Explanations Please

Annuals are grown from seed every year and last a few weeks, then die. They may or may not seed themselves.

Perennial plants 'perform' each year, although some may not be hardy enough to cope with hard frosts, and therefore may need some protection in cold weather, e.g. horticultural fleece. There are 'woody' perennials that keep their leaves as well as deciduous ones.

Herbaceous perennials die back to ground level each autumn and need to have the dead stems cut back either in autumn or early spring. It's then that the new shoots will appear at the base.

So there's a huge choice for you - I would suggest a browse through members' gardens. It really depends on what colour flowers you want, and where they are to grow, as some plants prefer shade, while others like the sun.

Hi Cazoo...
Any plants you buy, remember to check the type of soil they prefer.
e.g. some such as the Camellia prefer ericaceous...

I hope this helps. Good luck with your new area in the garden. :o)

Another point just occurred to me, Cazoo - when do you want the new plants to be in flower? There are some with a long flowering period, but none that I know of that go right through from spring to autumn! lol.

Flower colours.... do you have favourite colours you want to include, Cazoo ?
So many questions..LOL.

Hey! Tt - I put that in as well! LOL.

Yes, Sh. I was asking a question about the colours...hoping Cazoo would tell us, to help us make suggestions...Lol.

I know - oh well, if Cazoo gets round to reading this and answering, we can give him/her some ideas.............maybe he/she is celebrating the spring equinox still - it was apparently at 5.32 this afternoon! :-)))))))

What's up with GOY this afternoon? It wouldn't submit my comment, then it did it twice!

Cazoo is a retired lady with a garden overlooking the Malvern Hills...

I garden on clay so please bear this in mind. I love Lythrum salicaria for boggy patches in a reasonable amount of sun - bright purple spikes of small flowers that grow to about 3 feet and very indestructible. On the other hand I also like perennial poppies, they seem to grow just about any where and though they dont last long they are sooooo silky. When you dig them up the old bits of root left in start new plants which is handy!
Now asters are great because they come into the scene late in the day and keep summer alive in the autumn. So do japanese anemones - they are a bit tricky to get established - water them a fair bit when you put them in and leave their horrid sticks on over winter to protect them, but they can stand a good deal of shade which is always nice. Paeonies of course are great because they look like old ladies silk knickers and a decent colony will last for years and years - plant them high in the earth so that the roots get a good baking in the sun. You say that you want reasonable height but even so I am going to mention hardy geranniums because some of them keep leaves in a reasonable winter (not this year) which stops the garden looking so drab, and some of the larger versions will grow to two feet easily - the name escapes me but the bright magenta ones with black centres certainly do.

There that should keep you going for a bit - but if you garden on sand please ignore me completely and listen to someone else instead!

Oh Oh Oh I forgot aquilegia and you simply must get some - you can grow very nice ones from seed if you put it in nice and fresh and protect from the birds. I should also say that I garden organically and have loads and loads of slugs but the list above appears to be completely immune!

Interesting to know that you feel the above plants are slug resistant, Sarah.
Do you include aquilegia as being not liked by slugs or snails.?.
Something eats mine ...
... and I presumed it was the slugs and snails ! Thanks.

Interesting description 'old ladies silk knickers' !
Tt : so far, the Aquilegias here have survived slugs and snails, it's Sussex clay in my garden too .
Sarah : I have Japanese Anemones trying to grow through the lawn near the flower borders - have to mow over them ! : o ) )

Thanks Megan...
maybe something else ate my Aquilegias ...

I wouldn't recommend Jap. Anemones either! They're thugs in my garden...

How about Phlox paniculata? That's so reliable, and comes in a wide variety of colours, too. Veronicas are also excellent plants. Then there's Penstemon, Salvia nemerosa and Heleniums for late summer.

Did you mean Geranium 'Ann Folkard', Sarah??