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Roses have always been a favourite of mine so I look forward to seeing the David Austin launches at Chelsea every year. Last year there were two that especially took my fancy, ‘Darcey Bussell’ and ‘Princess Alexandra of Kent’.
Featured Plants
Click on the featured plants in the article to view in the Hilliers Online shop.
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Really healthy reds are difficult to breed, often the colour comes at the expense of vigour. Any new developments in that field are therefore eagerly awaited by me for my garden full of magenta, purple, blue and blood red. ‘Darcey Bussell’ certainly looks wonderful, it has medium sized blooms with a fresh fruity fragrance and rich crimson red flowers that take on a hint of old rose mauve as the flowers age.
What I particularly like is that it is a compact red and the other good red English roses are big. I can see this nestling in a border with a haze of herbaceous geraniums and the tall spires of delphiniums towering over it!
What I particularly like is that it is a compact red and the other good red English roses are big. I can see this nestling in a border with a haze of herbaceous geraniums and the tall spires of delphiniums towering over it!
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Do I really need to tell you more than that ‘Rosa Princess Alexandra of Kent’ has a tea scent which changes to lemon as the flower ages and then takes on hints of blackcurrants? It making my mouth water just writing about it. In our rose talks last summer this and ‘Darcy Bussell’ were both big hits.
The rose is named for the Queen’s cousin, Princess Alexandra, and has really big, deeply cupped flowers of a warm rich pink, that just ooze fragrance. It is not a big grower, reaching 3.5ft and so is perfect in a smaller garden. The big flowers remind me of some of the earliest Austin English roses but with greatly improved health and carriage of the flowers.
The rose is named for the Queen’s cousin, Princess Alexandra, and has really big, deeply cupped flowers of a warm rich pink, that just ooze fragrance. It is not a big grower, reaching 3.5ft and so is perfect in a smaller garden. The big flowers remind me of some of the earliest Austin English roses but with greatly improved health and carriage of the flowers.
You have probably never come across Abelia mosaniensis before, I hadn’t. How it comes to be a forgotten treasure I don’t know; just see what this plant has going for it. It is very hardy, it has reddish pink beds that form in clusters and open to clear white tubular flowers, it has a fabulous scent and it has glorious orange autumn colour!
If you have a bit of space, it grows to 6ft, this would be perfect for you. The tip is to prune while it is young to encourage a great shaped plant. Do try it and let me know how you get on with it.
If you have a bit of space, it grows to 6ft, this would be perfect for you. The tip is to prune while it is young to encourage a great shaped plant. Do try it and let me know how you get on with it.
It is very rare that a plant gets a second outing in Pip’s Plants, but I think Pieris ‘Katsura’ deserves it. When I first talked about it it was new and untested. It is now 3 years old and has proven itself to be an exceptional garden plant.
What I love about it is that it is unlike any other Pieris in colour. The new stems are a sophisticated wine red, rather than the slightly brash bright red of most varieties. As an evergreen that will not grow too large it is a must for any small garden. I think it really shines in a richly glazed pot with John Innes Ericaceous compost. It even rewards you in spring with clusters of pink lily of the valley type flowers. What is incredible about it is that it was discovered purely by chance in the wild on a hillside in Japan – think how close we were to missing this plant all together.
What I love about it is that it is unlike any other Pieris in colour. The new stems are a sophisticated wine red, rather than the slightly brash bright red of most varieties. As an evergreen that will not grow too large it is a must for any small garden. I think it really shines in a richly glazed pot with John Innes Ericaceous compost. It even rewards you in spring with clusters of pink lily of the valley type flowers. What is incredible about it is that it was discovered purely by chance in the wild on a hillside in Japan – think how close we were to missing this plant all together.
Now I’m a keen flower arranger and I know from the girls at my flower club, Wessex Free Spirits, that all flower arrangers love Heucheras. My theory is that it is all about the amazing range of colours available added to the fact that they are evergreen and hence always available for cutting.
Heuchera ‘Midnight Rose’ caught my eye immediately when I saw it introduced at a trade show. The foliage is a fabulous burnished purple-black with bright pink splashes across the new leaves in spring. It is a real stunner and would look amazing in a container on the patio. I can just see it in a group with some pink double hellebores for early colour, with the ever popular Tulip Queen of Night for spring colour or even magenta pink busy lizzies for summer colour.
The good news is that we have some available, the bad news is that there are only a few available now, be quick and you might snap one up, otherwise wait until the summer and we will have more ready, your local Plant Area Manager will be happy to take your telephone number and let you know when the new batch come in.
Heuchera ‘Midnight Rose’ caught my eye immediately when I saw it introduced at a trade show. The foliage is a fabulous burnished purple-black with bright pink splashes across the new leaves in spring. It is a real stunner and would look amazing in a container on the patio. I can just see it in a group with some pink double hellebores for early colour, with the ever popular Tulip Queen of Night for spring colour or even magenta pink busy lizzies for summer colour.
The good news is that we have some available, the bad news is that there are only a few available now, be quick and you might snap one up, otherwise wait until the summer and we will have more ready, your local Plant Area Manager will be happy to take your telephone number and let you know when the new batch come in.
My last plant is one that will flower a little later but looks like being a real star, Geum ‘Blazing Saddles‘.
It is also known as the ‘double bloody mary geum’. I can see why, the colour is perfect. It has big double bright red flowers carried high above the foliage by elegant strong stems.
It starts flowering just before Chelsea and will carry on all summer long. The foliage is also partly evergreen and takes on rather pretty shades of burnt orange and plum.
It is also known as the ‘double bloody mary geum’. I can see why, the colour is perfect. It has big double bright red flowers carried high above the foliage by elegant strong stems.
It starts flowering just before Chelsea and will carry on all summer long. The foliage is also partly evergreen and takes on rather pretty shades of burnt orange and plum.
