The herbaceous border has long been the mainstay of the larger British gardens, although it is by no means the only way of displaying this colourful and reliable group of plants.
Committees
At London Flower Shows, the Herbaceous Plant Committee judges all individual and group exhibits of hardy herbaceous and tender perennials, and annuals grown in the open for garden decoration, as well as group exhibits of roses and carnations. Individual plants in these categories judged by specialist committees are generally excluded unless the relevant committee is not meeting.
At Chelsea it judges only individual exhibits, the group exhibits being judged by a Council-appointed Panel. It is also responsible, jointly with the Tender Ornamental Plant Committee, for judging the Floral Plant trials at Wisley.
RHS Trials and Awards
Perennials are a major feature of the trials run at Wisley, providing an opportunity to bring together as many different plants within a group as possible. Being grown under uniform conditions, the plants can be compared and assessed, allowing the very best to be recommended the Award of Garden Merit.
In addition, entries are described and photographed, and their names are verified or corrected. A spin-off has been the invaluable identification keys and descriptions produced in association with the Botany Department: those on Japanese anemones, Lamium maculatum, Penstemon, Osteospermum and Phygelius, for example, have been well-received.
National Plant Collections
In all, the RHS gardens at Wisley, Rosemoor, Harlow Carr and Hyde Hall hold 13 National Plant Collections, under the auspices of the National Council for the Conservation of Plants and Gardens (NCCPG). One is for herbaceous perennials, that for Epimedium.
Links
Perennials - cutting back
Perennials - dividing