The Faithful Five: Unsung Hero Perennials That Deliver in Scottish Gardens
Every gardener has a list of plants they reach for again and again. Not the showiest things, not the ones that win all the awards at Chelsea, but the ones that come back year after year, stand through wind and wet, and ask very little in return. The unsung heroes. Too often we see the prima donnas of the plant world plastered across the glossy images of Instagram and the gardening shows, plants that keel over and die at the thought of a Scottish haar or a surprise frost. But this list is for the unsung heroes. The ones that, after nearly two decades working gardens across Scotland from Argyll and Bute to Caithness, I trust most across Scottish ground.
Nepeta 'Walker's Low'.
One of my favourites, the perfect lavender stand-in. Unfussy, drought-tolerant once settled, and in flower for months. Cut it back after the first flowering finishes and you will be rewarded with a second before summer is done. The bees will thank you for planting it, too. Perfect in lines for that Provence look in Scotland, without the unsightly twigs lavender leaves over the winter.
Papaver orientale 'Beauty of Livermere’.
There is something poignant, dramatic and emotional about the poppy flower. The perennial oriental variety offers all of this and far more than its annual cousin: beautiful deep red flowers in early summer. Cut it hard to the ground after the first flush and it will often give a second. It grows exceptionally well from root cuttings, as long as you are aware that wherever you put it, it will grow there forever.
Iris sibirica
Where bearded irises need their rhizomes baked in full sun to be truly happy, the Siberian iris thrives in the damper, cooler Scottish climate. It takes wet ground in its stride, stands upright without staking, and leaves good structure long after the flowers have gone. Just make sure to divide it regularly, as large clumps tend to flower less. Lots of varieties to choose from.
Veronicastrum virginicum 'Album'
Stately. That is the one word I would use to describe this plant. Perfect for form and colour through the summer months, and holding all the way into late summer when much else has the cheek to die ungracefully. Perfect for the larger border. It will keep its shape into winter, when you can have the luxury of choosing to cut it down. Just bear in mind, the longer you leave it, the more your local
Bistorta amplexicaulis 'Alba'. (still widely sold as Persicaria)
Not a showman, but a stalwart, as dependable as the title of this list suggests. Perfect for filling a space, giving some colour and keeping those pesky weeds at bay. Graceful in death, too. There is never much tidying to be done in the winter. This is one of the longest-flowering perennials I know, running from midsummer well into autumn. It asks for nothing and thrives in the damp, heavy ground that defeats fussier plants.
This was a difficult list to produce, and if you asked me the same question next week, I am quite sure I would have a different list for you, in the way I'm sure you could give me your five. But here, for now, as it stands, these are my unsung heroes of horticulture.