Many gardens in Australia flower for only two months a year and then retire until spring. But at Lambley Nursery near Ballarat in Victoria, David Glenn has a wide variety of perennials that will keep gardens in flower right through summer and autumn. Australians spend a great deal of time in the garden throughout summer and autumn so it makes sense to have a garden that has colour right through to May. This can be achieved by selecting longer flowering varieties of plants as well as choosing a combination of plants that are at their peak at different times throughout the year so that there's always something in flower.

Colour combination

Strong colours in Australian gardens can be hard to combine but the harsh light in the middle of the day makes pastel coloured flowers fade away. A combination of interesting colours in the garden can create a relaxing and soothing effect in the long run. Combine strong yellows with crimson flowers that have a tinge of yellow in them. Add accent plants, anything with strong foliage or bold flowers to give the garden structure and a focal point.

Perennial borders

Lilium 'Black Beauty' - Deep pink and white flowers that last for six to seven weeks unlike most liliums that are bred for the cut flower industry and only flower for a couple of weeks.
Veronica 'Sunny Border Blue' - Pretty blue flowers for about seven or eight months
Scabiosa 'Pink Lace' - The larger flowers of this pink variety combined with its hardiness on a hot day makes it a good choice for a summer garden.
Aster x frikartii 'Monch'- Many of the Easter daisies only flower for two or three weeks but David Glenn uses Asters that will flower for up to three months.
Red-leafed flax (Phormium 'Anna Red') - This is a strong accent plant which adds architectural structure as well as a deep purple colour to the garden.

Further information

For more information about long flowering perennials and combining them in your garden write to David Glenn, Lambley Nursery, 'Burnside', Lesters Road, Ascot, VIC, 3364. Phone: (03) 5343 4303 or fax: (03) 5343 4257. This nursery has a mail order service. A catalogue is available by sending two 45 cent stamps to the above address.                  

Copyright CTC Productions 1999