Dietes IrioidesTraditional Garden, Sydney

3. Feed dietes…Dietes are a popular flowering perennial in many gardens right now but don’t make the mistake of thinking these easy-care plants need no TLC at all. A few sprinkles of sheep pellets will re-energise your dietes as will dividing large clumps in autumn.

10. DietesFlowering plants need to be tough to do well in an urban environment and they don’t get much tougher than the Dietes genus.Common names for these rhizomatous perennials include wild iris, African iris and butterfly iris and most species, including the Dietes grandiflora pictured, are from Africa. It and the creamy yellow-flowering Dietes bicolor are most often seen in gardens, but increasingly popular is the taller Dietes robinsoniana that hails from Lord Howe Island off the coast of Australia. All can cope easily with the conditions often found in city gardens: sun, part-shade, wind, cold and dry ground.

4. Find free plantsWhile you’re weeding garden beds, keep an eye out for self-sown seedlings of Aquilegia, alyssum, dietes (above), foxgloves (Digitalis), Helleborus and other flowering perennials. Ask your friends and family to do the same. To avoid casualties, only move seedlings when they are large enough to handle easily. Pot them into containers until seedlings are robust enough to be planted out into the garden. Water regularly until well established and protect from snails and other pests.BONUS TIP: Propagating your own perennials from seedlings or divisions is an economic way to create the large, naturalistic drifts of plants we so admire in contemporary gardens.

2. Dietes irioidesAlso known as wild iris these perennials produce their eye-catching blooms intermittently for long periods throughout summer. Pest resistant, drought tolerant, unfussy about soil and frost hardy, they do well in coastal, contemporary or cottage gardens. They also thrive in sun or part shade. For the best effect, plant in large groups.MAINTENANCE: The only maintenance Dietes irioides normally requires is division of overgrown clumps in early spring.

Dietes irioides (what's outside 207 hamersly)

Flowering bicolor iris - mass planting example next

Plants I have: qty 9 Can use whatever will look right.

wild iris, African iris and butterfly iris and most species, including the Dietes grandiflora pictured, are from Africa. It and the creamy yellow-flowering Dietes bicolor are most often seen in gardens, but increasingly popular is the taller Dietes robinsoniana that hails from Lord Howe Island off the coast of Australia