perennial plants

[Mike J]

I want to increase the proportion of perennial to annual veg/fruit plants on my  two 5 rod plots (my feeling is that it should reduce the annual workload, perhaps misguided!). I have:

summer and autumn raspberries;
two strawberry patches (one is three years old now and will use this years runners to regenerate it);
black currants, red currants, gooseberries, and blueberries;
four plum and cherries (from Lidl this year which I am 'espaliering');
two asparagus beds (including one new one just planted;
blackberries;
grape vine;
plus comfrey (for compost and 'tea'); nettles (for compost and butterflies); daffodils; dahlias; rose; wild flower/grasses/primroses/foxgloves section around pond; perennial spinach (does this count?); some herbs (rosemary, oregano; chives, sage, thyme (can't seem to get that to grow very well)).

Are there any other useful/edible/wildlife friendly/easy perennial type plants you would recommend? I still intend to grow some annual stuff - like potatoes,  beans, leeks, parsnip, purple sprouting broccoli, sweet corn (despite vowing last year not to grow any more - pesky rats!)

Thanks.

[Mike J]

[Geoff H]

Rhubarb, horseradish,Jerusalem artichokes.

[Robert_Brenchley]

Don't plant horseradish in the open ground, or you will repent it in dust and ashes. Keep it in a large container.

[manicscousers]

nine star perennial broccoli?  something I keep meaning to try  ;D

[InfraDig]

I have a welsh onion, with a label that claims it is a perennial! It has survived the winter and is looking very healthy.

[Mike J]

Thanks guys, replies already! Keep them coming.

Forgot I already had rhubarb (just showing nicely at the moment), and horseradish (aaggh - it's not contained - is it too late now after nearly two years? made great sauce though).

Jerusalem artichokes I have previously considered, mainly as a windbreak (dual purpose, good to eat too I'm told), but aren't they difficult to get rid of if you change your mind about them?

Will look into Manic's nine star broccoli, and Infradig's welsh onion - thanks.

Looking forward to hearing more suggestions (hope this thread is helping other too)

[Spudbash]

Seakale? I don't bother to blanch mine as the books recommend - I just use it as broccoli at this time of year. And don't forget the herbs - things like rosemary, thyme and winter savory.

I agree that perennials make for less work - less soil preparation and less bending.  :) They also work out cheaper once you've made the initial investment.

Apple cordons I put in a few years ago do extremely well and I've just planted four pear trees for training as espaliers, not to mention various other fruit trees and bushes. Bird protection for currants and rasps is important.

[fi]

This year good king Henry survived and is perennial, very tender tasty leaves. perennial sorrel is also yummy. I'm trying sea kale this year but had only three small thongs (ooer missus) Cardoons, jerusalem artichkes (which i rarely eat as i love them when they go to flower, so have to buy the jarred stuff). Skirret (I may have growing) was popular once for tender carrot like roots. I think it is worth researching what was grown in the past as perennial crops and how it was used.

[artichoke]

I have just started a dandelion bed. Digging over a neglected bed I came across a partly blanched one which reminded me how tasty the leaves are. So all the biggest roots and leaves went into a new small bed, covered with a couple of large black pots and bricks.

I've also read that people force them like chicory by putting collection of roots into compost in warm place with no light.

http://www.prodigalgardens.info/dandelion%20recipes.htm

http://www.gardenersnet.com/vegetable/dandeli.htm

[Ian Pearson]

Any space around bigger perrenial plants and bushes will of course not be dug each year, so try to introduce some self-seeders before the weeds get there first.

Sow a few of these, and you will have them every year:
Orach, New Zealand spinach (good ground cover), corn salad, claytonia, pot marigolds ....

Perrenials and self-seeders work well together.

[antipodes]

Rocket also self seeds...
what about Globe artichokes? They take up space though but are delicious and low maintenance.
For your thyme, make sure it is in a fairly poor spot, they like sun and well drained soil, and don't like it to be too rich (in my opinion). To make it propogate a bit, take the outer stems and pin them to the ground (even just with some rocks over them) - they will root into the soil and you can them plant them out to get more plants. They are fairly slow growing remember. I have my thyme on the very outer edges of my herb patch, near the paths and it does well. I grew it from little suckers that had grown onto the paths near someone else's plant...

[artichoke]

My thyme leans out from a rockery over gravel, and I often find seedlings in the gravel, which I rescue.

[caroline7758]

Has anyone mentioned globe artichokes?

[Mike J]

Thanks everyone for your suggestions - definitely some I will try (hope it's given others some ideas too).

[grannyjanny]

Hyssop. It attracts beneficial insects.

[star]

Babbington leeks, wild garlic (Ransomes)