Britain's Favourite Perennials

When the British version of my Encyclopedia of Perennials came out two and a half years ago, I did some lectures entitled Britain’s Favourite Perennials featuring the Top Ten perennials in Britain.

But how did I decide which were the Top Ten, and in what order? Well, I asked the Head of Buying at the foremost plant centre in the country, at the Royal Horticultural Society’s garden at Wisley in Surrey, to tell me what his best sellers were in the previous year – that seemed a pretty good guide.

Well, I’ll again be lecturing on the same subject later this year so I asked him to give me his most recent figures and today I’ll let you into the secret. First with the best selling genera, and next time with the best selling individual varieties. So here goes. American readers will notice which two plants are not in the Top Ten:
10 New at Number Ten – Dianthus. Not even in the Top Twenty three years ago, and with no individual varieties in the top twenty five, I suspect that the recent flood of prolific dwarf types from Whetman Pinks accounts for this increase in popularity.
9 Same position as last year – Echinacea. The appeal of all the new colours and flower forms is balanced by the fact that many are proving more difficult to get through the winter than we’d like.
8 Down one place – Penstemon. Slipping from seventh to eighth place, but with a pretty small drop in actual sales, penstemon remain popular for their long season of dependable colour.
7 In from nowhere – Salvia. Mysteriously absent from even the Top Twenty last time, this is a case where enthusiastic articles in The Garden, the members’ magazine for the RHS, may have encouraged demand.
6 Down from Number Three this year – Euphorbia. I suspect that this drop may be the result of heavy promotion of new variegated varieties not being matched by their quality and longevity in the garden.
5 Same as last year – Iris. The vast variety of types allows changes in trends to be picked up by one kind of iris as another becomes less fashionable.
4 Roaring up the charts – Agapanthus. Our changing climate (allowing gardeners in more parts of the country to grow more varieties), the increasing popularity of growing perennials in containers and some very active specialist nurseries all helped boost enthusiasm for agapanthus.
3 Down one place – Helleborus. A small drop in sales numbers, but it’s more the huge rise in sales of the new Number Two plant the pushes them lower.
2 Almost 40% up in sales – Heuchera. Placed fourth three years ago, the continuing stream of good new varieties, with two in the top ten of individual best sellers, solidifies enthusiasm for these superb foliage and flowering plants.

1 And still at Number One of the best selling perennials, but only just – Geranium. The lead has shrunk so much that Geranium is now only 0.22% ahead of Heuchera while three years ago it as 13% ahead of Helleborus. But their versatility, easygoing nature, and the introduction of good new varieties keep them at the top.

And that's right, North American readers - no Hosta and no Hemerocallis.

Next time I’ll look at the best selling individual perennial varieties… There’s some surprises there to.

Thank you to Malcolm Berry, Head of Buying at the RHS Plant Centres at Wisley in Surrey, Rosemoor in Devon, Harlow Carr in Yorkshire and Hyde Hall in Essex, for getting these fascinating figures together for me.

Comments

[Victoria]

I'm fascinated by the hemerocallis thing. I grew them only for the first time last year, after reading so much about them on American blogs. They are fabulous - easy, exotic and come in a huge variety of colours. I bought mine at Hampton Court but once my brain had tuned in to them, I started to notice them a bit more in garden centres and other people's gardens. British gardeners don't seem as keen on them as they are on, say, hellebores or agapanthus (which are very big in London, if you'll excuse the pun!).

[Mark]

That's such an interesting list Graham -- thank so much!

In addition to Hemerocallis and Hosta, I'm also surprised by the genus Sedum not making the Top 10 -- is it too wet in the UK?

As for Geranium and Heuchera being in the top three, I would wholeheartedly agree, although for myself, Hosta would likely be in there somehwere as well.

Any chance of a North American version?

[Sylvia (England)]

As mentioned above a very interesting list, Graham, I look forward to the varieties. It would be nice to read the N American version as so many of us have blogging friends there.

Best wishes Sylvia

[Graham Rice]

Victoria: Brits have been keen on old British-bred daylilies like 'Corky' and 'Whichford' and 'Golden Chimes' for decades (Americans don't bother with them, the flowers are too small) but many of the more recent US bred varieties proved unsuitable for the British climate.

Now three things have happenend:
1) Our climate is changing and becoming a little more suitable.
2) Some UK nurseries are being more careful about the varieties they introduce. trialling a wide range for a few years and only introducing the best.
3) British breeders are creating new varieties. There's an article about this very issue in the latest issue of The Plantsman (http://tinyurl.com/nqkoe)

[Graham Rice]

Mark, Sylvia,

Yes, I'd love to post an American version - I'm working on getting some figures together. Sedum? I'm not why that's not on the list although I see that no fall flowers are in the Top Ten, perhaps because these days people tend to buy plants in flower and think so much less about buying and planting in the fall than they used to.

[Clint]

Graham, I just want to say I love your site and would like to know if you would be informing your readers about the disaster known as Rudbeckia "Cherry Brandy." I planted seeds of this and they are UGLY. I can send you a photo of the bloom from mine, but can't see where to contact you. Everyone is laughing about this much-hyped plant at Dave's Garden. Nobody I know has a bloom that looks like the photos used to sell them.

[Mark]

I concur with Clint re. Rudbeckia 'Cherry Brandy' -- what a complete waste of time/effort.

[Graham Rice]

Well, my sample plants of 'Cherry Brandy' never arrived so I can't speak from personal experience. Please send me a picture, Clint - graham@hrahamrice.com. I'll check out the buzz over at Dave's Garden.