New plants
Plants to buy now, plus garden events to attend around the country.
LAVENDER ‘FAIRY WINGS WHIMSICAL’
is a pedunculata hybrid with blush pink bracts. It’s compact with a riotous mass of flowers from spring. Plant in full sun in well-drained soil, and apply a general purpose slow-release fertiliser after flowering. From the Living Fashion range at garden retailers.
LAVENDER ‘SPELLBOUND’
from the Fairy Wings range is low maintenance, drought tolerant, and fast and easy to grow. Its striking flowerheads are capped with highly ornamental deep lavender “ribbons”. Foliage is highly fragrant. ‘Spellbound’ grows to a height of 70cm. From the Living Fashion range at garden retailers.
ALSTROEMERIA ‘INTICANCHA MOON’
has been bred for a compact habit and a long and profuse flowering. Its flowers are a mix of whites and pastel purples, appearing from spring to autumn. With a height to 40cm, it’s ideal for both containers and garden beds – as well as for picking. Grown by Annton Nursery and available from garden retailers.
VERONICA ‘ASPIRE’
provides a vertical element to your garden with deep rose flowers on a long-lasting, upright spike. Plants are compact, which makes an ideal groundcover option in a smaller courtyard garden. Healthy and easy to grow, plants grow best in full sun and moist soil conditions with good drainage. Keep moist and feed occasionally with slow release fertiliser. From the Living Fashion range at garden retailers.
RIZA MAXIMA AKA QUAKING GRASS
is a hardy annual that’s excellent in floral arrangements. The pale green, papery seedheads dry well and reflect light with a shimmering quality like droplets of water. Plants self-seed but do not become a nuisance. Available from Owairaka Seeds.
CALIBRACHOA ‘DOUBLE GALA RED’
has medium sized double flowers and a mounding, semi-trailing habit. It’s excellent for containers and hanging baskets, with continuous flowering over spring through summer. From Gardening Solutionz range available from garden retailers nationwide.
LOROPETALUM ‘ZAR DE DOO’
was grown and named by Bruntwood Nurseries after their old nursery dog who passed away. It is a very upright form, with very dark foliage and many bright cerise flowers. Grows to a height of 1.5m. From garden retailers in the North Island only.
GERBERA ‘GARVINEA SWEET LOVE’
has been bred to be more tolerant of wet and cold conditions allowing it to go dormant in winter and reappear in spring. It features extra large blooms in a standout blood red colour. Grown by Annton Nursery and available from garden retailers nationwide.
PELARGONIUM INTERSPECIFIC ‘PAC CASSIOPEIA’
blends the best of ivy and zonal geraniums – with blood red flowers, glossy leaves and a stout, shrubby, resilient habit. Protect from hard frost and you can have flowers all year round. Available from garden retailers.
ROSA ‘WONDERLAND’
is an eye-catching Floribunda with clusters of rich magenta-purple flowers in spring that change to hot pink in summer. Its flowers are great for cutting. An easy-care shrub, it grows to a height of approximately 1.2m. Exclusive to Matthews Roses.