What are some perennial flowering shrubs or groundcovers that look very "Victorian"?

Answer 1

flowering shrubs: bridal wreath spirea (spirea vanhouttei)--it has outward and upward sweeping, arching branches covered in clusters of white flowers in spring.
mock orange (philadelphius)--large clusters of very fragrant white flowers in may and june. theres a dwarf version called "snowball".
lilac--theres some dwarf versions that are more manageable than the large shrubs. one of them is called "miss kim". it blooms in late spring with nice pinkish purple plumes.


ground covers:sedum "autumn joy"--- about 1 foot tall. it blooms in the fall with bright rosey clusters that get brighter as the weather cools.
lady's mantle (alchemilla mollis)--soft velvety light green scalloped leaves that trap drops of water and glisten like diamonds. about 16 " tall. forms a dense groundcover in part sun or light shade. airy, open sprays of chartreusse flowers bloom for several weeks in mid summer. very romantic and victorian looking.
perennial geranium--great groundcover with pink flowers in late spring and early summer. (this is not the same plant as annual bedding geraniums). the best for forming a dense groundcover is
geranium "macrorrhizum" very dense carpet of leaves, very hardy, and nice pink flowers as well as scented foilage. plant it in sun or light shade.
coral bells (heuchera species)--has leaves shaped somewhat like maple leaves. about 16" tall. leaves come in a lot of colors, green, bronze, marroon, black, coppery. it sends up sprays of white, red, or pink tiny flowers. does well in part shade. makes a great groundcover if you plant them about 14" apart.
cowslip primrose(primula veris)---6" high self seeding and fast spreading. forms a dense carpet in a few years. tiny clusters of light yellow flowers, lightly scented, blooms in early spring and continues for about 3 weeks.
inter-plant the primrose with bugleweed(ajuga reptans)--- a low growing, rapidly spreding groundcover thats only about 3" tall. It blooms with short blue spikes in spring the same time as the yellow primrose(they look very striking together). the leaves of the bugleweed are either green or various shades of bronze. both primrose and ajuga dp well in part shade.

Answer 2

Mock Orange .... a friend with a beautiful victorian farmhouse had these ... they are about 6 feet tall and have lovely white flowers that have a sweet scent ...you also might try lilacs which are lovely ...they come with violet, white, or yellow flowers

Peace & Love

Answer 3

One of the best is lavatera "barnsley". Barnsley is my faviourite as it has pale pink flowers, leaves are a little fuzzy.

Flowers are similar to hibiscus.Lots of new varieties on the market. It blooms all summer. Beautiful.

Answer 4

Campanula for ground cover. Lavender for shrubs, and it smells so lovely

Answer 5

geraniums
rose scented is a favorite