cool colours,- the list of notable characteristics is endless.

Bringing broad plant groups together allows you to build a well-rounded mixed beds and borders, brimming with plants that provide engaging colour, form, texture and structure.

Probably the greatest thing about an expanded plant palette is that it provides an opportunity to have something going on in the garden during all four seasons.

When selecting perennials the flower colour , growing conditions and height are all important factors, however one should also focus on foliage. Although, foliage might seem boring when compared to flowers, it is one of the most important features of the plant. Most perennials will flower for a period of 3-4 weeks leaving the foliage for the remainder of the season.

Building a mixed border is a lot like preparing your favourite recipe and you are well on your way by beginning with your shrub roses. Since we spend most of our time enjoying our garden in the summer you should think about including ¼ of your perennials which flower in the spring, ½ that flower in the summer, and ¼ of them to flower in the fall.

The next step is to think of your colour palette- do you prefer cool colours- blues, purples and whites; or do you prefer hot colours- reds, yellow, purple.

Before planting begins you should think about soil. Most gardens in new developments are likely to have heavy clay or, worse, builder’s fill, which is just sand and clay. If you want a successful garden, improving poor soil is a must, you should add at least 20cm of good organic matter or triple mix. When it comes to fertilizer more is not necessarily better and too much can cause more problems then it solves. Using a 4 inch layer of wood mulch ( not bark) on top will help retain moisture, decrease weed growth and over time breakdown and add to the nutrients in the soil.

The following are a list of easy-to-grow perennials. All are perfect for the beginning gardener, as they do well in sun or partial shade and in any decent soil. None of them require any special care

Plant	Bloomtime	Height	Exposure
Candytuft	April	10-25cm	Sun
Columbine	May	30-75cm	Sun/partial shade
Bleeding Heart	May	25-30cm	Partial shade
Iris	May	30-60cm	Sun
Dianthus	June	10-45cm	Sun
Lupine	June	60-120cm	Sun/partial shade
Daylily	June	30-90ccm	Sun/partial shade
Astilbe	July	30-120cm	Partial shade
Delphinium	July	150cm	Sun
Shasta daisy	July	100cm	Sun
Purple coneflower	August	60-150cm	Sun/partial shade
Black-eyed susan	August	60-90cm	Sun/partial shade
Sedum	Auguat	30cm	Sun/partial shade