Fabulous colour with its
lipstick pink flowers and bronze foliage. A
real 'wow' factor plant and goes on flowering
well into autumn. Needs some staking. This is
an outstandingly good Dahlia.
Available in spring. 2l pot.
We must admit there is
some minor dispute about the name of this
Dahlia. It's a wonderful plant, growing to 5'
or 6' quite easily but needing some very firm
stakes, 2"x2" are not too much for this
beauty. The colour is intense and it's an
eyecatcher. It was given to us by David Hill
the dahlia specialist of Abacus Nurseries in
Wales (see Links page) and it's now gone
through 4 winters here with no trouble.
2l. pot
Very popular at
Chelsea Flower Show this year where it was
used a lot in the Best of Show garden. This
plant has large circular leaves which give a
strong architectural point to the garden. The
leaves can grow up to 2' across and 6' tall.
In autumn they often turn bright shades of
red. Clusters of white to bright pink flowers
appear before the leaves in late spring.
Plant in a moist soil in a south or west
facing bed as it dislikes late frosts. Do not
allow to dry out. Good marginal plant.
The classic blue
cottage garden-style Delphinium. Tall spires
of dark blue flowers with a white centre,
growing to 6' with a spread of 18". Needs a
sunny, wind-free spot and needs staking to
prevent stem breakage.
The Flax Lily. This new introduction is a
really valuable plant in any garden. It has
vary coloured leaves with hues of yellow and
red, changing with the seasons. In spring, it
has blue flowers and bright blue berries.
Spring flowering. H&S about 1.5' Plant in
clumps but also looks good in containers.
These are very drought tolerant and are happy
in full sun or partial shade.
Hardy.
This lovely old-fashioned
style pink was bred here by Raymond Hubbard
and has sold in many hundreds. Pinks seem to
have gone out of fashion lately, though
goodness knows why. This one has remained a
good seller however and its colour and scent
are truly delightful.
This unusual Diascia grows
to about 4' tall but has the same delicate
flower form as the well-known smaller plants.
Flowers June to November and bulks up
quickly. Has gone to -7C with us and has come
through this hard winter. 2l.pot
Arching stems of pure white
heart shaped flowers in late spring/early
summer. Easy to grow, fully hardy, good for
shady, moist areas but also likes full sun if
ground is kept moist. H 2-3'
Lovely grey green leaves
and smoky crimson flowers in late spring -
early summer. H.18" S. 3' Can cause allergic
skin reaction. Moist, well-drained soil,
chalky, clay, loamy. Part shade.
Hardy.
Compact form of this
favourite with mounds of lovely silvery
blue/green fern like leaves. Arching stems of
long flowering slightly scented, heart-shaped
blooms. Can cause allergic skin reaction. H
10"-12" 2 litre pot
Very compact example of
this plant growing to about 8" tall with
pink, heart shaped flowers on 12" stems.
Moist but well-drained soil, sun or shade.
Can cause allergic skin reaction. 2 litre
pot
Lacy grey-green foliage and
rose-red flowers from late spring. H. 18" S.
18" Moist, well-drained shady soil or full
sun if well-watered.
Can cause allergic skin reaction in some
people. 2 litre
Deeply cut fern like
grey-green foliage with racemes of red
heart-shaped flowers on arching stems. H.12"
S 18" Part shade, moist, well drained,
fertile soil. Can cause allergic skin
reaction for some. 2 litre pot
Outstanding. Growing 2-3' tall it produces
showy spikes of star-shaped blooms in late
spring and early summer. The glossy, dark
green foliage has a lovely citrus fragrance.
This is a very 'classy' plant for your
borders. 2l pot
Dierama dracomontanum
is a slightly more unusual form of the well
known 'angels' fishing rod'. The stem arises
from iris like leaves and arches over at the
top from the weight of the flowers which
tremble in the air. This one has rose or red
flowers with outward curving petals. It's not
as tall as some of the others so is pretty in
a small garden or a rockery. H. 2.5'
Hardy.
A lovely very tall
deep pink Dierama which does well in full sun
or part shade in free-draining rich soil.
Flowers July - August. Hardy but protect from
worst frosts. H.60" S.24"
An unusual &
interesting foxglove with long tubular
flowers, chocolate coloured with a white
'net' over the flowers. Partial to full
shade, sun. H. 2'. Hardy perennial. 2 litre
pot
A pure white foxglove - no
spots, no nothing and very beautiful! Large
'bells'. H 3' to 4' Biennial flowering May to
June. Grey-green leaves. Well drained soil,
sun, partial shade. Save seed by tying a
paper bag over the dying heads and then
scattering the dry seed around.
Known as 'shooting stars'
these charming little plants produce fragrant
flowers in shades of magenta, lavender or
white above a basal clump of lance shaped
leaves. They have sharply reflexed petals a
little reminiscent of a cyclamen. Plant in
cool, moist conditions either to naturalise
or at the edge of a border. H. 9". 1l
pot.
