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...

Nevertheless I'm still open for business.
Thanks, in advance, for understanding.

Californian Ribes

Ribes cereum

An attractive Californian species with profuse palest rosy white flowers in spring among small shiny leaves on a compact gnarly shrub.

An ideal species for Mediterranean style gardens growing among other sun-loving drought-tolerant species.
5L pots ~ £20

Ribes aureum gracillimum

Related to but not the same as the more familiar eastern buffalo berry - R.odoratum. This has similar tubular yellow flowers, but tinted red at the tips, and it is a much more compact plant.

The flowers appear early among the new leaves rather than on bare branches. There might even be some orange berries if you're lucky.
£12

Ugni molinae PAB 1347

Previously identified as U.candollei - this taller more open form is perhaps less hardy but more elegant. Provide shelter and/or grow among other shrubs. Very choice. Thanks to Gary Firth for this.

£15

Brighton Plants in Amateur gardening

Overjoyed to see that Steve Bustin has done an excellent job of writing about the nursery in the 25th July 2015 issue. You can have a look at it here

Two hardy Crassulas

Crassula is a huge genus of mostly tender succulents from Africa. Two species however have proved hardy enough, given a well drained soil and full sun, to do well in UK gardens.

Crassula sarcocaulis

A neat little succulent shrub, like a tiny bonsai tree with narrow green leaves and heads of rich pink flowers in summer.

Very tough – at least in the south and west of the UK, and especially if kept on the dry side in winter.
1L pots ~ £8

Crassula sarcocaulis alba

Exactly the same as the common pink-flowered plant but with – you guessed it – white flowers

3in pots ~ £6

x Chitalpa tashkentensis

A hybrid between Catalpa and Chilopsis. Most of us know what a Catalpa looks like, but Chilopsis is less familiar - it's a willowy looking shrub (known locally in the south-western USA as Desert Willow) with masses of pink Catalpa type flowers in summer among narrow leaves and is very lovely. Unfortunately Chilopsis does not grow well in the UK, probably because of the unpredictable damp climate. The hybrid though (created in the botanical gardens in Tashkent, Uzbekistan, hence the name) is an excellent and adaptable substitute, making a large shrub or small tree, flowering freely in late summer. Any well-drained soil in sun.
These are vigorous young plants.
Specimen size plants - £30 - collection only

Iris lactea

A graceful medium-sized western Asian species with beautifully marked violet and cream flowers. In the wild it grows in well-drained sunny conditions which might lead us to imagine it doesn't need much moisture, but in fact good flowering depends on plentiful water in spring.

£7