Perennial flower identification can be the hardest to undertake because once they've been dropped from the fashion set they can be hard to find. People stop growing them and knowledge about such plants begins to dissipate.

In previous posts I've offered tools for plant identification - most of them web-based - which can really help decipher your plant's name. But using these tools highlights some important considerations. That is, the more information you can supply, the better chances you will have of successfully identifying your perennial.

Here are some questions you should be able to answer when seeking others help;

• Height and Growing Habit - is it tall, small, dwarf, columnar, bushy, groundcovering etc?
• Foliage - is it an evergreen or deciduous? What patterns do the leaves display that might make identification easier?
• Flowers - not just the shape and colour but also the flowering season and if it flowers more than once per year. Also make note of the number of petals, whether pistils are displayed or not and even how the flowers emerge
• Your climate - mention any important climatic conditions. Do you live near the coast? Is it a cold-climate with regular frosts? Even your garden zone would be helpful?
• Soil - are you growing this plant in a loam, sand or clay soil?
• Age of the plant - also important may be where you sourced it from ie. a nursery, propagated by a friend or you found it growing on the side of the road

I, like many bloggers, are inundated with requests for information that could help identify garden perennials. The ones that I've been able to solve for most people are the ones where they have supplied an image and answered many of the questions listed above. The reason is because it gives context to deciphering what plants it could be and which ones it definitely won't be.