Victorian Perennial Plants
- Hollyhocks are self-seeders that can be persistent perennials.Jupiterimages/Photos.com/Getty Images
Brought to Britain from China in the early 18th century, the hollyhock was a popular Victorian-age flower. This bright summer bloomer is easy to grow from seed and should be planted in fall for bloom the next summer. The hollyhock may grow as either a biennial or a perennial. It is a self-seeder that has been known to populate a garden for years with little help from the gardener. - Victorians often displayed hydrangeas in their windows.Jupiterimages/Photos.com/Getty Images
The hydrangea was a common feature in Victorian gardens. Many Londoners also displayed it as a "glasshouse" specimen, or window decoration. Famous for their large, showy globes of blue or pink petals, hydrangeas thrive in either full sun or part shade --- and make excellent dried flowers. The gardener can manipulate the color of the petals by changing the soil acidity. Blue varieties prefer lower acidity, whereas pink flourish in soil with higher acidity. - Victorians scattered phlox throughout their gardens.Jupiterimages/Photos.com/Getty Images
Victorian gardeners planted phlox in small patches, rather than in large mounds. Perhaps they were following the advice of the 1890 book, "Familiar Garden Flowers": "A great lot of phloxes in a lump, as it were, in the garden is like a mouthful of honey --- too rich to be enjoyable, and likely to choke one." Phlox were valued for their ability to survive in the heat of summer, when many plants failed. The spring bloomers are creeping varieties. The tall summer bloomers make an excellent backdrop for low-growing beds. - The rose is the classic Victorian flower.Photos.com/Photos.com/Getty Images
Roses were arguably the most popular Victorian flowers. Climbing on trellises, overflowing out of beds or arching over arbors, roses add beauty and fragrance to the Victorian garden. Classics include old and English garden varieties. Prized for their strong scent, healthy foliage and impressive blooms, "hybrid perpetuals" were also Victorian favorites. - Canna lilies add a bright pop of color to the Victorian garden.Medioimages/Photodisc/Valueline/Getty Images
Canna lilies are bold, colorful plants that originated in the tropical and semi-tropical climes of North and South America. These long summer bloomers were extremely popular in Victorian gardens, until they lost favor in the early 20th century as formal gardens gave way to a more relaxed style. A tall, showy plant, canna are best planted near the back of a flower bed. In recent years, canna have made a comeback evidenced by their cultivation into more than 2,000 varieties. - Crocosmias (Croscosmia x Crocosmisflora) were a popular Victorian summer bloomer. Previously called montbretias, the plant's bright yellow or red flowers bloom on arching stems that sway like ornamental grasses. A fast-spreading, low-maintenance perennial, crocosmias grow well in sun or light shade in well-drained soil with adequate water. Crocosmias reward the gardener with beautiful color in late summer just as other flowers are beginning to fade.
