My seedy addiction
I confess my floral cravings have got so bad I’m forever buying plants. Here’s my new haul...
I’M addicted to buying plants this year. I need to see a doctor to cure my floral cravings. It’s not the worst addiction to have and as I’ve now admitted it publicly, I’d love to share with you my latest spending haul.
When you want to have lots of colour, mid to late summer in a garden can be challenging. For my shopping list, read on! Remember, in the heat our plants do need to be taken care of – dunk the pots in a bucket of water before they go in the ground.
In the evening, an hour or two before sundown in the first week or two, give them another drink.
Water well with the rose or spout of the watering can near the root of the plant.
DAHLIA ‘BISHOP OF LLANDAFF ’
THE Bishop series of dahlias all have in common their beautiful dark aubergine-coloured foliage.
Llandaff, named after a Welsh bishop, has bright scarlet flowers which contrast well with the foliage.
Look out too for the Bishop of Dover (white flowers with a hint of mauve), Oxford (orange) and York (bright yellow flowers). All require a sunny site with fertile soil.
Growing to a height of one metre, they flower from June until September. As tender perennials, once frost blackens their foliage, the tubers need to be overwintered inside.
DAHLIA FASCINATION
I LOVE the shocking pink of these flowers and the dramatic dark foliage A gorgeous choice for your herbaceous border, its open flowers are good for pollinators such as bees and butterflies.
LIATRIS SPICATA KOBOLD
LIATRIS, also known as gayfeather, works well in borders as a strong vertical accent.
It’s a clump-forming perennial which will do best in the sun in a welldrained but moist soil.
Its American prairie origins also make it a good candidate for naturalistic planting schemes, planted en masse.
‘Kobold’ is one of the best selections.
KNIPHOFIA UVARIA ‘ECHO ROJO’
CUT a dash and introduce a vivid display of red hot pokers to your borders. Available in fiery red, orange and yellow, they are easy to grow if your soil is well drained.
Like Liatris, they perform well as accents in a border or planted in drifts.
ERYNGIUM ‘BIG BLUE’
THIS has wonderful metallic blue prickly flowers. It’s an easy-care
perennial as long it’s planted in sunshine and well-drained soil.
I also love Jade Frost which has violet blue flowers and a nice creamy margin on the leaves. Great for attracting butterflies and bees, it’s a superb architectural plant and makes a lovely dried flower.
DELPHINIUM ‘DOUBLE INNOCENCE’
I LOVE this delphinium first and foremost because you can get away without staking it as it has a sturdy
stem. This is a double creamy-white flowered variety which loves sun and drainage. Watch out for powdery mildew when weather is dry – keep plants well-watered and apply a home-made mixture of water and baking soda as prevention.
HEUCHERELLA ‘TAPESTRY’
A CROSS between heucheras and tiarellas, Tapestry lives up to its name, having a mottled, brightlycoloured foliage. It does well in partial shade in a light but fertile soil and its spreading habit makes it a good ground-cover plant.
Pink flowers are borne in summer.
ACHILLEA ‘THE BEACON’
I LOVE a bit of zinginess in my borders – colours that shout out, “look at me!”
Fabulous, flat, tomato-red flowerheads will turn heads from June to August above lovely ferny foliage.
Perfect for the middle of a sunny mixed border in a well-drained site.