The quintessentially english herbaceous border is a glorious example of traditional garden planting that develops character as the years unfold, never exactly the same, but steadfast and certain in it’s annual show.

Herbaceous perennials can provide a marvellous base for borders and beds; dying off towards late autumn, but providing attractive background foiliage that can be mixed with seasonal planting to create endless variations and effects.

Most contemporary garden nurseries display a vast range of herbaceous perennials of varying colour, texture and height enabling the customer to choose the types to suit their particular planting requirements.

There are enormous varieties of herbaceous perennials (early, mid or late flowering) favouring different soil types and growing conditions. These plants can be set out in small groups and can be mixed with grasses, ferns, shrubs, bulbs and annuals.

For those gardeners who don’t have a lot of time to spend planting bulbs and annuals - herbaceous perennials can provide an excellent solution – giving consistent shows every spring and summer.

Although herbaceous perennials can be cut back in the late autumn, many plants will develop attractive foliage after summer flowering and this can be kept as decorative and protective winter garden cover to be cut back in the early spring.

Early spring is also a good time to add a mulch (a protective covering material – either natural or synthetic) around the roots of the plants – this can reduce the growth of weeds and also helps to keep the soil moist.

An extraordinary example of the use of herbaceous perennials can be seen at Bressingham Gardens in Norfolk. In the late fifties, Alan Bloom created the Dell Garden using 5000 varieties of herbaceous perennnials set in beds surrounded by areas of lawn and parkland. www.bressinghamgardens.com