Definition
Herbaceous Plants - Description of Terms - Summary Information - Approved Lists
Herbaceous perennials are defined as "non-woody plants which usually die back to ground level and grow again from the rootstock each year."
This group also includes:
non-woody, evergreen perennials which retain some leafy presence above ground during the winter months. e.g. Helleborus spp., Euphorbia spp., Bergenia spp.,
grasses and grass like plants, e.g. Stipa spp., Festuca spp., Galanthus spp.,
some sub-shrubs (defined as "shrub-like plants, but with the woody parts confined to the lower proportion of the plant"), e.g Helianthemum spp., Thymus spp..
All these plants are basically non-woody and include what might be more colloquially defined as: herbaceous plants, ferns, grasses, sedges, marginals, aquatics, bulbs, corms, rhizomatous and tuberous plants, herbs and non-woody vigorous alpine plants.
These plants are sold in two forms:
PERENNATING/STORAGE ORGANS e.g BULBS, CORMS
Traditionally herbaceous plants were supplied as clumps, dug from open ground production and wrapped to prevent damage and dessication. Increasingly, herbaceous plants are supplied pot or container grown available throughout the year. More recently, herbaceous plants (as clumps or pot grown) are being lifted from field or container yard and held in a cold store for later planting, either into pots to grow on or into the ground. By this method, nursery work can be extended and landscape planting can take place when climate and ground conditions are easier than is often the case during the dormant season. During the growing season, all herbaceous plants are sold as green plants.