I like a good splash of red.. Geum 'Blazing Sunset' is a preferred option, a group of 3 gives a blaze of colour for many weeks.. Achnatherum calamagrostis I find an elegant, graceful grass. Easy from seed, and it will seed itself rather too much. Stems get stiffer with age, long season of interest and flowers from June onwards.. Nice and early.. the stems have some purple banding.. Delosperma cooperi.. easy and hardy in dry gravel.. spreading evergreen, long flowering.. in such conditions, needs no shelter from winter wet.. Clematis koreana 'Propertius'.. Spring flowering but with some repeat in late summer.. I'm very fond of this type. Dwarf narcissi usually come in Tete a Tete or Jetfire.. this white one makes a change.. Narcissii 'Segovia'.. I have a row of it.. can't remember the pink Tulip..
Tulip 'Vincent van Gogh'.. almost black and strongly scented, if that's the right term.. of smelly socks I might add.. interesting.. Fuchsia 'Genii'.. lighter foliage, hardy and long flowering.. perhaps a little boring?..
Fargesia rufa.. good for screening, fairly quick and dense.. spreads at the root, not running but can be alarming.. some can be cut off but some must remain.. very difficult to remove after 5 years if you have a change of heart.. Variety 'Jumbo' despite the name is more compact, grew well south coast full sun on clay, and took time to reach 5 feet.. 'Simba' is smaller and sold me on sight, a stunning smaller bamboo. Fargesia rufa.. Pulmonaria 'Opal'.. a nice change of colour from usual forms.. Halimium libanotis, perhaps a favourite May plant, evergreen and incredibly floriferous.. likes dry conditions, gravel gardens as here.. Coreopsis 'American Dream'.. disappeared after one season. pity, I rather liked it.. Thuja 'Brobeck's Tower'.. another slimline conifer for end stops.. I've had this 10 years, easily trimmed to height.. Geranium sanguineum 'Apple Blossom' my favourite of these, very long flowering into autumn, and brightens the place up.. Thalictrum rochebrunianum.. I wish I had more of this.. I prefer it to Verbena bonariensis for 'see through' plantings.. Erysimum 'Golden Jubilee' evergeen tufty, rooty plants, good for frontal positions, forms a rounded ball.. easily trimmed.. a bright Spring flowering plant.. Aster 'Monch'.. for dry gravel gardens there's nothing better.. July/Oct. Surely in the top 5. This is one single plant after some years..
Thanks for all this @Marlorena. I'll definitely be getting some Erysimum 'Golden Jubilee', but I doubt it will ever look as good as yours.
As for Aster 'Monch' - ours looks just like your photo but it's growing in a loamy topsoil over solid clay so I'd say it's quite substrate tolerant. In fact I bought ours after seeing the ones in Sheffield Botanical Gardens, and they're definitely on a clay soil.
Clay soil - Cheshire/Derbyshire border. I play with plants and soil and sometimes it's successful
@LunarSea Oh thank you !.. yes I had it on the south coast in clay, did very well there too, but so useful for those with dry, rubbly gardens. I don't know what it's like on acid, or damp.. ..............
Cistus 'Thrive' is often quite expensive to buy, but worth it. Long season, flowers into autumn, unusual for Cistus.. I can't be without it.. Geranium 'Russell Prichard' is equally long flowering, like Rozanne, never stops. Here with Anthemis 'Tinpenny Sparkle'.. I prefer the white Dicentra 'Alba' to the pink/red types. There are 2 clones of this in circulation, one lacks vigour and may disappear in the garden.. I would not buy this online, but only in person, making sure I have a good strong plant.. ..I also prefer the white Geranium macrorrhizum form 'Album'.. to the others.. but all good.. exceptional ground cover, it will even suppress horsetail weed to an extent.. Geranium 'Mavis Simpson'.. just one plant spreads far and wide, must be 8 or 10 feet across after a few years.. easily trimmed, dies back to a crown in winter.. astonishing plant, flowers all summer.. Clematis 'Miss Bateman'.. should not be pruned in Spring as it appears to flower best on old wood.. grace and elegance.. Euphorbia x pasteurii 'Browns' Strain'.. develops red foliage winter/spring.. very hardy.. Hakonechloa macra 'Aureola'.. looks good from any direction, but needs some blue I think..
I also prefer the white Geranium macrorrhizum form 'Album'.. to the others.. but all good.. exceptional ground cover, it will even suppress horsetail weed to an extent..
@Marlorena you may have helped me to identify a plant in my garden if you are sure this is G. macrorrhizum 'Album'. I'd more or less decided mine was 'Spessart' but it looks very much like yours! Great plant (I dislike the smell though).
'If you have a garden and a library, you have everything you need.'
@kate.james58 I expect it'll be ok if you didn't overdo it too much.. best to leave on as much as possible..
@LG_ These are probably mixed up in commerce but 'Spessart' is more white, a brighter white, whereas 'Album' is more of a warm white. 'Album' also has those lovely red calyces, the round calyx that surrounds the opening bud, you can clearly see in my photo. I don't know if 'Spessart' has those or not.
Pittosporum 'Garnettii'.. I like these young and fresh as here.. when they get too tall, I usually have them removed as they turn into trees.. 6-8 foot is a maximum for me.. such lovely foliage plants.. After a number of Penstemons, this is the one I stick with,, hardy and reliable. I also love the colour with roses of all sorts. 'Westminster Belle'.. Salvia 'Royal Bumble' is proving hardy for me and a favourite now.. I tried the similar 'Red Swing' and it did not survive a winter.. Anthemis 'E.C. Buxton' is indispensable for dry gardens in full sun. ..as is Astrantia 'Roma'.. long flowering and best in a group I think. Helenium 'Moerheim Beauty'. Longer flowering but the colours didn't work for me, so I no longer have it.. Helenium 'Rubinzwerg'.. I preferred this but it doesn't flower for long unfortunately.. first seen at the Wisley trial gardens, where it caught my eyes.. Veronica 'Marietta'.. such a striking blue, June-Aug but best in July.. does not tolerate prolonged drought.. I'm not a lover of Hostas except when they have pretty flowers like this one.. ..sieboldiana 'Elegans'.. and large blue foliage to go with it... Clematis 'Roguchi' always merits attention.. herbaceous and rapid growing when established.. repeats well too..
Posts
Achnatherum calamagrostis I find an elegant, graceful grass. Easy from seed, and it will seed itself rather too much. Stems get stiffer with age, long season of interest and flowers from June onwards.. Nice and early.. the stems have some purple banding..
Delosperma cooperi.. easy and hardy in dry gravel.. spreading evergreen, long flowering.. in such conditions, needs no shelter from winter wet..
Clematis koreana 'Propertius'.. Spring flowering but with some repeat in late summer..
I'm very fond of this type.
Dwarf narcissi usually come in Tete a Tete or Jetfire.. this white one makes a change.. Narcissii 'Segovia'.. I have a row of it.. can't remember the pink Tulip..
Tulip 'Vincent van Gogh'.. almost black and strongly scented, if that's the right term.. of smelly socks I might add.. interesting..
Fuchsia 'Genii'.. lighter foliage, hardy and long flowering.. perhaps a little boring?..
Variety 'Jumbo' despite the name is more compact, grew well south coast full sun on clay, and took time to reach 5 feet.. 'Simba' is smaller and sold me on sight, a stunning smaller bamboo.
Fargesia rufa..
Pulmonaria 'Opal'.. a nice change of colour from usual forms..
Halimium libanotis, perhaps a favourite May plant, evergreen and incredibly floriferous.. likes dry conditions, gravel gardens as here..
Coreopsis 'American Dream'.. disappeared after one season. pity, I rather liked it..
Thuja 'Brobeck's Tower'.. another slimline conifer for end stops.. I've had this 10 years, easily trimmed to height..
Geranium sanguineum 'Apple Blossom' my favourite of these, very long flowering into autumn, and brightens the place up..
Thalictrum rochebrunianum.. I wish I had more of this.. I prefer it to Verbena bonariensis for 'see through' plantings..
Erysimum 'Golden Jubilee' evergeen tufty, rooty plants, good for frontal positions, forms a rounded ball.. easily trimmed.. a bright Spring flowering plant..
Aster 'Monch'.. for dry gravel gardens there's nothing better.. July/Oct. Surely in the top 5. This is one single plant after some years..
As for Aster 'Monch' - ours looks just like your photo but it's growing in a loamy topsoil over solid clay so I'd say it's quite substrate tolerant. In fact I bought ours after seeing the ones in Sheffield Botanical Gardens, and they're definitely on a clay soil.
I play with plants and soil and sometimes it's successful
Oh thank you !.. yes I had it on the south coast in clay, did very well there too, but so useful for those with dry, rubbly gardens. I don't know what it's like on acid, or damp..
..............
Thanks for comments.
Geranium 'Russell Prichard' is equally long flowering, like Rozanne, never stops. Here with Anthemis 'Tinpenny Sparkle'..
I prefer the white Dicentra 'Alba' to the pink/red types. There are 2 clones of this in circulation, one lacks vigour and may disappear in the garden.. I would not buy this online, but only in person, making sure I have a good strong plant..
..I also prefer the white Geranium macrorrhizum form 'Album'.. to the others.. but all good.. exceptional ground cover, it will even suppress horsetail weed to an extent..
Geranium 'Mavis Simpson'.. just one plant spreads far and wide, must be 8 or 10 feet across after a few years.. easily trimmed, dies back to a crown in winter.. astonishing plant, flowers all summer..
Clematis 'Miss Bateman'.. should not be pruned in Spring as it appears to flower best on old wood.. grace and elegance..
Euphorbia x pasteurii 'Browns' Strain'.. develops red foliage winter/spring.. very hardy..
Hakonechloa macra 'Aureola'.. looks good from any direction, but needs some blue I think..
I expect it'll be ok if you didn't overdo it too much.. best to leave on as much as possible..
@LG_
These are probably mixed up in commerce but 'Spessart' is more white, a brighter white, whereas 'Album' is more of a warm white. 'Album' also has those lovely red calyces, the round calyx that surrounds the opening bud, you can clearly see in my photo. I don't know if 'Spessart' has those or not.
@didyw
..oh thank you !..
After a number of Penstemons, this is the one I stick with,, hardy and reliable. I also love the colour with roses of all sorts.
'Westminster Belle'..
Salvia 'Royal Bumble' is proving hardy for me and a favourite now.. I tried the similar 'Red Swing' and it did not survive a winter..
Anthemis 'E.C. Buxton' is indispensable for dry gardens in full sun.
..as is Astrantia 'Roma'.. long flowering and best in a group I think.
Helenium 'Moerheim Beauty'. Longer flowering but the colours didn't work for me, so I no longer have it..
Helenium 'Rubinzwerg'.. I preferred this but it doesn't flower for long unfortunately.. first seen at the Wisley trial gardens, where it caught my eyes..
Veronica 'Marietta'.. such a striking blue, June-Aug but best in July.. does not tolerate prolonged drought..
I'm not a lover of Hostas except when they have pretty flowers like this one..
..sieboldiana 'Elegans'.. and large blue foliage to go with it...
Clematis 'Roguchi' always merits attention.. herbaceous and rapid growing when established.. repeats well too..