Long House Plants Newsletter 2012
Welcome to our seventh year at Long House Plants, where we strive to produce for you an interesting range of home grown hardy outdoor plants. Every year we try to grow a wider range of plants for our customers and this year is no exception! Once again we are pleased to be able to offer over 300 extra varieties that will be available during the season. There are too many to list here, so described below is a selection of plants to whet your appetite.
The web site is regularly updated as soon as new crops become saleable and shows you the full range of plants that are currently available. If you do not see what you are looking for, either online or at the nursery, please ask as it may be in production. We also have a club page for local garden clubs to post their details.
We hope you find this newsletter of interest and look forward to seeing you at the nursery.
Tim & Jean
Perennials
We already offer 10 varieties of Achillea which suit the border and can look good with grasses. These easy to grow clump forming herbaceous perennials with flat plate like heads comprised of small daisy flowers in summer. Popular feeding stations for bees, hoverflies and butterflies, they are available in shades of yellow, terracotta, red, pink and lilac. This year we will also have A. millefolium ‘Sammetriese’ with deep magenta-red flowers 60-80cm tall, A. ‘Saucy Seduction’ (Plant Breeder’s Rights) with bright fuchsia pink flowers 60cm tall and A. ‘Sunny Seduction’ (PBR) with lemon yellow flowers.
Summer flowering clump forming Agapanthus with ball shaped heads of blue or white are always popular, often reminding us of sunnier climes and holidays abroad. We currently offer over 20 named varieties where the qualities of each variety are known. New to the range this year will be A. ‘Peter Pan’ an older dwarf evergreen variety with pale blue flowers, A. ‘Queen Mum’ (PBR), a new evergreen Australian variety with large heads of two-tone white and violet blue flowers on stems up to 1.2m tall and A. ‘Snow Princess’ a dwarf evergreen white flowered variety.
In recent years we have been building up a good collection of autumn flowering mildew resistant New England asters; Aster novae-angliae and we are pleased to be able to offer over 30 different varieties this year. New for us this season are ‘Alex Deamon’ purple flowers on stems 1.3m tall, ‘Anabelle de Chazal’ light rose pink 1m tall, ‘Augusta’ lilac blue 90cm tall, ‘Colwall Orbit’ cerise pink 90cm tall, ‘Crimson Beauty’ purple-red 1.35m tall, ‘James Ritchie’ purple-red 90cm tall, ‘Millenium Star’ rose pink 1m tall, ‘Purple Cloud’ lilac-purple 1.5m tall, ‘Red Cloud’ pale red 1.4m tall, ‘Rosa Sieger’ clear pink 1.2m tall and ‘Violet Haze’ violet 1.2m tall.
Astilbes are summer flowering deciduous clump forming perennials with attractive foliage and feathery plumes of flowers that thrive in boggy humus rich soil in sun or shade. We currently offer 12 varieties and hope to add; ‘Bumalda’ an old variety with white flowers on dark stems 40cm tall, ‘Beauty of Ernst’ (PBR) bluish pink flowers 45cm tall above burgundy purple foliage that turns orange-red in autumn, ‘Beauty of Lisse’ (PBR) with soft pink flowers 55cm tall above lime green foliage, ‘Milk and Honey’ (PBR) two-tone flowers that change from white to pale pink 75cm tall. ‘Radius’ a very floriferous bright red with dark foliage 60cm tall, ‘Sister Theresa’ has large salmon pink fragrant plumes 60cm tall.
Bergenia are often overlooked usually because older varieties can be ungainly. Modern varieties have better flowers, are of compact habit and the large evergreen leaves can have good winter colour. These groundcover plants are easy to grow even in dry shade. They really come into their own in winter and early spring where the leaves can be used to contrast with other plants. Our favourite combination is to use green leaved forms of Bergenia to complement the dark leaved forms of Heuchera. Added to our current range of 12 varieties this spring are ‘Autumn Magic’ which has bright pink flowers above the leaves in autumn as well as late spring, ‘Eroica’ with large leaves that take on burgundy red for the winter and rose pink flowers in spring, ‘Morning Light’ pale pink flowers in spring. Bergenia cordifolia ‘Lunar Glow’ has creamy yellow new leaves in spring that mature to yellow-green in summer then turn striking shades of red for winter with bright magenta flowers on stems 30-40cm tall in late spring and summer.
Campanula ‘Pink Octopus’ (PBR) is a new variety of this popular summer flowering clump forming herbaceous perennial; it has lantern shaped buds opening to flowers with narrow pink petals on stems 30-40cm tall from late spring to summer.
We are trying to build up a range of old fashioned Korean type garden Chrysanthemums to partner our autumn flowering asters. This spring we can offer ‘Mary Stoker’ with large single pale toffee coloured daisy flowers 1m tall in autumn. ‘Mrs Jessie Cooper’ has single cerise pink daisy flowers 90cm tall in October-November. ‘Topsy’ single burnt orange daisy flowers 80cm tall in October. ‘Vagabond Prince’ single cyclamen pink daisy flowers with multiple layers of petals up to 65cm tall in October-November.
Coreopsis verticillata is one of our most popular herbaceous perennials. These hardy bushy slowly spreading plants are easy to grow in ordinary to well drained soil in a sunny position. ‘Sunbeam’ is a new variety from the USA with golden yellow flowers from summer to autumn on a compact plant 45 cm tall.
Corydalis buschii is a hardy tuberous perennial with green fern like leaves topped by purple-pink spurred flowers in mid-late spring. Corydalis ‘Spinners’ is a winter green summer dormant perennial with pale green fern like foliage topped by narrow tubular, fragrant, rich bright blue flowers, 40cm tall from spring to summer. Although not new to our range there is a nice crop of C. ‘Berry Exciting’ (PBR) for this spring with bright gold fern like leaves topped by fragrant elegant, narrow rich purple flowers 25cm tall from spring to summer. Closely related are Dicentra or “Bleeding Hearts” and this year we have ‘King of Hearts’ a recent introduction, with deep rose pink heart shaped flowers 25cm tall above blue-green fern-like foliage. Normally grown in ordinary to moist soils in semi shade to shade, this form is more tolerant of a sunnier position. ‘Stuart Boothman’ is an old variety worthy of an Award of Garden Merit. This hardy rhizomatous deciduous woodland perennial has pink heart shaped nodding flowers above grey-green fern-like foliage from spring to summer.
Dierama or “Angel’s fishing rods” are always in demand and we hope to have good stock available in mid spring. New to our range is ‘Blackberry Bells’ a hybrid with evergreen narrow leaves and large vivid purple maroon flared trumpet flowers hanging from the top of the curved stem 90-120cm tall from July to August.
Recent breeding work with Echinacea has led to a plethora of new varieties, many of which have to be propagated vegetatively and are protected by PBR. These hardy clump forming perennials have masses of large single daisy like flower heads, loved by insects, from July to October. The petals fold back as the flowers age giving the common name cone flower, and the seed heads can be left on to provide winter interest – best in humus rich soils with good drainage in a sunny position. ‘Heavenly Dream’ has large fragrant white flowers on 60cm stems as does ‘Fragrant Angel’ but the flowers are on stems 75cm tall. ‘Little Giant’ is very short, only 30-40 cm tall with fragrant pink flowers with overlapped and ruffled petals. ‘Sunrise’ has buttery yellow flowers 90cm, ‘Sunset’ coral pink flowers 60cm, ‘Tiki Torch’ fragrant orange flowers 65cm, ‘Tomato Soup’ large tomato red flowers on 80cm stems.
Erigeron ‘Foersters Liebling’ is a hardy clump forming perennial with grey-green lance shaped leaves topped by masses of deep pink flowers with a yellow eye on stems 60cm tall in summer. Easy to grow in ordinary garden soil in sun to light shade and awarded an AGM by the Royal Horticultural Society. Erigeron glaucus or “beach aster” are hardy clump forming evergreen perennials with grey-green lance shaped leaves forming low spreading mounds up to 20cm high, covered by masses of daisy flowers in summer. Easy to grow in ordinary to well drained soil in sun to light shade these plants are suitable for the front of a border, rock garden or even pots. This year we can offer ‘Albus’ with white tinged blue flowers, ‘Sea Breeze’ with large pink flowers, ‘Viewpoint Blue’ with violet blue flowers. We also have a selected form with large pale mauve flowers.
We usually offer several different Eryngium or “sea holly” with congested thistle-like heads of blue or white flowers popular with insects, gardeners and flower arrangers! Eryngium amethystinum is a hardy deciduous clump forming perennial with spiny pinnate foliage and umbels of amethyst blue flowers surrounded by a ruff, on silvery blue stems up to 70cm tall. E. bourgatii ‘Picos Amethyst’ has finely divided spiny silver veined leaves and small round bright amethyst blue flowers surrounded by a large spiny ruff, on top of blue stems 50-60cm tall in summer. ‘Picos Blue’ (PBR) is similar but with bright blue flowers. E. planum ‘Silver Salentino’ is a hardy clump forming deciduous perennial with attractive pale toothed foliage bearing silvery white architectural spiky flower heads on branched stems 90-120cm tall from midsummer to autumn. E. x zabelii ‘Big Blue’ (PBR) is a new semi evergreen variety with spiny silvery leaves & dramatic bright electric blue stems and flowers 80cm tall in summer. All the above varieties enjoy well drained ordinary to poor soils in a sunny position. Good in a gravel garden where you can enjoy their architectural forms, they also associate well with grasses.
Late summer flowering Eupatorium maculatum or “joe pyeweed”, are majestic hardy deciduous herbaceous perennials native to North America. Good on heavy wet clay soil, they are loved by butterflies and bees and normally reach up to 2.4m tall in flower. This year we will have two new varieties; ‘Gateway’ with large slightly domed heads of soft pink flowers on stems up to 1.5m tall, ‘Phantom’ (PBR) has soft lavender flowers but only reaches 90cm. If we are lucky, in late summer we may also have a few ‘Red Dwarf’ which is even shorter at 80cm and has compact dense heads of reddish lavender flowers
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There are many different Euphorbias suitable for a wide range of situations. E. characias ssp characias ‘Portugese Velvet’ is an invaluable structural plant ideal for a sunny well drained position. This hardy dome shaped evergreen shrubby perennial reaches 60cm tall with velvety grey-green leaves topped by dense heads of green flowers in spring. E dulcis ‘Chameleon’ is a hardy deciduous rhizomatous spreading perennial reaching 30-50cm tall with deep bronzy purple foliage topped by lime-green flowers flushed with purple in spring – best grown in dappled shade in humus rich soil. E. palustris ‘Zauberflotte’ is a compact clump forming variety of “marsh spurge” 40cm tall with bright lime-green flowers from spring to summer followed by orange-red foliage in the autumn – best in sun to partial shade in ordinary to wet soils, even happy in wet clay. E x martinii ‘Baby Charm’ is a hardy dense evergreen perennial forming a ball shaped plant 40cm tall with green tinted red leaves topped by green-yellow flowers throughout spring. This variety is best in sun to semi-shade in ordinary to well drained soils and is excellent for pots.
We have a limited number of Helleborus foetidus ‘Gold Bullion’ for sale this spring. This hardy evergreen perennial grows to about 35cm tall and has bright lemon yellow new foliage, darkening to lime as the season progresses, topped in late winter to spring by greenish yellow bell shaped flowers. A real joy for the winter garden, easy to grow in a shady site and good on clay soils as long as they are not waterlogged.
We really like daylilies with their wide range of colours, flower size, shape and markings usually flowering July-August. These clump forming perennials can be evergreen, semi-evergreen or deciduous and the height of the flowering stems can also vary. These tough garden plants are easy to grow and can perform well in wet or dry soils as long as there is some sun. We went through our collection last year and propagated over 50 extra varieties, (too many to list here!) many of which are now available this spring.
Heuchera remain as popular as ever and this year we are adding ‘Autumn Leaves’ with red and orange leaves that take on deeper red tones in autumn, ‘Café Olé’ (PBR) with attractive green, shading to bronzy chocolate very ruffled foliage, ‘Green Spice’ with wonderful green leaves with burgundy veins. ‘Milan’ has striking silvery foliage with deep maroon veins, ‘Mysteria’ (PBR) has silvery maroon leaves and ‘Sugar Plum’ has deep purple foliage with a silver overlay.
We sold so many Hostas last year that we will start the season with limited numbers. We will have more ready later in the year, so please enquire about availability. New to the range will be ‘Abiqua Moonbeam’ with medium to large heart shaped deeply veined leaves emerging yellow with the centre gradually turning green. ‘August Moon’ with medium to large dramatic heart shaped deeply veined lime green leaves. ‘Borwick Beauty’ with large rounded heart shaped puckered leaves that are chartreuse to pale yellow gradually turning white, with an irregular grey-blue margin and pale lilac flowers in summer. ‘First Frost’ with medium sized ribbed heart shaped blue-green leaves and yellow margins that turn white. ‘Guacamole’ has large chartreuse heart shaped leaves turning old gold with a deep green margin, best in a sunny position.
Iberis ‘Absolutely Amethyst’ is a new small hardy clump forming evergreen perennial with basal rosettes of leaves producing round pinky mauve balls of flowers up to 20cm tall from spring to early summer. Suitable for the rock garden, pots or front of the border this is easy to grow in ordinary to well drained soil in a sunny position.
We have added two different variegated leaved Iris to our range this year. Iris ensata ‘Variegata’, a hardy deciduous rhizomatous beardless Japanese iris with very striking creamy yellow and green variegated leaves and pale violet flowers 80cm tall in summer. This likes damp soil in sun to partial shade. I. laevigata ‘Variegata’ has ivory white variegated leaves and intense blue flowers from spring to summer and will grow in damp soil or can be immersed in water up to about 8-10cm deep. We are steadily building up a larger range of summer flowering Iris sibirica varieties. These hardy clump forming deciduous herbaceous perennials are very easy to grow and tolerant of a wide range of conditions. New to us this year are ‘Annemarie Troeger’ AGM with soft violet blue flowers and cream markings 90cm tall, ‘Blue Reverie’ large pale blue flowers at 70cm, grey flowered an un named old form obtained from Apple Court has small pale grey flowers 75cm, ‘Mrs Rowe’ lavender grey flowers 90cm and ‘Valda’ with deep violet flowers with yellow and white markings 75cm.
We went through the red hot poker collection last year and managed to propagate another 7 varieties that we are pleased to be able to offer for sale this spring. Kniphofia ‘Ada’ has tawny orange-yellow flowers 90cm tall in late summer-autumn, ‘Alcazar’ a reliable re-bloomer with bright orange flowers from green buds 90-106cm in August–September. ‘Maid of Orleans’ yellow “poker” flowers open from primrose buds and fade ivory white on stems up to 1.2m tall from June-August, ‘Royal Standard’ AGM is a classic “poker” with yellow flowers opening from scarlet buds on stout stems up to 1m tall from mid to late summer. ‘Strawberries and Cream’ has cream flowers opening from coral buds 60cm and ‘Tawny King’ has large pokers in shades of orange to lemon on strong bronze stems reaching 1.2m in July-October.
Lamium are evergreen mat forming ground cover plants that can be grown in sun or shade and are very useful for dry shade. Flowering for a long time from late winter to summer the flowers are popular with bees. L. maculatum ‘Orchid Frost’ has silver leaves edged green and pinky mauve flowers 15-30cm in late spring-summer. ‘Red Nancy’ has small toothed silver leaves edged green and pinky purple flowers 15cm tall.
We have amassed a large selection of named varieties of oriental poppies which we are in the process of planting out in the field to preserve the collection. These tough easy to grow clump forming perennials come into growth in the autumn, produce large glamorous flowers for a few weeks in late spring-early summer and then go dormant for the summer. They can be grown in sun or light shade but dislike waterlogged soils that may cause them to rot. We have over 40 varieties to offer you at the start of this season including 5 varieties new to our range. ‘Central Park’ has large deep pink-maroon-purple flowers on stems 76cm tall. ‘May Queen’ has medium sized semi-double pale orange-red flowers on stems 75cm. ‘Petticoat’ has deep pink flowers with a white edge 70cm. ‘Picotée’ has large white flowers widely and unevenly banded with salmon at the edges with frilled and pleated petals. ‘Shasta’ is one of the new super poppies that were originally bred in California for hotter climates. It has thick textured large rounded white flowers edged light pink with a black centre on stems 60cm tall, however the amount of pink can vary according to the season and sometimes the blooms can be predominately pink.
We are trying 4 new copyright protected varieties of Penstemon this year bred in this country by Edward Wilson; ‘Elgar Crown of India’ with blackcurrant flowers, ‘Elgar Enigma’ with lilac flowers, ‘Elgar Firefly’ with deep pink flowers and ‘Elgar Nimrod’ with light pink flowers. All are bred to be compact freely branching evergreen plants and should grow to about 60cm tall. ‘Strawberries and Cream’ from the same breeder has larger strawberry pink suffused with white tubular flowers.
Persicaria affinis ‘Darjeeling Red’ AGM is a hardy mat forming evergreen perennial. From summer to early winter it has masses of pale pink flower spikes reaching 25cm which age red. Leaves turn an attractive deep bronze in cold weather. ‘Donald Lowndes’ is similar but has pale pink flowers. P. amplexicaulis ‘Orange Field’ (PBR) is a new variety of this robust clump forming semi-evergreen perennial that forms a dome covered in 10cm spikes of orange-pink flowers from late summer to autumn and is adored by butterflies and bees. P. microcephala ‘Red Dragon’ (PBR) is a wonderful foliage plant with dark maroon-purple leaves with burgundy-pink heart shaped centres bordered by light green chevrons. This easy to grow tough deciduous perennial usually reaches 1m, it associates well with tropical looking plants and looks great in pots.
We will have a limited number of Rudbeckia ‘Little Gold Star’ (PBR) available later in the year. This new variety of “black eyed susan” is a more floriferous compact selection only 40cm tall, with large golden yellow daisy like flowers with dark centres. Good in pots or the border it can be grown in sun or part shade and will flower from late summer to autumn. We will also have a few R. maxima, a clump forming perennial with large grey-blue waxy leaves and large yellow daisy flowers with a central black cone on 1.5m tall stems in late summer to autumn.
We have 3 different late summer-autumn flowering “ice plants” to offer this spring, loved by butterflies and bees. Sedum spectabile ‘Carl’ has bright rose pink flowers up to 50cm tall, S. Herbstfreude Group ‘Mini Joy’ is a compact dwarf form of this garden favourite with dense flat heads of pink flowers only 45cm. S. ‘Hot Stuff’ (PBR) has bright fuchsia pink flowers reaching 40cm. We also have some S. erythrostictum ‘Frosty Morn’ with white and grey-green variegated leaves and pale pink flowers on stems 45cm tall.
Trollius x cultorum ‘Prichard’s Giant’ is a hardy clump forming deciduous herbaceous perennial with large golden orange open cupped shaped flowers on top of stems up to 90cm tall in late spring to early summer. Good in sun to semi shade it likes damp to wet fertile heavy soil.
We are due to pot up some Vernonia gigantea or “ironweed” a very hardy late summer flowering deciduous perennial. It has tall erect stems of narrow leaves bearing branched heads of small dark violet flowers 1.5-1.8m tall. They are good nectar plants for butterflies and are wonderful with grasses, late flowering rudbeckias and asters. Veronica spicata ‘Glory’ (PBR) is a hardy deciduous clump forming herbaceous perennial with spikes of deep bright blue flowers 30cm tall from June to autumn.
We have a few good large pots of Ypsilandra thibetica available this spring, a small clump forming evergreen, this delightful woodlander has rosettes of narrow dark green leaves. White tinged lilac delicately perfumed flower spikes 15cm tall emerge in late winter to spring, best in humus rich soil in semi shade.
Grasses and grass like plants
Anemanthele lessoniana AGM is a hardy rhizomatous evergreen perennial grass from New Zealand with long arching dark green narrow leaves that turn orange brown for winter. Airy panicles of purplish green flowers 1m tall arch outward above the leaves from midsummer-autumn. Easy to grow in sun to semi-shade in ordinary to well drained soil.
Carex elata ‘Aurea’ otherwise known as “Bowles golden sedge” is a hardy clump forming semi-evergreen grass with bright yellow arching leaves with a green edge reaching 60cm tall with the strongest colour in the spring. This sedge thrives in damp or wet soil and can even be grown in very shallow water. C. trifida ‘Rekohu Sunrise’ (PBR) is a new hardy clump forming evergreen grass with long broad arching dark green leaves edged with gold. Good as a feature plant in pots or in the gravel garden this easy to grow sedge likes ordinary to well drained soil in sun or part shade.
Deschampsia cespitosa or “tufted hair grass” is a clump forming grass of the northern hemisphere that normally grows on heavy soils in bogs, damp meadows or damp woodland. They have basal tufts of usually evergreen leaves, topped by airy panicles of green to gold flowers in early summer that turn golden straw yellow for the autumn. Wonderful planted in big drifts the differences between selected varieties is subtle and perhaps becomes more apparent in big planting schemes. D. ‘Northern Lights’ has graceful grey & gold variegated foliage topped in early summer with bronze tinted airy flowers 70cm tall. Foliage takes on peach tones in autumn. ‘Schottland’ has light green airy flowers up to 1m tall. ‘Tautrager’ has more slender light green airy flowers up to 1.2m tall.
We have a nice batch of young Festuca glauca ‘Elijah Blue’ ready for this spring. An American selection of “blue fescue” this variety of evergreen clump forming grass grows to 15-25cm tall with densely tufted strongly silver-blue needle thin leaves. It is a longer lived variety suitable for ordinary soils in sun to partial shade. Good in a gravel garden, front of border or in pots.
Libertia are not grasses but belong to the iris family and bear stems carrying umbel-like clusters of small white flowers. However, the evergreen spreading clumps of linear leaves look good in amongst grasses. ‘Highlander’ is a hardy evergreen rhizomatous perennial forming a dense clump of leathery gold and green leaves that turn bronze in winter and are topped by white flowers up to 60cm high in May-June. L. ixioides ‘Goldfinger’ (PBR) has evergreen tufts of upright golden-yellow foliage with small white flowers 45cm tall in spring followed by yellow berries. Both like full sun in ordinary garden soil.
We are pleased to be able to offer a few Luzula sylvatica ‘Aurea’ this spring. A selected form of our native “greater woodrush”. This hardy woodland evergreen grass forms dense weed smothering tussocks 30cm tall with broad leaves that are a bright shiny yellow in winter and lime green in summer. Shade tolerant it thrives in ordinary to moist garden soil.
Miscanthus are deservedly popular grasses as they come in a wide range of varieties selected for different attributes. Miscanthus sinensis ‘Adagio’ is a hardy clump forming deciduous grass. It has long narrow green leaves topped by brown-red flower plumes up to 1.5m tall that fade silvery-brown in late summer with good yellow autumn colour. ‘Dixieland’ is a vigorous white variegated grass reaching 1.2-1.5m, topped by pink flower plumes that fade silvery-brown in late summer. The deciduous but cane like white stems survive throughout winter giving additional interest. ‘Malepartus’ is a vigorous deciduous grass with a pale stripe along the leaf. The foliage reaches 2.4m, and is topped by brown-red flower plumes up to 3m tall in late summer that fade silvery-brown with persistent white stems.
Molinia caerulea ssp arundinacea ‘Skyracer’ is an upright taller than normal form of “tall purple moor grass”. This hardy clump forming deciduous grass has very airy pinky-purple flowers in late summer to autumn and golden autumn foliage. Easy to grow in most soils in sun to semi-shade, it is very graceful and provides movement in even a very light breeze.
Panicum virgatum or “panic grass” is a tough North American native from marshland, light woodland and tall prairie grassland. It is well suited to heavy wet clay soil and can be drought tolerant once established. ‘Hanse Herms’ is a hardy perennial slowly spreading deciduous grass. The gently arching foliage starts the season green then turns red in autumn. It has airy pink-red flower heads up to 1.2m tall. ‘Warrior’ is green at the start of the season turning red in autumn with airy pink-red flower heads up to 1.5m tall above the leaves in late summer.
Pennisetum alopecuroides ‘Weserbergland’ is a hardy deciduous clump forming “fountain grass” with long narrow bright green leaves that turn yellow in autumn. It has soft fluffy light brown “foxtail” like flowers above the leaves on stems 90cm tall from summer to autumn. For sun or light shade in ordinary to dry soil.
We have over 12 varieties of Phormium in 2 litre pots available this spring. These hardy evergreen architectural plants have long strap like leaves and are available in a wide range of colours, heights and growth forms. Returning to the range this year is ‘Maori Maiden’ with long gently arching leaves, with a broad pink centre and a narrow olive-green margin reaching 1m. ‘Maori Queen’ is bronze-green with pinkish-red stripes mostly towards the outer edges, of upright and gently spreading form, 1.2-1.5m tall. P. tenax ‘Joker’ (PBR) is a new variety of upright habit with a dark green centre, bright pink margins with narrow pink stripes.
Stipa calamagrostis is a hardy deciduous clump forming grass with mid grey-green narrow foliage topped by graceful white flowers 90-120cm tall from summer to autumn with pale caramel autumn colour. Easy to grow in a sunny position in ordinary to well drained garden soil.
Shrubs
Aucuba japonica ‘Picturata’ is an uncommon form of “spotted laurel” with glossy dark green leaves with a bold central yellow splash and golden flecks. This male form of hardy evergreen shrub can be grown in sun or shade and is tolerant of dry soils once established.
We had a few Berberis sieboldii ready for the autumn and are pleased to have some for this spring. This sought after tough hardy deciduous dwarf suckering shrub grows up to 1m tall with lots of pale yellow flowers in mid-late spring followed by orange-red berries in autumn. It has bronze-red new leaves that turn green in summer then orange-red in autumn with the best colour developing on sunny dry soil.
We grow lots of Camellias as we find that these hardy shrubs do well in this area. Evergreen, fast growing but easily pruned they are good on our clay soils as long as they are not in a bog or a desert. These plants earn their keep by adding a touch of glamour from autumn to spring. Camellias can be autumn-winter or winter-spring flowering with single or double flowers in shades of white to pink to red or combined in variegated blooms, some are even fragrant. Camellia japonica ‘Rosularis’ has large paeony form blush pink flowers with pale pink markings in winter-spring reaching 2-3m after 10 years. C. jap. ‘Tinkerbell’ has very pretty soft pink flowers of anemone form with a large centre, dark pink stripes and flecks from late winter to spring, reaching 2-3m after 10 years.
Ceanothus ‘Dark Star’ AGM is an evergreen shrub for a sunny border or wall with dark green leaves and masses of dark blue honey scented flowers borne in the spring. It usually grows to about 2m high by 3m wide and is suitable for ordinary to well drained soil.
Cotinus ‘Grace’ is a deciduous shrub or small tree growing up to 6m tall with large oval soft purple leaves that turn bright red in autumn. Plume like pinky-green inflorescences in June to July give the impression of smoke drifting from the plant, hence the common name – smoke bush. Wonderful if you have the room!
For those of you that have been asking we will have the pale pink flowered form of the South American “lantern tree” Crinodendron hookerianum ‘Ada Hoffman’ available as young plants for the autumn. Crinodendron patagua is a hardy upright large evergreen shrub or small tree that can grow up to 5-7m tall. It has dark green glossy leaves and bears scented white bell shaped flowers with fringed petals in late summer. For a sunny position in ordinary humus enriched soil protected from cold winds.
There are a very limited number of Daphne odora ‘Marianni’ available. This copyright protected new variety was discovered in France as a branch sport from the well known D. odora ‘Aureomarginata’. This hardy evergreen shrub has glossy green leaves with wide light yellow edges making a rounded bush 1-1.2m tall with highly perfumed pink flowers in mid spring.
For those of you who like unusual plants Edgeworthia chrysantha ‘Grandiflora’ a Daphne relative is a sought after deciduous shrub that bears clusters of scented yellow to white flowers in late winter on bare wood. It forms a rounded shape and can be grown in sun to partial shade in humus rich ordinary to well draining soil. There are a few young plants available that are not yet of flowering size.
Nearly every garden seems to have Forsythia and these familiar medium to large deciduous shrubs with bright yellow flowers announce spring. Forsythia ‘Maree d’Or’ (PBR) bred in France is a new compact dwarf deciduous shrub only 80cm tall but spreading, covered in light yellow flowers before the leaves in early spring. F. viridissima ‘Bronxensis’ is a very old dwarf variety only 30cm tall with pale yellow flowers suitable for the rock garden. F. x intermedia ‘Josefa’ is a medium sized shrub 1.5m tall with clear yellow flowers in the spring on bare wood, with creamy white variegated leaves when in growth
Our range of Hydrangea keeps expanding due to popular demand. These hardy deciduous shrubs are easy to grow in sun to semi-shade in ordinary to damp garden soil or even pots. As long as they are protected from very cold drying winds then you will be rewarded with large showy flower heads from summer to autumn. Soil pH influences the colour; pink shades on alkaline or chalky soil, blue shades on acid soils. It is normal on acid soils for a newly planted hydrangea to be pink for the first couple of years. You can use hydrangea colourant to encourage blue flowers. H. macrophylla ‘All Summer Beauty’ is a dome shaped plant up to 1.2m tall with very pretty cream to pale pink or blue mop head flowers from spring to late summer and red foliage in autumn. ‘Generale Vicomtesse de Vibraye’ has pink or blue mop head flowers up to 1.5m tall. ‘Goliath’ has large pink or blue mop head flowers up to 1.5m tall. ‘Libelle’ has white lacecap flowers shaded blue fading to blush pink 1.2-1.8m tall. ‘Mariesii Perfecta’ (Blue Wave) can have pink or blue lacecap flowers up to 1.5m tall.
We introduced Photinia x fraseri ‘Little Red Robin’ to our range last year, a fantastic dwarf version of the well known ‘Red Robin’ reaching only about 1m tall with showy flushes of new red leaves maturing to dark glossy green. ‘Cracklin’ Red’ (PBR) is a new variety popular in America with bright red new foliage that matures dark green, freely branching making a more compact shape and only reaching 1.8m tall. Both these tough evergreen shrubs are easy to grow and can be regularly clipped if desired.
Phygelius are tough evergreen shrubs with large panicles of tubular flowers from summer to autumn. Sometimes treated as herbaceous perennials and hard pruned in the spring although this may delay flowering. Easy to grow in a sunny position in ordinary soil they may spread by suckers so they are best placed with other robust plants or can be successfully grown in pots. P. x rectus ‘Devil’s Tears’ AGM has deep red flowers with yellow throats. ‘Jodie Southon’ has very pale apricot tubular flowers 1-1.2m tall. ‘Raspberry Swirl’ has been around for a few years now but we still like it, with salmon red tubular flowers with a yellow throat marked red from late spring to first frosts 1-1.5m tall.
The “flowering almond”, Prunus triloba, can be grown as either a large deciduous shrub or small tree with dense branches growing up to 3m x 3m with showy pink flowers in early to mid spring, followed by round red fruits.
At first glance Rostrinucula dependens resembles a Buddleia but is related to Lamium. This unusual hardy deciduous suckering shrub has brown flaky bark and mid green leaves. Pendulous pale pink flowers loved by insects are borne in profusion on stems 1.2-1.8m tall from late summer to autumn. Easy to grow in ordinary garden soil in a sunny position it can be hard pruned in early spring.
Not all willows are massive trees; in fact there are many dwarf or alpine willows that are a real asset in the garden. They are capable of growing in boggy or wet soils where other plants may fail although the majority can be grown in ordinary garden soil. They may be grown for coloured stems or for foliage, but the real joy is at bud break when they announce the turning of the year and the very beginning of a new growing season. Salix ‘Mark Postill’ is a hybrid willow that forms a spreading dwarf shrub usually up to 1m high with purple-brown shoots from which emerge green upright female catkins from silvery buds. The young leaves are covered in white hairs giving a silvery-grey appearance to the bush.
Sambucus nigra forma porphyrophylla ‘Black Tower’ (PBR) is a brand new hardy deciduous shrub with black leaves from spring to autumn and gorgeous pink elderflowers in early summer. It is very upright in growth habit, making a columnar shape up to 3m tall if not pruned. Good in sun or partial shade in ordinary garden soil.
Sarcococca hookeriana var. humilis is a dwarf variety of “Christmas box” reaching 45-60cm tall. This hardy evergreen shrub with shiny green leaves, spreading slowly by suckers has small very fragrant pink tinged white flowers in winter followed by blue-black berries. This woodland shrub is easy to grow in shade to semi shade and tolerant of dry soils once established. We have even used it for dwarf hedging!