Wednesday 21 December 2016

Bistorta (Persicaria) tenuicaulis

Persicaria tenuicaulis
A choice little woodlander – unlike any of the other common species. Slowly spreading to make a colony of stocky little plants with small silvery green leaves, and in spring, makes short spikes of pure white flowers with black anthers.
Adaptable but best in moist but well-drained woodsy soil in shade.
Never even slightly weedy. In fact, keep an eye on it or it might get lost.
1L pots ~ £6



Monday 19 December 2016

Salix gracilistyla Mt.Aso

Salix gracilistyla Mt. Aso
Maybe the idea of a pink flowered willow sounds a bit kitsch but I promise you this one carries it off very tastefully indeed. This is a naturally occurring form of gracilistyla (not chaenomeloides as was originally thought) and can be quite a substantial shrub in time, very much like its relative the black willow (melanostachys) but with greyish twigs and leaves.
 Salix gracilistyla Mt. Aso
An easy and adaptable willow in any retentive soil in sun or part shade
5L pots ~ £23




Monday 15 August 2016

Lobelia laxiflora angustifolia

Lobelia laxiflora
A spreading perennial with fresh narrow foliage topped in summer with tubular orange and yellow flowers.
Lobelia laxiflora
Hardy here. It might suffer in a very cold year but otherwise a reliable border perennial. This has a reputation for running but I’ve not found it excessive.
£9

Friday 15 July 2016

Aucuba himalaiaca dolichophylla

Aucuba himalaica dolichophylla
A slow growing and compact ‘spotted laurel’ up to about 4ft high with attractive narrow dark green foliage, lightly spotted with yellow. This is a male clone with striking dark red flowers in conspicuous branching sprays in early spring.
Aucuba himalaica dolichophylla
For exactly the same conditions as the common species but much choicer. Many thanks to Nymans for the original plant. aka Aucuba chinensis angusta
sold out

Wednesday 29 June 2016

Strobilanthes angustifrons (aka Pteracanthus or possibly Goldfussia)

Strobilanthes angustifrons
A deciduous shrub almost unknown in cultivation it seems. The flowers are of a rich glossy purple with a pale creamy throat. Very distinct. Flowers freely at the same time as other hardy Strobilanthes, in autumn.
Strobilanthes angustifrons
Largely untried but it's proved fully hardy here on the nursery and there has been a good-sized specimen in the walled garden at Wakehurst for some time now. 
Should be much better known.
£16

Tuesday 7 June 2016

New shrubby Lonicera

What a fascinating genus Lonicera is. Most people I guess think of the climbing honeysuckle but there are at least as many non-climbing shrubby species, and a very varied bunch they are too. Almost all are easy and hardy in a variety of situations.

Lonicera chaetocarpa
Lonicera chaetocarpa
An unusual and very un-honeysuckle-like non-climbing species with pairs of funnel-shaped pale yellow flowers in a large bristly papery pinkish or yellowish calyx, which persists around the orange berries. 
The leaves are rich green and bristly. Very easy and hardy.
sold out already!


Lonicera myrtillus
Lonicera mytilloides
A very different species with small rounded leaves and rosy white urn-shaped flowers - almost like some sort of ericaceous shrub (hence the name). Also makes red berries.
Lonicera myrtillus
Compact and easily pleased
1Lpots ~ £10




Friday 13 May 2016

Tradescantia bracteata and ohiensis

The hardy North American Tradescantias are one of the few groups of plants that will grow almost anywhere in the garden (without becoming a nuisance) and which has almost no major pests or diseases. Mostly of course people grow the cultivars, but as you might be aware by now, I tend to prefer the wild species.

Tradescantia bracteata
Tradescantia bracteata
This is a remarkably choice low compact species with substantial violet flowers on short stems.
Tradescantia bracteata
Quite variable
sold out

Tradescantia ohiensis
Tradescantia ohiensis
A much more graceful, slender species than we are used to, with pale green grassy foliage and soft lavender flowers over a long period in summer.
Tradescantia ohiensis
1L pots ~ £6


Monday 9 May 2016

Two Unusual Aquatics

Saururus chinensis
Saururus chinensis
A curious, somewhat aroid-like aquatic perennial making a leafy colony in shallow water or wet mud. This is a better looking plant than the more common S.cernuus - the inflorescence is a creamy white spadix, but with a conspicuous white bract. Hardy and vigorous but much better behaved than its other relatives, Houttuynia and Anemopsis.
1L pots ~ £8



Sagittaria graminea
Sagittaria graminea
A pretty miniature 'arrow-head' with narrow spatula-shaped leaves, and submerged linear leaves. The simple three-petalled flowers are produced through the summer (nb. the upper picture shows male flowers, the lower, female).
Sagittaria graminea
Hardy and vigorous and ideal for colonising an area of shallow water or wet mud. Although short in stature, this plant does multiply freely by stolons.
(I bought the original plant as graminea but it could well be S.platyphylla)
bare-rooted plants ~ £4 each



Cytisus hirsutus

Cytisus hirsutus
A lovely small arching shrub with fresh lemon yellow pea flowers over a long period in spring and soft pale green leaves. 
Cytisus hirsutus
Well drained sunny soils
1L pots ~ £15


Friday 22 April 2016

Moraea vegeta

Moraea vegeta
A small South African bulb only a few inches high, with Iris type flowers of an unusual soft cocoa colour with a bright yellow centre. I give it a dry summer and protect it in winter but this is a dependable, easy species and might well grow in a sheltered, sunny, well-drained place outside.
£6



Thursday 7 April 2016

Storm Katie Ate my Polytunnel

Just to apologise for delays getting people's orders out - it's been one hell of a wet winter and now this...
Storm Katie 11
Nevertheless I'm still open for business.
Thanks, in advance, for understanding.