30 Lists to help you choose your plants

lists featuring our plants that will fulfill a specific need in your garden.

Most of our plants are closely related to the original wild species.

They are very versatile and can adapt to a wide range of circumstances.
However, plants do have their favourite places where they will grow best.

These lists mention the names of the species and you can find all of the available varieties in our online shop and on the nursery.

We recommend planting in groups of at least 3 plants of the same variety to maximize impact and to choose only a few varieties.

Click on the links below.

(The lists will open in a new window.)

  1. Plants for partial shade.

    These plants will thrive in or tolerate partial shade. These are great in places where the afternoon sun doesn't reach, or where the sunlight is filtered by trees with a light canopy.

  2. Plants for damp soil

    Moisture-loving plants and plants that tolerate moist soil. Moist soil doesn't dry out completely during dry periods in summer.

  3. Plants attracting pollinators.

    Plants that will attract wild bees, honey bees and hoverflies amongst other pollinators. Our plants are certified organic. This guarantees that they are free from chemicals that are harmful to pollinators. We are proud to offer an alternative to plants sprayed against spider mite and fungi.

  4. Plants attracting butterflies

    Please note: plants with double, filled flowers are not suitable for butterflies.

  5. Plants suitable for cut-flower bouquets

  6. Tall, upright growing plants

    These are plants that will grow to be over 1 meter.

  7. Plants that will quickly fill a large space

    These are fast fillers, perfect for those of you that need some substance in your garden. The plants listed here grow vigorously and most of them become tall. They will fill a large space in a relatively short time span. 

  8. Plants with a spreading growth

    These plants are suitable everywhere. They are particularly suitable to fill large areas where you don't want the plants to become too high.

  9. Evergreen plants

      Please note that ‘evergreen perennials’ usually means that in winter you'll see a clump of green leaves near to the ground. They show a sign of life in winter. Applying some of them in a planting scheme make the garden in winter looking a bit more alive, while it still is in its serene rest.

    Also, a few evergreen shrubs in a planting scheme will make the garden looking more interesting in winter.

  10. Plants for coastal areas

    These plants usually tolerate very windy conditions. We slowly grew them on a windy mountain side. They will usually tolerate a certain degree of sea spray. There is no guarantee for success as every place is different. We recommend experimenting with these plants to see what works best in your garden.

  11. Ornamental grasses

    A few grasses in gardens will enhance a natural atmosphere.

  12. Culinary herbs

    These are grown as ornamental plants, however the plants listed here could be used as culinary herbs. We advise to grow these plants for at least a year before consuming them. Caherhurley Nursery cannot be held responsible for issues arising from the consumption of plants.

  13. Plants not liked by slugs and snails

    Slugs and snails would appear to like other plants better, and tend to leave these plants intact. We cannot guarantee that these plants will not be eaten by slugs and snails; these plants are just not on top of their menu.

  14. Plants not liked by rabbits

    Rabbits appear to like other plants better, and tend to leave these plants intact. Unfortunately we cannot guarantee that these plants will not be eaten by rabbits; these plants are just not at the top of their menu.

  15. Plants with fragrant flowers

    This is not a long list, but please realise that these plants, placed correctly, will fill the garden with a beautiful fragrance.

  16. Native Irish plants

    Educated long ago as a qualified botanist, I love and understand wild plants. Already as a 9 year old boy I had a plot in my parents garden where I grew my own wild plants. Now 63 years later I still grow them.

    It is nice to add some native species to a garden, but in my view it would be a mistake to create a garden or bed with exclusively wild native species. If you want to create a feature for biodiversity, I advise to mix in some native Irish species with other Caherhurley plants. Native Irish species alone wouldn’t be sufficient to support foraging insects and other wildlife.

    Many plants from other countries that feel at home in Ireland have, over the course of many decades, sometimes centuries, found a niche here in our ecosystem for themselves.

    All Caherhurley varieties, including the non-non-native Irish plants, originated from species growing in the wild somewhere in Europe, or sometimes further afield, in a climate and with other conditions similar to Ireland. They are close to the original species, showing their natural appearance and subtle beauty. Caherhurley plants blend well with Ireland’s vegetation and landscape. If a plant feels happy here, then grow it.

    Gert Stam, grower at Caherhurley Nursery.

  17. Plants that should be in every garden

    We have developed this list of plants based on over forty years of gardening experience. This represents our personal choice of what we believe to be essential plants. These varieties include less common plants, usually overlooked by commercial nurseries. In many cases they perform better than the popular choices While these are our recommendations, the choice is yours. We recommend to use some of these varieties your garden, in groups of at least 3 together.

  18. Plants for dry soil in a sunny position

    We recommend trying some of these plants to see what works best in your garden. Every garden is different.

  19. Perennials not liked by deer

    These plants do not seem to appeal to deer, and they tend to leave these plants intact. While we cannot guarantee that these plants won’t be eaten by deer, these plants are generally not on top of their menu. Deer seem to have a tendency to change their taste. What they don’t like now, might be tasty to them next year.

  20. Plants with handsome foliage

    While choosing plants, we usually imagine what the plant looks like in flower. We consider aspects such as the height of the plant. However, it is also important to imagine what the plant would look like as a whole. It’s always good to choose a plant that will have sufficient, healthy-looking foliage. Plants with lots of healthy foliage can bring substance and structure to a garden. We recommend placing such plants in groups of a minimum 3 plants per variety. It is a good to choose plants that will produce healthy foliage. At Caherhurley Nursery, we place an emphasis on such plants. After all, we will be looking at the foliage beyond the plants’ flowering months. There are certain plants that can contribute to an extra aesthetic value. These plants have handsome leaves that will appeal to the eye. This is a list of such plants. Choosing plants based on aesthetic reasons is subjective, and beauty is very much in the eye of the beholder. We believe that these plants display some features that are appealing to every gardener.

  21. Umbellifers.

    Many species of the Umbelliferae (=Apiacea) family can provide a horizontal element in a planting scheme. With their often almost flat umbels of delicate, small flowers, densely packed together, they will be a contrast to upright growing plants, making a garden more interesting.

    Many umbellifers are biennials, the original plants may die after flowering and setting seeds, but no worries, you’ll find many seedlings around the old plants. An alternative way is: cutting out spent flower stems before the plants exhaust themselves in setting seed. Then the plants will invest in producing young shoots from the base. We do this for instance with Angelica.

    Umbellifers should be in every garden. They contribute to a natural atmosphere, not in the least because of the texture of the masses of fine divided leaves.

  22. Medium high perennials that will cover the ground.

    Planted in the right numbers per square meter, these plants will grow into a dense, closed mass of foliage with a nice texture, covering the ground effectively. The flowers above the foliage are an additional bonus. Planting large areas with these plants provide a natural atmosphere in gardens or in community projects.

  23. Plants that are better not planted just before winter.

    These plants are hardy, but young and therefore at their stage in life somewhat more vulnerable than most of other Caherhurley plants. Planting any time before September is better for these plants, they can root, grow and settle before the winter sets in. It’s also good gardening practice to plant the mentioned varieties an inch deeper than normally, so they can sprout in spring from below the crust of soil that was frozen in winter.

    We recommend planting members of the Labiatae family (many pollinator plants like Agastache, Salvia, Origanum and Nepeta) in well-draining soil, for instance in a raised bed. This goes for all Labiatae, including the ones not listed below.

  24. Patio plants

    Caherhurley patio plants are great, but they need protection from severe frost in winter. If you plant them in pots you can bring them in, a glasshouse or conservatory is fine.

  25. Plants that should be planted in a well-draining raised bed.

    We recommend planting those plants in a sunny position in well-draining soil. Especially if you’re in the wet West of Ireland on heavy soil.

  26. Spring flowering perennials

  27. Evergreen plants suitable for ground covering

  28. Plants with interesting large leaves

  29. Plants with attractive fine foliage

  30. Plants somewhat cascading down from low walls