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.
cusickii - ‘Zwanenberg’ - Tall spikes of large hyacinth blue starry flowers, choice, 3ft.
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.
- ‘Sarastro’ - As above but deep, glossy violet purple with lovely matt green foliage, 3ft.
muralis ‘Stella’ – Spreading mats of green leaves with long trails of deep bright blue open flowers for a long period through summer. Responds well to cutting back for later flowers. 4ins / 12cm
persicifolia ‘Beau Belle’ - Charming double mid blue flowers, good deep green foliage, 2ft.
- ‘Fleur de Neige’ - The fully double pure white flowers of this variety look like little snowballs up the wiry stems. Makes a large creeping mat, 2ft.
- ‘Gawen’/‘Hampstead White’ - Semi-double cup-and-saucer flowers flowers, less reflexed than Fleur de Neige, 3ft.
- ‘Merlin’ - Dark blue double flowers, 2ft.
- ‘Pride of Exmouth’ - Light blue double flowers, 2ft.
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
CERATOSTIGMA
Shrubby perennials for a sunny, well drained site with interesting plum tinged leaves – stunning autumn colour too – and amazing blue flowers into late autumn.
abyssinicum – Pale sky blue blue flowers on a shrubby bush with pale green leaves, red foliage in autumn. 2-3ft / 75cm
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
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.
racemosa atropurpurea - Wonderful stands of purple cut foliage all summer and then tall branching stems of pink tinged white flowers, 4ft.
simplex ‘Brunette – Very dark purple leaves but not as cut as above. Good scented white flowers. 4ft/1.2m
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.
CRAMBE
cordifolia - Not for the faint-hearted - the deep green glossy, wrinkled, rounded leaves emerge from purple budded crowns; then the flower stems emerge, shooting up to 6ft in height and branching out to form an immense cloud of creamy white flowers, covered in bees and hoverflies and followed by decorative round seed cases. Wow ! 5ft+
maritima – The young shoots of this seakale can be blanched and eaten in spring but then you would miss the purple crinkly display of the young wavy glaucus leaves. White flowers on branching stems. 15in / 40cm
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
Babylon - Large open flowers of striking dark orange with a red throat. 3ft.
Citronella – Clear yellow flowers. Small but perfect. 2ft / 60cm
Castle Ward Late – Tall stems of very open sprays of dark orange-red spidery flowers, darker red on outside, strong grower. 3ft / 1m
Emily McKenzie - Very large, open burnt orange flowers with dark red blotches. Quite short but very striking, 2-3ft.
George Davison - Soft yellow flowers in sprays, 2ft.
Golden Dew – Large golden-yellow flowers in open sprays. 2-3ft / 1m
Limpopo – New and special. Large pinky apricot flowers in close sprays. 2-3ft / 80cm
Okavango - Warm peachy orange flowers in close sprays. 2-3ft / 80cm
* paniculatum - An old variety striking at all stages of growth. Large sword-like leaves shoot up to 4-5ft, followed by large sprays of small intense scarlet flowers. After the flowers fade the seedheads remain a decorative statement of their own, 4ft / 1-1.2m
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