Go-to cut flowers in summer - Part 3: Favourite perennial flowers

Go-to Cut Flowers in Summer

Part 3: Favourite Perennial Flowers

Summer is the season of perennials - we use them prominently in our gardens. Known for their diversity and suitability in arrangements, perennials also have the advantage of requiring less effort than annuals. Re-sowing seeds, pricking out seedlings or having a glasshouse are not required; you only need to think about keeping weeds at bay and lifting and dividing the roots when their clumps become too large.

Perennials come in a great variety of shapes, heights and colours, and in this lesson we look at some key plants that we grow every year and frequently use in summer arrangements.

Nepeta (common name: catmint)

Catnips come in small and large sizes. Our favourite is the long-lasting 'Six Hills Giant', which we love for its impressive size and scent and use in large flower arrangements.

Delphinium (common name: delphinium)

This is our staple summer flower. Delphiniums grow tall and are easy to pick and long-lasting. We find the 'Elatum' variety particularly rewarding for its height, structure, scent and wonderful colours - blues, purples, pinks and white.

Linaria purpurea (common name: purple toadflax)

This delicate looking plant with lovely white, pink or pale purple flowers is our recent discovery. It can be found growing wild and flowers throughout the summer.

Phlox (common name: phlox)

A highly scented plant which comes in many different colours. It's particularly useful in wedding flower arrangements in August, when many early white summer flowers are past their best. Cut flowers are at their most abundant and showy in June - less so in July - and there is a definite 'dip' in the cutting garden in August.

Astrantia (common name: masterwort)

This is one of our best summer garden performers. Pretty, tolerant of light shade and easy to grow, Astrantia is also easy to divide, acts as a good garden filler, and lasts well in water. It comes in a pleasing range of white, pinky and claret hues.

Centranthus ruber (common names: red valerian, spur valerian or devil's beard)

This old cottage plant grows particularly well in drier gardens and loves crumbling walls and stony banks. If you plant only a couple of plants, they will soon seed themselves. As Centranthus has a very long flowering season and lasts well in water, we use it in generous quantities in flower arrangements. To prolong its life span to November, deadhead Centranthus close to the nearest leaves and within two weeks it will produce new flowers.

Tanacetum parthenium (common name: feverfew)

This is a pretty plant with bright green leaves and delicate flowerheads similar to Gypsophila. It is free-growing and self-spreading, and makes an excellent component of a casual, natural-looking arrangement. While it will grow almost anywhere, we grow it in rows for cutting.

Achillea millefolium (common name: yarrow)

Another excellent plant for naturalistic arrangements. Unfussy, easy to grow and supposedly a very good companion to blackcurrants, yarrow has the added quality of being biodynamic – i.e. it's good for the soil and for composting.

Phlomis (common names: Jerusalem sage or Turkish sage)

A distinctive-looking, tough perennial but not everybody's favourite because of its yellow flowers. We love Phlomis and grow it in the borders for use in white and green arrangements, where the pale-yellow flowers and big, furry, green leaves add a touch of Dr Seuss-like fun.

Penstemon (common name: beard tongue)

Penstemons look lovely in the garden, are wonderful as pollinators, and make excellent cut flowers. They come in a range of colours - white, lilacs and clarets. We grow them in rows and in herbaceous borders.

OUR ADVICE:

• Do not cut Penstemon too soon; wait until the risk of frost damage is over. We cut penstemon at the end of March/early April and apply the same practice to catmint, which we leave untouched over winter and deadhead in March/April, when the new growth begins to appear. (Note that until then, the dry stems and flowers act as protection for the developing new growth.)

Lupinus (common name: lupin)

Eye-catching, weather-tolerant plants with bold, colourful flower spikes, lupins make a strong statement in herbaceous borders. They are usually grown from seeds and cuttings and - more rarely - by division.

Although lupins exist in many different colours, we grow mainly white varieties for flower arrangements and sow them in informal areas alongside Hesperis - a sweet-smelling and self-seeding plant, commonly known as sweet rocket or dame's rocket.

Campanula (common name: bellflower)

We enjoy growing Campanula for their jolly, light looks, their lovely blue tones, and their impact in flower arrangements. In this lesson we highlight the deep blue Campanula persicifolia and the pale blue Campanula lactiflora as our 'go-to' cut summer flowers.

Cephalaria gigantea (common name: giant scabious)

We are very fond of Cephalaria gigantea as an easy-to-grow ornamental garden plant and a great cut flower. Despite its delicate looks and erect habit, Cephalaria doesn't need staking and gives height and breadth to the border. It's also a perfect flower to use in large summer arrangements where the delicate flower heads add lightness and movement to the composition.

While Cephalaria gigantea can reach a height of 2m, there are many other, mostly blue and white, small scabious varieties (such as Scabiosa 'Pink Mist', Scabiosa caucasica 'Miss Willmott' or Scabiosa caucasica 'Clive Greaves') that make excellent cut flowers. Like Cephalaria, they offer repeat flowering, drought resistance, and longevity.

How to Divide Perennials

Lift them out of the ground in February before the growth starts. Either pull the roots apart or use a spade to cut them into bits which can be replanted in the garden to create new plants, given away to friends, or exchanged for other perennials.

OUR ADVICE:

As there are so many perennials, you need to choose those that appeal to you most for their shape, colour or texture. You can simplify the process by going to Crocus, an online garden centre that publishes a comprehensive, illustrated catalogue of perennials. Make a selection of those you like most to get a sense of your preferred look - is it 'spiky' or 'bunchy', 'hot' or 'cool','bold' or 'pastel coloured'? Grow your perennials in dedicated rows (like we do with Phlox or Penstemon) or in mixed borders and in pots.

Plant Directory

Achillea millefolium

common name: yarrow

Astrantia

common name: masterwort

Campanula

common name: bellflower

Centranthus ruber

common names: red valerian, spur valerian, devil's beard, Jupiter's beard

Cephalaria gigantea

common name: giant scabious

Hesperis matronalis

common names: dame's rocket, dame's-violet

Linaria purpurea

common name: purple toadflax

Lupinus

common name: lupin

Nepeta

common name: catmint

Penstemon

common name: beard tongue

Phlomis russeliana

common names: Jerusalem sage, Turkish sage

Phlox

common name: phlox

Tanacetum parthenium

common name: feverfew