ACANTHUS
The long glossy toothed leaves of these striking perennials have inspired carved embellishments on many classical columns and with their strong spikes of hooded flowers, they make a bold statement in any border, from spring to late autumn. Happy in any soil that is not waterlogged, they make substantial clumps and are tolerant of most sites from sun to shade.
mollis - Deeply lobed dark green leaves with tall spikes of purple tinged flowers from prickly bracts in late summer, 4ft.
spinosus - Very jagged, deeply cut leaves, dark green and glossy with pale purple flushed flowers.
ACHILLEA
These spreading perennials have large round flat heads of tiny flowers over a long season. Needs well-drained sunny spot.
‘Cerise Queen’ Bright pink flowers keep their colour well over grey green lacy foliage. Reliable & easy 2ft / 60cm
neilrichii Pale cream flowers over grey, ghostly, lacy foliage. Reliable, hardy & easy 2ft / 60cm
ptarmica ‘The Pearl’ - An old variety but strong growing with clusters of button like double white flowers. Give it somewhere sunny and space to go for it!
ACONITUM
The strong upright spikes of hooded flowers on the monkshoods make a wonderful alternative to delphiniums and grow in most soils, tolerating part shade. Take care, however, when handling, as all parts of the plant are poisonous.
*cammarum bicolor - Large branching sprays of flowers, off white with prominent, dark blue edges. Looks like a small flowered delphinium, but the slugs won’t touch this, 3-4ft.
*- ‘Stainless Steel’ - The wonderful pale greyed blue flowers have just the right tone to cool down orange and pinks,3ft.
henyri ‘Spark’s variety’ - Very tall upright stems with long open spikes of deep purple/blue flowers. Finely dissected foliage, 4ft.
napellus - Very cut leaves, tall spikes of mid -blue flowers, 3ft.
- albidum - as above but cool creamy white flowers, 3ft.
AGAPANTHUS
Although most varieties can now be left outside – in a sheltered position of course – they flower better if the roots are constricted in a pot. Fabulous on the patio or sink the pot into your border for the summer.
‘Purple Cloud’ – Tall and striking with deep purple flowers, inapertus hybrid. 2-3ft / 80cm
ALLIUM
The flowering onions come in all sizes and colours. Almost all like a sunny well drained spot and several will quite happily naturalise in light woodland or meadow. The seed heads make a bold statement even after the flowers have gone.
- cristophii - Huge footballs of starry flowers on 18ins stems, pinky-purple in flower but spectacular right through to autumn as dried heads.
- hollandicum ‘Purple Sensation’ - Well named as the tall strong stems topped by 4” balls of purple flowers are sensational, 3ft+.
- nigrum This is actually a white flowered allium with large half round heads and each starry flower has a black eye. 2ft / 60cm
‘Cerise Queen’ Bright pink flowers keep their colour well over grey green lacy foliage. Reliable & easy 2ft / 60cm
‘Purple King’ – Like a small cristophii. Open starry flowers, deep purple pink, on slender stems. 2ft/60cm
rocambole or 'snake garlic' A very weird but decorative garlic, perfect for planting round your roses - said to deter blackspot - with corkscrew flower stems [edible] developing massed heads of tiny garlic cloves rather than flowers [also edible]. The garlic bulbs can also be used but make much smaller cloves than cultivated. Very easy and perfect for a small garden. 2ft / 60cm
- schubertii – Huge football sized heads of very spiky, starry flowers – like a big firework in your border – very spectacular. 2ft/60cm
- sphaerocephalum - Small deep purple-pink oval heads on tall stems, wonderful out of gravel or grasses, 2ft.
- ‘Violet Beauty’ - Very early typical glaucus foliage and then large flat heads of good violet starry flowers on 2ft stems. Increases well by division/bulbils.
AMSONIA
These North American natives have slender stems from a woody rootstock and are ideal for growing in dappled shade where their starry blue flowers will really shine out. Tolerant of most soils, not too dry please.
ciliata - The slender, branching stems are flushed purple, a nice contrast with the fresh, green of the slender leaves. Heads of fine starry pale slatey-blue flowers are produced freely from May to July, wonderful autumn foliage colour is a bonus, 3ft / 80cm
tabernaemontana - as above but not as slender and willowy, darker, more lilac-blue flowers, 3ft / 80cm
ANEMONE
A large family of herbacious perennials and bulbs, providing flower from late winter to autumn.
- ranunculoides – An easy, charming plant for shady woodland conditions. Sunny yellow flowers in spring, creeps about, easy and hardy. 4ins / 12cm
- sylvestris Clump forming, with cut leaves and large white flowers with yellow stamens. This flowers for a long time in spring and early summer. Part shade or woodland, easy, hardy. 18ins/50cm
ANTHEMIS
Delightful daisies with feathery foliage, flowering over a long period if dead-headed. An open sunny site with good drainage suits them best.
cupaniana - Silvery foliage and white daisies with bright yellow centres, 12ins
‘Susanna Mitchell’ - The soft grey foliage sets off very pale cream flowers with slightly darker centres, 2ft.
ANTHRISCUS
sylvestris ‘Ravenswing’ – Cow parsley but not as you’ve seen it before – the leaves are plummy purple and the flowers tinged pink. 4ft / 1.2m
ARMERIA
maritima rubrifolia - To all intents and purposes the same as the common sea pink but the leaves are flushed deep maroon and the flowers a more intense pink. Easy, choice, 12ins.
- alba - A white sea pink, with very fresh green leaves setting off clean white flowers.
ARTEMISIA
lactiflora ‘Guinzhou’ - This herbacious artemisia is only for those with moisture in their soils, but the reward is purple-flushed, dark green finely cut leaves and tall, slender stems topped with sprays of honey-scented creamy white flowers in late summer, 6ft.
ARUNCUS
doicus kneiffii - The ferny cut leaves of this choice goatsbeard are reason enough to reserve a spot in your border; add the open, branched plumes of tiny white flowers in summer and resistance is futile. Tolerates part shade and prefers good soil, moist is even better, 2-3ft.
- 'Guinea Fowl - A new choice goatsbeard with long plumes of tiny white flowers held horizontally and all pointing in one direction. Foliage is tinted bronze. Tolerates part shade and prefers good soil, moist is even better, 2-3ft.
ASTER
Invaluable and easy perennials for the late summer border; their cheerful daisy flowers come in every shade of pink, blue, purple, red and white and in all sizes too. Full sun or part shade. I have never seen any of the asters listed below suffer from mildew!
amellus ‘Sonora’ - Large deep violet gold centred flowers, 2ft.
divaricatus - Dark centred white flowers, individually small, but in large clusters on dark, twiggy stems with dark green leaves. Shines out of dry shade, 2ft.
laevis ‘Calliope’ - Tall with near black stems and leaves. The very open lavender-blue flowers have yellow centres, very striking but easy, 4-5ft.
lateriflorus 'Lady in Black' - Excellent for foliage colour - the stems and narrow leaves are all deepest plum - with a froth of tiny pinky white flowers with red stamens. Very upright and well clothed stems. Once everywhere but not easy to find now. 4ft/1.2m
macrophyllus ‘Twilight’ - Large, simple single flowers, mid-blue, from upright stems in spreading clumps. Tolerant of shade and dry conditions, even under trees, 2ft.
- novae belgii 'Porzellan' Lovely semi double flowers, a soft delft blue on dark plummy purple stems. A good mid-height aster. 3ft/80cm
- pyrenaeus 'Lutetia' Sturdy stems from a compact clump with widely spaced sprays of pale lilac blue flowers. The petals are really fine and with the slender leaves the whole effect is airy, elegant and not a hint of mildew! 2ft / 60cm
ASTILBE
Pick your varieties carefully and you could have astilbes in flower from early summer ‘til autumn. Add to that the attractive foliage from late spring and decorative seed heads all through winter and you may well ask ‘why have I not got them in my garden?’
chinensis ‘Purpurkerze’ - Very upright, pointed plumes of purple/pink over bronze tinted foliage which is particulally nice in spring. Chinensis varieties are more tolerant of sun and dry situations than others, 3-4ft.
- Visions in Pink - Shorter than the above and with bright pink flowers over green foliage, 2ft.
ASTRANTIA
The unusual starry flowers last for a long time and flowering continues throughout the summer. Newer cultivars bring darker red shades to the border, almost as deep as knautia macedonica, but astrantias prefer part shade and good moist soil to do their best.
major - ‘Gill Richardson Group’ - By far the best dark flowered astrantia I have ever grown. Tough, reliable and free flowering with dark red tinged glossy foliage, 2ft.
BERGENIA
Bergenia have been overlooked in the past as plants best used when situation and soil dictate nothing else is worth growing. Now however with plants flowering from autumn to early summer, I feel they are well due another chance to star in good as well as bad areas of the garden.
‘Bressingham White’ – Early and reliable flowering. Pink tinged buds open to white flowers in upright sprays. 12ins / 30cm
BIDENS
Not the frost tender trailing patio plant, but the tall, hardy, herbacious plant guaranteed to stop you in your tracks!
heterophylla - Tall, leafy, self-supporting stems from a spreading rootstock, topped with typical starry bidens flowers but in the most delightful cream colour. Flowers well into autumn, 4-5ft.
BOLTONIA
asteroides var. latisquama – Looking like a grey-green leaved aster with its starry white flowers. Much more branching though, not subject to mildew and fabulously tall. 6ft / 2m
BRUNNERA
macrophylla ‘Betty Bowring’ - Really pretty white flowers set off by dark leaves brighten even the darkest shade, 12-18ins.
- ‘Jack Frost’ - a very choice and new cultivar. The regular heart-shaped leaves silver with green veins and a green edge - they look ‘netted’. Very dramatic and easy, 12ins.
- 'Mr Morse' The leaves of this brand new cultivar are as 'Jack Frost' but the flowers are white! Long flowering, the individual flowers are larger than other cultivars. 15in/40cm
- variegata - ideal for all those tricky areas where the sun never shines, the rain rarely penetrates and the soil is less than lovely. Sprays of very pretty blue forgetmenot flowers in spring, are followed by large heart-shaped leaves, heavily marked with creamy white, 12ins.
ith small soft cerise pink flowers and rounded leaves. It grows from round tubers, rather like anemone blanda, 18ins.