The herbaceous border has long been the mainstay of the larger British gardens, although it is by no means the only way of displaying this colourful and reliable group of plants. For several years, island beds have been popular, whilst a more recent fashion is for the more naturalistic style of meadow or prairie gardening. All of these styles are represented in the RHS gardens.
NCCPG National Plant Collections
In all, the RHS gardens at Wisley, Rosemoor, Harlow Carr and Hyde Hall hold 13 National Plant Collections, under the auspices of the National Council for the Conservation of Plants and Gardens (NCCPG). One is for herbaceous perennials, that for Epimedium.
The Herbaceous Plant Committee (previously Floral A)
At London Flower Shows, this Committee judges all individual and group exhibits of hardy herbaceous and tender perennials, and annuals grown in the open for garden decoration, as well as group exhibits of roses and carnations. Individual plants in these categories judged by specialist committees are generally excluded unless the relevant committee is not meeting. At Chelsea it judges only individual exhibits, the group exhibits being judged by a Council-appointed Panel. It is also responsible, jointly with the Tender Ornamental Plant Committee, for judging the Floral Plant trials at Wisley.
RHS trials
Perennials are a major feature of the trials
run at Wisley, providing an opportunity to bring together
as many different plants within a group as possible. Being
grown under uniform conditions, the plants can be compared
and assessed, allowing the very best to be recommended the
Award of Garden Merit.
Award of Garden Merit
In addition, entries are described and photographed, and their names are verified or corrected. A spin-off, in recent years, has been the invaluable identification keys and descriptions produced in association with the Botany Department: those on Japanese anemones, Lamium maculatum, Penstemon, Osteospermum and Phygelius, for example, have been well-received.
Ferns
Care and maintenance
Perennials
- cutting back
Perennials
- dividing
Perennials
- propagating tender perennials
Perennials
- protecting tender perennials over winter
Supporting perennials
Further reading
This is just one topic covered by the Society's monthly journal for members, The Garden, and recent articles of interest are listed below. The latest thinking from the best minds in horticulture today is to be found in the RHS journal, The Plantsman: some recent relevant articles are suggested here.
Barnes, P. 1998. Confusion in cultivated meadowsweets (Filipendula Miller). The New Plantsman 5(3): 145-153.
Barnes, P. 1986. Heloniopsis orientalis, The Garden, 111(10): 460-461
Barnes, P. 1984. Trial of Vinca cultivars. The Garden (RHS) 109(10): 426-429
Grey-Wilson, C. 1995, May. Perennial assets. The Garden (RHS) 120(6): 282-286
Hide, D. & Toogood, A. 1999. Sept. Simply Successful. The Garden 124(9): 672-675. Propagating hardy perennials from seed.
Leslie, A. 1997. Focus on plants: Anthemis tinctoria. The Garden (RHS) 122(8): 552-555.
Leslie, A.C. 1992. Monarda. The Garden (RHS) 117(1): 30-31.
Mathew, B. 1994. The spotted hellebore: Helleborus orientalis subsp. guttatus. The New Plantsman 1(3): 181-183.
McLewin, W. & B. Mathew. 1999. Hellebores: 7. Helleborus vesicarius & H. thibetanus. The New Plantsman 6(3): 139-147.
McLewin, W. & B. Mathew. 1998. Hellebores: 6. Helleborus orientalis & H. × hybridus. The New Plantsman 5(2): 117-124.
McLewin, W. & B. Mathew. 1997. Hellebores: 5. Helleborus purpurascens. The New Plantsman 4(3): 175-179.
McLewin, W. & B. Mathew. 1997. Hellebores: 4. Helleborus multifidus subsp. multifidus. The New Plantsman 4(1): 44-50.
McLewin, W. & B. Mathew. 1996. Hellebores: 3. Helleborus atrorubens: the problem of speciation in acaulescent hellebores. The New Plantsman 3(3): 170-177.
McLewin, W. & B. Mathew. 1996. Hellebores: 2. Helleborus dumetorum. The New Plantsman 3(1): 50-60.
McLewin, W. & B. Mathew. 1995. Hellebores: 1. The genus Helleborus. The New Plantsman 2(2):112-122.
Stebbings, G. 1999. Sept. Lasting Associations. The Garden 124(9): 656-659. Perennials in pots.