ECHINACEA
These fine sturdy plants are a must for any late summer border. Strong stems have large daisy flowers with prominent cones at their centres, a stunning sight and a magnet for bees and insects.
augustifolia - Long drooping petals in pale pinky-red with a brown cone, 2-3ft.
purpurea - Smoky purple-pink flowers with a brown cone, 2-3ft.
- * ‘Indiaca - Rosy-pink flowers, occasionally producing a ‘top-not’ of secondary petals, very unusual, 2-3ft.
- ‘Ruby Giant’ - The flowers are fragrant and a sumptious purple-red. The short petals are held out horizantally emphasizing the enormous honey brown cone, 2-3ft / 90cm
EPIMEDIUM
These tough clump-forming perennials are excellent as ground cover in difficult shady conditions, such as under trees or walls, where the dry conditions mean few plants will perform.
grandiflorum ‘Lilafee’ - Makes nice clumps of green leaves with charming sprays of large starry lilac flowers in early spring, 9ins / 30cm
- rubrum - Good veined foliage and sprays of deep pink, very open flowers. 1ft / 35cm
youngianum ‘Niveum’ - Very delicate and compact, with charming, large, pure white flowers. The foliage ressemmbles a large maidenhair fern. 6in / 20cm
EREMURUS
Foxtail lilies must have a sunny site to ensure sucessful flowering. The towering spires of starry flowers are held well above the bold strappy leaves, which wither after flowering. They do not like badly drained soil.
‘Cleopatra’ - Reliable and hardy. Fine spikes of peachy orange flowers. 3-5ft / 1.2m
- stenophyllus ssp stenophyllus [bungeii] - Good and hardy with yellow flowers from lemon to orange in long spikes. Tolerates some shade and positively adores drying out in summer, 3-5ft / 1-1-5m
ERYNGIUM
The sea hollies all have extrememly decorative spiny cones of flowers, beloved by flower arrangers and seaside gardeners. Given a hot well drained spot their long tap roots will find a home in even the poorest soil. Especially nice combined with grasses, achilleas and daisies of any kind.
agavifolium - Rosettes of wide, long jagged edged pointed leaves sits close to the ground and is evergreen. In early summer the tall flower stems thrust up to 3ft high topped by large green teasel-like flowers on branching stems.
pandanifolium - A good agave substitute with long sword shaped leaves, slightly toothed and late tall branching flower spikes of maroon flushed cones of flowers, small but lots of them. Grows in water in its native Argentina but probably will not appreciate too much freezing winter wet, but lives happily outside in my exposed garden. 6ft+ / 2m
EUPATORUM
Excellent, hardy structure for prairie style plantings but also an invaluable source of late nectar for many insects.
maculatum 'Riesenschirm' – The best tall eupatorium about at the moment with dark red stems and big heads of fluffy purple/pink flowers. 5ft/1.4m
rugosum ‘Chocolate’ - A fine new eupatorum with a much more branching habit than maculatum. The leaves are a striking shade of deep brown/purple in an open sunny site - they show more olive green in part shade - and compliment and accent most flower colours. The typical white, fluffy flowers come late, almost into autumn. Excellent as a late nectar source, 4ft.
EUPHORBIA
Euphorbias give year round evergreen accents in the border. The striking bracts surrounding the insignificant flowers add a real zing to the spring/early summer show. As the sap can be irritant, wear gloves when handling/pruning euphorbias.
griffithii 'Fireglow' - A deciduous euphorbia, spreading by rhizomes. It shows itself in spring with striking red tinged shoots to 3ft, the leaves suffused with plum and the veins and stems red, topped with flat heads of orange bracts. The whole plant continues to keep most of its colour until the leaves turn bright red and gold in autumn.
griffithii 'Wickstead' - As above but with striking red tinged shoots, pink leaf veins and stems red, topped with flat heads of tomato red bracts. This is an alternative to the now sadly virus-ridden 'Dixter'. 3ft/1m
martinii - A very useful accent plant for a border, shorter than wulfenii, with more compact heads of lime green bracts with a dark eye. Evergreen and hardy, 3-4ft.
polychroma purpurea - Another late spring early summer flowerer, with the added bonus of purple flushed leaves to enhance the lime bracts. Cut off the spent flower stems to encourage fresh foliage, 18ins-2ft
FILAPENDULA
vulgaris hexapetala - A native form of meadow sweet with cut lacy leaves and tall stems of open frothy, honey-scented cream flowers. Very effective in a meadow or wilder garden patch but goes well in a modern scheme with grasses and gravel too, 3ft.
GALTONIA
candicans - Hardy bulbs liking a sunny spot in good, moisture retentive soil. The alternative name of summer hyacinths doesn’t really prepare you for the magnificent display of white bells held high on stout 2-3ft stems. Very easy and soon bulks up into a showstopping clump.
viridiflora - Not as 'in your face' as the above, with very subtle palest green lacy bells. 2ft/60cm
GERANIUM
Hardy geraniums come in all sizes and flower colour ranging through every shade of pink, blue, violet and white; while even out of flower the foliage is decorative and in some cases, scented. There are varieties for every garden situation from dry shade to full sun and any moist bits inbetween - they are in fact almost indispensible in the garden.
‘Black Beauty’ - The leaves of this choice new variety are dark purple and attractively cut. In the warmer months they will show more green but still admirably compliment the blue open flowers. Long flowering season and compact, 12ins.
clarkei ‘Kashmir White’ - Delightful large pearly white flowers held well above fine cut foliage, will spread into a large clump. Shear over for a second flush of flowers and fresh new foliage late in the season, 18ins.
- ‘Kashmir Blue’ - As above but with sky blue flowers.
- ‘Kashmir Pink’ - As above but mid-pink flowers.
- ‘Kashmir Purple’ - As above but violet/purple flowers.
himalayense plenum - rather like Buxton’s Blue’ in habit but with double dark purple flowers all summer, sun/part shade.
- 'Kashmir Green' - With no hint of pink in the flowers, this rivals phaeum album for freshness and beauty.
magnificum ‘Rosemoor’ - a more compact version of the above, with even larger flowers, re-blooming in late summer, 18ins.
‘Orion’ - Similar to Johnson’s Blue but larger bright blue flowers, doesn’t take over the garden and flowers for most of the summer. By far my favourite blue geranium,18ins.
phaeum - A group of invaluable geraniums, happy in shade and tolerant of dry inhospitable conditions under trees and shrubs. Makes big clumps and excellent groundcover.
phaeum album - Fresh green leaves and strong sprays of pure white flowers over most of spring and into summer. A favourite in my garden for its ability to lift the shadiest corner out of gloom. 18ins/50cm
- 'Samabor' - Very large leaves prominently marked with dark central blotches. The deep purple/plum flowers are a later bonus, but the leaves carry interest through 'til winter.
- 'Sericourt' - As a complete contrast to the above, Sericourt's almost evergreen leaves are bright lime yellow in spring, only softening to lime green later in the year, but still bright. Dark smoky purple flowers as well.
- variegata - Not as strong growing as some of the others, but giving interest through most of the year. The leaves are randomly splashed with pale and dark green, plum and silver and cream. This may sound messy but it is actually most attractive in part shade. This variety prefers better conditions than its more tolerant cousins, but is well worth it.
pratense - All pratense are clump forming with strong stems holding heads of many flowers over a long period in summer, very good for mid border or combined with old-fashioned roses.
- plenum violacae - Later flowering than most, but worth the wait as the flowers are fully double and a beautiful shade of violet.
- ‘Wisley Blue’ - Large soft, pale-blue flowers on strong stems.
tuberosum - A very pretty geranium with small soft cerise pink flowers and rounded leaves. It grows from round tubers, rather like anemone blanda, 18ins.
GEUM
Indespensable tough perennials for most soils in a sunny border. They flower for most of the summer if dead-headed.
‘Lemon Drops’ - A very special cross from Beth Chatto. The slightly nodding flowers and leaves all say geum rivale but the flowers are the most delicate lemon yellow, fading cream. Copes admirably with dry shade and neglect, but it’s much too pretty for that, 12ins / 30cm
‘Kariskaer’ - The upward facing flowers are a bright, deep yellow-orange with dark stems. Comes into flower very early, 12ins / 30cm
‘Lionel Cox’ - Creamy yellow flowers, 12ins / 30cm
‘Nordek - Deep orange flowers from vigorous clumps which seem to keep producing flowers from spring on. 12in / 30cm [this is still flowering in December!]
‘Prinses Juliana’ - Very vigorous, making good clumps quickly and producing sprays of gorgeous orange/apricot semi double flowers in several flushes, 2ft / 60cm
rivale 'cream' - A chance seedling found on the nursery with large flowers on branching stems in a pale creamy white. One large flush of flowers in early summer and then reblooms at intervals into autumn. Seems to cope with full sun and neglect admirably, good ground cover? 18in / 50cm