TANACETUM
Not invasive tansy but what used to be called pyrethrum. Good feathery foliage and strong stems with daisy flowers, tough and easy.
corymbosum - Lots of clear white, yellow centred flowers in wide flat spaced out heads on top of strong stems, feathery dark green foliage. Good for wilder natural planting but the flowers are big enough to hold their own in a main border, 2-3ft.
THALICTRUM
Called meadow rue because of their pretty ferny foliage, these reliable and hardy perennials will grow in a variety of conditions from moist to dry, sun to shade. These taller varieties are not overpowering because every part of them looks light and delicate.
aquilegifolium Thundercloud’ - Very striking slatey-blue/mauve fluffy flowers in large heads, flowering in early summer, 5ft..
* delavayi - Tall wiry stems hold huge panicles of pale lilac flowers with cream stamens in late summer, very easy but late to emerge in spring - take note, 3-4ft.
- alba – As above, but the flowers are pure white and set off by fresh green leaves. 3-4ft
- * ‘Hewitt’s double’ – Tall growing easy perennial, looks good over a long period. Pretty leaves in spring, then spires of delicate mauve rosette flowers in huge pannicles late summer, 3-4ft.
glaucum flavum - Tall growing, with blue-green leaves and stems flushed with purple when young. The heads of fluffy softyellow flowers come in summer, 5ft. Will grow in surprisingly dry conditions, sun/part shade.
lucidum - Very lacy fresh green leaves and fluffy heads of pale yellow flowers - it definately is ‘shiny’,4ft.
TIARELLA
Really useful clumping perennials for quite dry shade and part shade. Easier and more tolerant than heucheras, but with similar foliage and flowers. They flower for long periods and are mostly evergreen.
‘Mint Chocolate’ – Bright lime green maple leaves with a prominent dark star. The flowers are pinky beige and scented. 14in / 35cm
‘Morning Star’ – Green maple shaped leaves with a dark star and spires of pink tinged starry flowers into autumn. 12in / 30cm
wherryii – The leaves on this species tiarella may be plain green, but the white flowers are freely produced through the summer and very nicely scented so it earns its keep in my book! 12in / 30cm
TRADESCANTIA
The fleshy leaves of spiderworts make them look almost tender but they are very hardy and free flowering. Stems branch above the foliage with the flowers in bunches, opening one after the other. New hybrids have extended the colour range and size of the flowers, making them ideal as a long season plant for sun or part shade.
andersoniana ‘Bilbery Ice’ - Lilac flowers with white edges, shorter at only 12ins.
- ‘Concorde Grape’ - This is very special. The foliage is blue-green, flushed with purple, with an almost irridescent sheen to it, enhanced by the deep purple flowers which are freely produced well into autumn, 2ft.
- ‘J C Weguelin’ - Delightful lavender blue flowers, 2ft.
- ‘Perrine’s Pink’ - A seedling from Concorde Grape, this time pale pink flowers float amongst the blue-green foliage,18ins.
- Red Grape - This new variety has the same blue-flushed foliage as Concorde Grape but with startling bright cerise flowers. The spring foliage is bright pink and very decorative 18ins.
TRICYRTIS
Toadlilies come from Japan and are hardy, easy and useful flowers for autumn colour in partial shade in soil that does not dry out. The flowers look very exotic, almost like orchids and the spotted foliage is also attractive early in the season.
formosana – Open, mauve flowers with purple spots. 18in / 50cm
- ‘Empress’ – Larger flowers than above and more prominent spots. 14in / 35cm
hirta – Tall, with white flowers, spotted pale purple spaced up the top half of the stem. 2ft / 60cm
TRIFOLIUM
Some people might baulk at introducing clover into the garden, but I feel that as easy groundcover the coloured leaf varieties are a godsend and the giant clover is stunning and clump forming.
repens ‘Dragon’s Blood’ - The leaves are variegated white and green with dark red markings and the flowers are white. 5in / 12cm
- ‘Gold Net’ – Large leaves with prominent gold veining. 5in / 12cm
- quadrifolia – Not only do you get fabulous plum/purple leaves edged in green but most of them will be four-leafed clovers! 5ins / 12cm
TROLLIUS
Think of buttercups on steroids and you have trollius. They make large clumps of very attractive cut leaves, sending up strong stems with large yellow buttercup-like flowers, some with prominent stamens. Traditionally a pondside plant, they will grow sucessfully in a border given good soil that does not completely dry out.
europaeus ‘Superbus’ - Reliable and unfussy, good for a dryer site, bright buttercup yellow flowers, 3ft.
pumila – Neat mounds of shiny foliage and shiny yellow buttercups, scented too. 12in / 30cm
stenopetalus - The large yellow flowers are semi-double with a waxy appearance. Good bold green foliage, 2-3ft.
VERBASCUM
An immensely useful group of perennial and biennial plants for sun or part shade. All like well drained soil and most self seed. Ideally suited to growing on chalk and most love poor soil.
chaixii alba- green wrinkled leaves and stout spires of small white flowers with a purple eye to 4ft. Easy and reliable, self seeds, ideal for a wild garden.
Cotswold Beauty - Dark green leaves and dark apricot flowers flushed with ochre/orange. Looks like but is much easier than Helen Johnson, 5ft.
Cotswold Queen - The flowers are ochre yellow, buff and mauve on tall spikes. Easy and hardy, 4ft.
Southern Charm - Masses of spikes of small flowers above rosettes of green foliage. The flowers are all shades of dusky pink and cream with a mauve cast, 2-3ft.
VERBENA
* bonariensis - Bees, butterflies and hoverflies will flock round the tight heads of purple flowers on this tall perennial. The slender stems constantly branch to provide flowers all summer season and it is airy enough to use anywhere in the border. Sun and good drainage essential, poor soil not a problem, seeds itself gently about, 6ft.
corymbosum - This plant is really, really lovely. It looks like a very tall heliotrope with big heads of small delicately scented violet flowers for ages in summer, but, given decent drainage, it’s hardy in all but the worst winters, spreading to enhance your summer borders. Every home should have one, 2ft.
* hastata alba - Dainty white flowers pop from branching heads of short green flower spikes, fresh green leaves, clumps and doesn’t run, very pretty, 3ft.
- * rosea - As above but with pale pink flowers, the stems and flower spikes being flushed red makes a lovely contrast to the pale pink, 3ft.
* rigida - This mildly suckering plant looks very stiff and dry but this means it laughs in the face of heat and drought! The short, fat spikes of lavender-like flowers are produced all summer and it makes a good clump in your new mediterrannean border, 18ins.
VERONICASTRUM
These tall, strong and tough perennials are perfect for attracting bees, butterflies and hoverflies to your garden. Good foliage and fine seed heads give a long period of interest - blue tits and finches love the seed heads!
virginicum - Very tall stems with ruffs of leaves leading up to fine spikes of pale mauve flowers, like bunches of mini-verbascums at the top. Very chic with grasses or daisies of any kind, 5ft.
- alba - As above but white flowers and very slender elegant foliage, 3ft.
- ‘Apollo’ - Dark green leaves and long, single spikes of lavender/violet flowers, 3ft.
- ‘Fascination’ - Lovely red-flushed stems and leaves with typical multi-spikes of rosy/lilac flowers, 3ft.
- ‘Spring Dew’ - An altogether bigger and better veronicastrum virg. alba, with strong stems and longer, whiter, single spikes, that curl over into interesting shapes as they mature, 3ft.