It is the hardy perennials which define the character of a garden and keep it looking green and colourful in every season



Some plants in our garden are like old friends - a familiar sight that always cheers us up. We tend to ignore and neglect them when the petunias, geraniums and other winter flowers are in bloom, but it is the hardy perennials that define the character of a garden and keep it looking green and colourful in every season.

At this time of the year, when the winter seasonals have been removed and the pots and beds are left fallow before planting portulacas, verbenas and other summer varieties, it is these sturdy plants that keep the garden vibrant. This week we take a look at some perennials that flower right through summer.

- Nerium is an evergreen shrub with fragrant flowers borne in big, beautiful bunches at the tips of the branches.

Nerium oleander comes in pink and white varieties and thrives in well-drained soil in the sunniest part of the garden.

The shrub is covered with flowers throughout summer, keeping the garden fragrant, and attracting bees and butterflies. Pruning the shoots after the flowering season, encourages vigorous growth during the next season. Take care to wash hands after pruning oleander, because the leaves secrete a poisonous fluid called olendrin.

A related variety called Thevetia nereifolia has bell-shaped yellow flowers with no fragrance.

- Adenium, popularly known as desert rose, also flowers profusely from late winter till the end of summer. Adenium bears beautiful pink flowers and often the succulent branches are curved in interesting shapes. Adenium needs a lot of sunlight and little water and can be easily grown from cuttings.

- Lantana is an evergreen shrub with large heads of flowers composed of several tiny florets. It is an undemanding plant that can be grown in pots, as a hedge or border or clipped onto walls. It grows well in full sunlight as well as in semi shade on porches or balconies. Lantanas come in many colours and combinations of colours like orange, pink, white, yellow and mauve. Adding manure or bone meal to the soil encourages growth. The plant sheds leaves in winter and can look quite bare and dry, but revives, as the weather gets warmer. Pruning the shoots keeps the plants bushy. New shoots spring up around the mother plant in summer.

- Gardenia is an evergreen shrub with shiny dark leaves and large, extremely fragrant, white flowers. Gardenia is best grown in pots in an area that gets a few hours of direct sunlight and is protected from wind. Watering plays a crucial role in flowering – too much or too little causes buds to fall off before they develop. Water the plant daily but ensure that the pot and soil are well drained. Fertilise regularly with fishmeal. Cutting faded flowers promotes new blooms.

- Periwinkle one of the most versatile and undemanding perennials that grows easily in the UAE in every season. On the Indian subcontinent it is called sada bahar, which means "forever in bloom". Periwinkles come in many shades of pink and white and one can tell the hue of the flower by the colour of the stems. They can be grown in pots or in beds. They prefer some direct sunlight, but do survive and flower in the shade, though the colours are not as bright. Regular pruning ensures a bushy appearance and more flowers. Periwinkles are known to have medicinal properties. A variety known as Madagascar periwinkle produces chemicals that inhibit cell division and are under study as treatment for leukaemia.

Other perennials that thrive in the UAE include hibiscus, popular as an ornamental plant because of its brilliantly coloured, bell shaped flowers. Red is the most commonly found variety, but yellow, pink, peach and white hibiscus flowers look equally attractive. The tiny red flowers and delicate leaves of risalia, the orange inflorescence of ixora and the tiny conch shaped blue and yellow flowers of the Clitoria Ternatea creeper also add colour to the garden all year round.

Among the fragrant perennials that bloom during summer is frangipani that bears bunches of white and yellow or pink and white flowers and the jasmine vine. Perhaps the most spectacular summer flowering perennial is Quisqualis Indica or "Rangoon Creeper". It looks bare and lifeless in winter, but come May, it bursts forth with leaves and bunches of pink and white flowers that spread their fragrance throughout the garden in the evening.

Caring for perennials

- Most perennials are adaptable, but take care to plant them in an area where they get the optimum amount of sunlight.

- Do not crowd them together. Instead, spread them around the garden and intersperse them with seasonal plants to keep the garden looking nice in all seasons.

- Varieties that require similar amounts of water should be planted in the same area.

- Plant fast-growing creepers like the Clitoria and Rangoon creeper near a wall, sturdy fence or trellis.

- Remember that most perennials become dormant during some part of the year; continue watering and fertilising them during this period and keep the area around them clean of fallen leaves and twigs.

- Prune them six weeks before the summer flowering season and at the end of the season, but not during the flowering season.

- It is best to plant new shoots or plants around late March; repotting the potted plants every year keeps them healthy.

- Do not neglect perennials during winter.