Geranium x cantabrigiense ‘Biokovo’
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Geranium x cantabrigiense ‘Biokovo’ (jer-AY-nee-um kan-tuh-brij-EN-see) Family: Geraniaceae Common name: Biokovo cranesbill Zone: 4 – 8 Height: 6-10 in (15-25 cm) Spread: 12-24 in (30-60 cm) Aspect: full sun; partial shade Soil: moderate; well-draining Water: moderate |
| Description: An evergreen perennial with a low mounding habit. Will slowly spread by rhizomatous runners. Medium green leaves are round lobed, slightly hairy and fragrant. Foliage turns delightful shades of yellow, orange and red colours in autumn. Small, 5-petalled flowers are white with pink flush at base of each petal. Deep pink stamens are prominent. Blooms late spring through summer.
Special Notes: Native to the Biokovo Mountains in Croatia, along the Dalmatian coast of the Adrian Sea. A natural crossing between G. macrorrhizum and G. dalmaticum that was discovered in 1990. Very easy care; relatively pest and disease free. Drought tolerant. Deer and rabbit resistant. Propagation by division in early spring or autumn.
Great Plant Pick 2009; Perennial Plant of the Year 2015
Posted on February 3, 2015 |
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Helleborus x ballardiae ‘HGC Pink Frost’
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Helleborus x ballardiae ‘HGC Pink Frost’ (hel-LEB-ore-uss) Family: Ranuculaceae Common name: hellebore |
| Description: An evergreen perennial with an upright to slightly fanning growth habit. Leathery green leaves have sharply-toothed, serrated edges. Outward-facing, long-blooming flowers open pink, streaked with white and rose, in February, aging to a deep pinkish-red colour as spring advances to summer. Very florific.
Special Notes: This hybrid, a crossing between Helleborus niger and H. lividus, was bred at the Heuger Nursery in Glandorf, Germany. Originally known as Helleborus COSEH 710, it is one of the new Heuger Gold Collection (HGC) series. Possible pest and disease problems include aphids and black spot. Vine weevils have been known to infest the roots of potted plants, especially those kept in pots for long periods of time. Black Death is a new virus that has been infecting hellebores in private collections and nurseries. If your plant becomes infected with this virus…as evidenced by black streaking on flower petals, stems and leaves…carefully dig up the plant and immediately bag it for the garbage.
Caution: All parts of the plant are poisonous.
Posted on Thursday, January 15, 2015 |
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Salvia verticillata ‘Purple Rain’
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Salvia verticillata ‘Purple Rain’ Family: Labiateae Common name: lilac sage; whorled clary sage |
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Description: A clump-forming, herbaceous perennial with a lax habit. Fragrant, soft, olive-green leaves are spade-shaped. Purple-blue flowers appear on tall spikes from July until frost, if dead-headed regularly.
Special Notes: A cultivar introduced in the 1990s. Will tolerate poor soils but needs good drainage in wet winter climates. Drought tolerant once established. Attracts bees and butterflies. Deer resistant. Propagate by seed; by division in early spring or autumn; cuttings in spring through autumn.
Great Plant Pick 2002
Posted on May 2, 2013
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Thalictrum flavum ssp. glaucum
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Thalictrum flavum ssp. glaucum Family: Ranunculaceae |
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Description: An herbaceous perennial with an upright clump-forming habit. Lovely, blue-green aquilegia-type (columbine) leaves. Panicles of lemon-yellow flowers are petal-less and fringed. Flowers in late June through into autumn.
Special Notes: The yellow flowers in this species is a hiatus from the dominating pinks, lilacs and purples throughout the rest of this genus. In actual fact, the colour comes from the abundant yellow stamens of its flowers. This plant may need staking in windy locations. Attracts bees and butterflies. Relatively few pests and disease problems but watch for powdery mildew. Propagate by seed or by division in early spring or autumn. Will self-sow.
RHS Award of Garden Merit 1993
Posted on April 28, 2013 |
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Phlox paniculata ‘Nora Leigh’
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Phlox paniculata ‘Nora Leigh’ Common name: garden phlox; summer phlox |
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Description: An herbaceous perennial with an upright, slightly spreading habit. Oblong green leaves are irregularly edged in a wide swath of creamy white. Panicles of very pale pink, almost white flowers with a darker pink eye appear in summer through into autumn.
Special Notes: Native to North America. Attracts bees and butterflies. Good cut flower. Few pests or diseases, but watch for powdery mildew and spider mites. Not deer or rabbit resistant. Propagate by cuttings in June; division in spring or autumn.
In our Zone 7a garden: This phlox is in my front garden and I much prefer the shade of pink flowers with this plant’s particular variegation over the bloom colour of Phlox paniculata ‘Becky Towe’. THe only bloom removal I do is cutting off the spent flowers. ‘Nora Leigh’ also scored higher than ‘Becky Towe’ in the 2001-2009 phlox trials at the Chicago Botanical Gardens, receiving a ‘3.5 Star’ rating from the judges…mainly because ‘Nora Leigh’ did not suffer from fusarium stem rot disease during the trial, as ‘Becky Towe’ did. Having said that, we find the variegation is not as strong in ‘Nora Leigh’ as it is in ‘Becky Towe’. Every season there are a few ‘Nora Leigh’ stems coming from the roots that have all green leaves. Nowhere in the 10-page Chicago Botanical Gardens phlox trial report was this fact mentioned which leads me to wonder whether I possibly have a “weaker plant”…even though its growth habit is rigorous enough. Hard to know. But I keep the reverting stems on my ‘Nora Leigh’ in check by removing them as they appear. This also helps me to keep the whole plant in check…overall. It does have a slowly creeping habit after all.
Posted on April 1, 2013
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