CALAMINTHA
The highly scented leaves release their fragrance when brushed against. Perfect for soft colour and scent all summer and into autumn. Much loved by bees and butterflies.
nepeta ‘Blue Cloud’ – As named, a cloud of soft blue flowers on long spikes all summer. 2ft / 60cm
- ‘White Cloud’ – More compact than above but just as floriferous. 18in / 45cm
CAMASSIA
Excellent bulbs for the border or naturalising in meadows or woodland edges. The flowering height will be determined by soil and aspect - In a meadow or well-drained soil they will be shorter than in moist or good border soil.
esculenta 'Blue Melody' - Just the nicest clusters of dark blue starry flowers over green leaves, edged with pale yellow. Not as tall, but just as useful. 1-2ft/60cm
leichlinii alba - Later than caerulea, with creamy white starry flowers. 3-4ft / 1m+
leichtlinii caerulea - In late spring & early summer a group of these sky-blue starry perennials is hard to beat for impact, 3-4ft.
-'Sacajawa – Spires of creamy white starry flowers with strong cream edged green leaves, later than caerulea. 3-4ft / 1-1.2m
CAMPANULA
A useful and versatile family of herbacious plants, with a variety suitable for every garden situation providing the soil has reasonable drainage. The bell shaped flowers come in all shades of blue and white, with some lilacs and pinks, sun or part shade.
punctata rubrifolia - Very nice green foliage with a slight red cast and spires of large pinky red bells. Easy and hardy, with a long flowering period through summer. 3ft/90cm.
- ‘Sarastro’ - As above but deep, glossy violet purple with lovely matt green foliage, 3ft.
- Wedding Bells' - The prettiest double flowers [one bell inside another], in a clean white and flowering for ages, make this very desirable. Slightly shorter than the species. 2ft / 60cm.
persicifolia ‘- Charming mid blue flowers, good deep green foliage, 3ft / 80cm.
- ‘Alba' - The pure white flowers of this variety give a fresh cool feel to any border. 3ft - 80cm
CENTAUREA
Scabiosa albiflora – Perfect for wild or prairie planting, an unusual white flowered knaphead with feathery cut grey-green leaves, full sun. 18ins / 50cm
CEPHALARIA
dipsacoides - The same branching habit as gigantea but darker green foliage, smaller paler cream flowers and more dwarf, making it easier to fit into smaller borders, 3-4ft.
gigantea - This really is a giant but the stems are so divided as to give the illusion of delicacy. A huge scabious, the flowers are a delicious shade of creamy yellow, freely and constantly produced from late spring and are a magnet for bumble bees - the record in my garden is 5 on one flower! Highly reccommended, 6ft+.
ochroleuca - This is the mini version of the above varieties but it still packs a punch! In fact, I would say it is my best selling variety. Masses of small cream scabious flowers from wiry branching stems, over neat evergreen leaves and it flowers off and on right through the summer and autumn! 18ins/50cm
see also Scabious, Knautia
CHRYSANTHEMUM
Hardy border chrysanthemums are a valuable asset to the autumn border and very easy to grow. They should be lifted and divided every 2-3 years to maintain vigour.
rubellum ‘Mrs Jesse Cooper’ - An old favourite with narrow, slighty ragged dusky red single flowers, which age, [I will not say fade] to a charming old rose colour; very sophisticated. 2-3ft.
see also Tanecetum
CICHORIUM
Intybus alba - Tall branching plant with masses of ragged white flowers over most of the summer. Very perennial and hardy. 5ft/1.5m
- rosea - As above but with masses of ragged pale pink flowers over most of the summer. Not as tall or rangy. Very perennial and hardy. 4ft/1.2m
CIMICIFUGA now known as ACTAEA
These late flowering perennials have decorative cut leaves and spires of fluffy white flowers, sweetly scented. They need good soil, moist if possible and are tolerant of shade.
simplex atropurpurea 'James Compton' - Wonderful stands of purple-red cut foliage all summer and then tall branching stems of pink-purple tinged buds and highly scented white flowers, 5ft/150cm.
simplex ‘Brunette – Very dark purple leaves but not as cut as above. Good scented white flowers. 4ft/1.2m
simplex ‘White Pearl' – Fresh green leaves as above. Good scented white flowers, produced freely and later than the other varieties. 3ft/90cm
CIRSIUM
rivulare ‘Atropurpureum’ - And now for something completely different! This looks like a thistle but isn’t spiny, loves a hot spot, where it will produce numerous thistle-like flowers on strong stems in the most amazing shade of dark plum/purple. Add that it is hardy and flowers almost continuously from late spring to autumn and you have a ‘must have’ plant. I used to stress this needed well drained soil to survive but having now seen it survive frost, snow and torrential downpours on an exposed site and planted in heavy soil over clay, I think it might put up with everything except swamp conditions, 3-4ft.
CROCOSMIA
Hardy herbacious perennials, forming spreading clumps from long strings of corms. Broad sword like leaves are a feature from late spring, followed by sprays of trumpet shaped flowers in all shades from yellow to scarlet into late autumn. All like an open sunny site and good drainage. Easy
Emily McKenzie - Very large, open burnt orange flowers with dark red blotches. Quite short but very striking, 2-3ft.
Star of the East - Huge wide open pure orange flowers in big sprays, 2-3ft / 80cm
CYNARA
cardunculus - The ‘cardoon’ is an artichoke relative, grown in the vegetable garden for its blanched leaf stems - apparently they taste very like celery when cooked - and used to great effect in the herbacious border as an accent plant. The jagged silver leaves appear in late spring, growing to 3ft long by the time the thick branching stems start pushing skywards. The mini artichokes which are the buds finally burst into purple thistles in mid summer and can be dried for later use in floral arrangements, alternatively the birds will give you hours of amusement as the dig around for the seeds in winter. Needs an open, sunny site with good soil that does not become waterlogged in winter - and a lot of room! 6ft+
Please see the veg section for edible artichokes
DIANTHUS
carthusianorum - An alpine pink of great garden worthiness looking more like a sweet william. Typical grey pink foliage but the flowers are borne in clusters on top of tall stems, bright rosy pink and slightly scented. Established clumps will have further clusters of flowers shooting out above the first flowering, 18ins / 50cm
cruentus - The habit is as the above but the colour is deep carmine red, quite extraordinary, 18ins / 50cm
see petrohagia
DIGITALIS
A woodland favourite, the biennial digitalis purpurea is part of our landscape and gardens, but some of its perennial cousins offer different foliage and flowers to tempt us.
grandiflora ‘Carillion’ - From the evergreen rosette of fresh green leaves, come spikes of large creamy-yellow flowers, easy and hardy in a well-drained spot, 2ft / 60cm
lutea – Something special for sun or part shade. Easy and hardy with narrow, glossy green leaves and spikes of slender pale yellow flowers. This may not have the initial impact of the large flowered varieties but it is elegant, hardy and perennial. 2ft / 40cm
parviflora - Another small-flowered variety, sending slender spires of densely packed chocolate brown tubular flowers from the glossy dark green rosettes of foliage. Sun and good drainage please, 3ft / 80cm
DODECATHEON
meadia alba – Something special for a part shady spot. Easy and hardy with spectacular sprays of reflexed white flowers in spring. Will seed around if happy. 12ins / 30cm
meadia 'Red Wings' – Shorter growing than the above with spectacular sprays of reflexed deep magenta flowers in spring. Will seed around if happy. 12ins / 30cm