Sanguisorba "Raspberry Coulis" - I think this was my plant star last year as well. It has been in flower since late June. I think it's stopped producing new flowers by now but the old ones still look attractive. Two of the plants have needed a little support at the base.
I love Sanguisorba, and S. 'Raspberry Coulis' looks especially good. But they don't like it here - much too dry. I have S. 'Tanna' and S. 'Chocolate Tip' but they are over very quickly and look a mess 🙁.
'If you have a garden and a library, you have everything you need.'
My star plant this year, although I have failed to get a photo that does it any justice, is a grass: Melica uniflora f. albida - wood melick. It seems fairly happy in my very, very dry shade (for which I am eternally grateful) and its white flowers light up the bed. What I hadn't expected was just how long it would look good for - I'm not sure when it started flowering but probably mid June at the latest, and it's still looking good. I'm delighted with it.
'If you have a garden and a library, you have everything you need.'
And my runner-up is Diascia 'Blue Bonnet' - I have high hopes but it's untested as yet. Only had it a few weeks but it's a fascinating colour, or rather colours - it changes all the time. I am hoping to overwinter it, increase it, and try it in different places but we'll see...
'If you have a garden and a library, you have everything you need.'
My runner up star would be Cobea scandens alba. Flowering from July - bought from a litre pot from Sarah Raven. I have never managed to give cobea enough sun in previous years, but it's very happy this year. It doesn't work very well as a cut flower, which is a shame. I'm glad I gave it a go.
It reminds me of the nature of a tomato or a tree dahlia, in the huge amount of annual growth (probably 20 ft all in for cobea) and flower it puts on in one season. Like a tom, it seems happy in a fairly small pot, as long as it has food and a lot of water. It started early, so it may finish early. It gets very much less sun in its position now than it did in July. I like that in this place, by my door, as it's very much as face level - not up in the sky, over an arch or so forth. It's easy to appreciate and prune in this spot.
It turns out that I am very fond of plants from central America - salvia, dahlia, cobea, cannas. Who knew?
Not my runner up for us Fire ,2nd attempt for Cobea Alba from seed this year . It grew and grew to the top of the trowing last year , healthy but NO flowers. This year a few adjustments, same deep pot only 1 plant and lots of feeding success !Top spot. Runner-up is a new range of Busy-Lizzie I sent for ‘ Glimmer’ for our hanging baskets . Beautiful full blooms and still flowering here in Wales , think I’ll treat myself again next season
Cobea do like shed-loads of sun. Getting a small plant with a good root system was very helpful for me - and continuous feeding. Mine is just starting to decline now but it's been great and I would try it again.
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