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This plant index continues
to grow, you can look forward to more additions over the coming seasons.
I offer a number of these plants and others for sale Plants
for sale ; List of common plant names
| Plant name | Description | Flowering time [UK] | ||||||||
Gaillardia aristata
|
Call
me 'picky' but I have never really appreciated the gaillardia or 'Blanket
Flower' a US prairie native [one US website calls english garden literature
'snobbish' for dismissing it, so I have not been alone on this side
of the atlantic]. 'Goblin' [Kobold] is the cheerful but rather coarse scarlet and yellow cultivar you see most often in garden centres. I thought to grow the more refined [to my mind] 'Burgunder' from seed, an all over rich deep red and not a whiff of yellow. Of the three plants I kept this is what I got, not a 'Burgunder' amongst them. However through the long hot summer of 2003 these bloomed sturdily until late November [kept deadheaded] - so hurrah for the gaillardia! Flowering: June - Frost |
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| The
Snowdrop, one of the first signs of spring. There are a number of
species and a very wide variety of cultivars. Brenda Troyle, this picture doesn't do justice to the large plump pearly buds of this snowdrop. Magnet has a longer green bit that links the flower to the stem [pedicel?]. The movement in a breeze is more pronounced than a 'normal' snowdrop and quite pretty. The outer petals are longer and thinner than those of Brenda Troyle. Lady Elphinstone, a double snowdrop with yellow/green trimming to her skirts. Takes time to establish, some flowers may revert back to green edge and the yellowing does seem to vary flower to flower. |
All in flower early February |
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Woodruff, Ladies-in-the-Hay, Mariengras, plant it at your peril! I have chosen to make its rampant acquaintance. I grew it from seed and tucked it in my shady woodland bed. It likes the conditions a bit too much. Another native wildflower, it has whorls of leaves [similar to goose grass/cleavers] but shiny not hooked and lower growing. Topped in late spring by simple small white flowers. Roy Genders in his book 'Scented Flora of the World' , says that it contains high levels of cumarin as do certain meadow grasses. When Woodruff leaves are dried they release the sweet hay scent that cumarin evokes. It dies away to some extent in the winter and forms little overwintering leaf tufts along the runners. |
Flowers in May | |||||||||
|
|
x 'Ann Folkard' clarkei 'Kashmir
White'
orientalitibeticum robustum |
May
- July Geranium himalayense 'Irish Blue'  Geranium pratense |
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Gladiolus
|
This
year I have been experimenting with gladioli. I think that some of
the primulinus? hybrids can certainly 'fit' well in planting schemes
without looking too stiff. A little like begonias one has to admire the thumping great presence of the larger 'more traditional' ones however. I enjoyed a large green flowered one amongst grasses in Crescent Gardens B&B front garden in Bath earlier this year. I also planted pure white 'The Bride', what a beautiful cool and slender glad she is, flowering in early July. The majority of my other glads have been August flowerers which makes them useful for later colour.  Queen of Night |
 Barbara Rich ruby red |
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| Grasses | The big question - when to cut back or tidy, I am still learning. The RHS suggests cutting back Stipa in spring. With my Carex, C. buchananii and C.testacea I don't cut them back but I try to 'groom' them by gently tugging at small bunches of blades after flowering. I think over time they have to be replaced anyway as they seem build up lots of old dead growth underneath and lose vigour. Festuca glauca 'Elijah Blue' was lovely as a new specimen but over 3 years formed a mound like an ant hill with mouldering brown and blue bits and altogether took on a lumpish appearance, the RHS suggest a hard prune back every spring, mine has been dug up and split. Miscanthus are a bit easier, cut back to 3 inches from the ground in late winter. Pennisetum cut back the old dead growth in April just as the first new shoots are starting to push through. | |||||||||
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|
Dan Hinkley in his book 'The Explorers Garden' says there are 50 different varieties, with a range from South America to New Zealand. The most well known is Gunnera manicata which can grow to massive proportions [over 6 feet tall ] when well fed and watered. It can be seen to good effect in many of the big Cornish gardens. The Gunnera dies down every year to large resting 'buds' that poke out of the ground. It is suggested that these are covered with a mulch or the dead Gunnera leaves until Spring to protect from frost. The 'flower' is a greenish/russet spike that looks a bit like an oversized open pinecone. Gunnera magellanica is a tiny carpeting plant with scalloped pale green leaves about 2 inches across, but is not particularly happy in dryish shade. Christopher Lloyd suggests it likes a moist position. |
Mid summer | ||||||||
| Hart's Tongue Fern | see Asplenium scolopendrium | |||||||||
Hieracium
aurantiacum
|
Heiracium
aurantiacum [Hawkweed] has fantastic tangy ruddy orange flowers
similar to a small dandelion but in clusters on top of a longish
stalk! The mat of bristly leaves is ground hugging. It is a rampant
spreader so be warned, spent 2002 admiring it and will spend 2003
keeping it within bounds! Another name for it is 'Grim the Collier'
no idea why. |
June - August | ||||||||
Hedychium
|
Hedychium
spicatum is perhaps not the flashiest member of the ginger family.
Spidery white and coral flowers, lightly scented. The rhizomes give
off a gingerish scent when dividing. The fruit left, is quite a
revelation in the autumn ......the seed pods ripen and open to reveal
the seeds thrust forward surrounded by the scarlet inner surfaces
of the pods. Easy to grow from seed also propagate from division in spring as they start to come into growth again. |
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Helianthemum
[Rock rose] Somerset Wild Flower Collection - Carymoor |
The wild rock rose Helianthemum nummularium [shown to the left], grows in the UK, the common form is a bright buttercup yellow. Forms big mats. Can be found on the chalk scarps locally. The Bride is a nice white with silvery foliage. Henfield Brilliant is a rich orange, its silvery foliage provides a good background to the flowers. Recently found a fantastic carmine-red rock rose called Supreme, luscious!. Salmon Queen is somewhat wishy washy and has been likened to the colour of a certain shade of recycled loo paper! Doubles include a scarlet red ' Mrs C W Earle' [Fireball] and 'Jubilee' a rich yellow and flowers for ages. Grow in full sun on chalky/limey soils, clip over gently when finished flowering to stop plants getting too 'bare' and twiggy [some are worse than others for twigginess]. |
May
- June Henfield Brilliant |
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Heliotropium
arborescens
Princess Marina [dark] and Gatton Park |
Cherry
Pie - a wonderfully scented tender shrub from S America. The Victorians
used them extensively and there are still a number of named cultivars
available ranging from the white White Lady through pale lilac
Gatton Park to dark purple Princess Marina. Some display
the parents looser sprawly growth others are more compact. They can be overwintered inside in cool frost free conditions. Striking easily from cuttings H arborescens and the bedding variety Marine can also be grown from seed although I have read that Marine is not scented. |
All year | ||||||||
Helleborus
Helleborus niger
Helleborus purpurascens |
The so called
'Christmas Rose' [Helleborus niger] was once the
hellebore, this one is in bloom in mid March, the pink coloured
flower is going over. This is a good form with large upward facing
flowers, much visited by early bees. The flowers are held about
8 inches above the ground, in this instance it is growing in full
sun on clay soil [mixed with soil improvers], not necessarily ideal
but so far holding its own [after 2 years it was no more!] |
 'Harvington Shades of the Night' strain Feb - April |
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Heptacodium
miconioides |
From
China another large shrub that flowers later in the year, this picture
was taken in early October. The white flowers are lightly scented
and carried on the end of the current year's growth. After flowering
it displays reddish-green bracts which make for a longer display and
general interest. Has large oval green deciduous leaves and is a vigorous
grower. I have seen specimens up 8 -10 feet, not sure as to hardiness, -10°C to -15°C perhaps? It is mentioned in Beth Chatto's 'Woodland Garden' |
Sept - Oct | ||||||||
Hesperis
matronalis var albiflora
|
Dame's
Violet, Sweet Rocket - a quintessential cottage garden plant.
Roughly hairy stolid green leaves makes it overall closer to 'weed' status but when those simple flowers open and the rich scent intensifies towards evening and as the light fades the starry flowers twinkle in the gathering dark - then it's all worthwhile tucked in a shadyish spot. The 'normal' type has pale mauve flowers and there are also doubles available. Easily grown from seed this biennial to short lived perennial often seeds itself around the garden, the doubles can only be kept going from cuttings. |
May - June | ||||||||
| Hosta | ||||||||||
|
|
Hostas are members of the lily family and I always think it a shame that not more of them are scented, many of the flowers look as though they should be, but then that would make them more feminine plants, and they do tend to be considered 'structural' and more 'masculine'. Most of mine are species, grown from seed [Chiltern] which seemed pretty easy, although I haven't a clue which they are. Hosta nigrescens has dramatic emerging foliage, an amazing contrast between the lime green and bloomy dark purple. When the leaves mature they are darker green and perhaps held higher than some. As this is grown in a pot I am not sure under better conditions how much taller it might grow. Currently it makes about 1.5 - 2ft. The flowers sadly are the normal pale lilac colour bells but on longer elegant stems. [Originally from Cally Gardens] My favourite
is H. plantaginea with it's glossy apple green leaves and
scented white flowers see 'Contained
gardening' for more about it and a picture. |
July Slugs and snails don't you just love 'em!  Fried Green Tomatoes |
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Hyacinthoides
non- scripta
|
The
English Bluebell or Crow Flower as opposed to the dumpy earlier
flowering and generally less attractive Spanish Bluebell [unfair -
moi?!]. Actually not exclusively English either also occurring in
France, Belgium and Germany. Dainty scented nodding heads in May,
the fringed skirts of the bells flicking upwards. A lovely sight -
the haze of blue in the dappling shade from emerging leaves a sign
that summer is on its way. The sap is said to be an irritant for some people and it can be invasive in a garden setting when happy in moistish semi shade. Do not collect from the wild, buy from a reputable bulb dealer. |
May | ||||||||
Impatiens
omeiana
|
A
lovely plant for moistish light soils or pots in semi shade/shade
. The clusters of apricot flowers appear in late summer. Bought from Crûg Farm Plants it originated from Mt Omei in China, this form has particularly nicely marked leaves. It likes to run and will form colonies - the whorls of the leaves swirl up fleshy ruddy stems to approx. a foot or so [so far]. |
August - September | ||||||||
|
Iochroma
australe [Acnistus] |
Another member
of the solanum family [potatoes and tomatoes also belong]. The normal
type has purple/blue flowers rather than the white shown here. Chiltern's stock the seed and recommend it as a tender bedding plant as it will grow and flower in the first year under good conditions. Rix and Phillips suggest it is hardy to -5°C maybe more if sheltered. I have had mine growing in a pot in a sheltered but shady spot close to the house for a number of years. It loses it's leaves over winter [although it apparently can be semi-evergreen] and is very early into growth again in Spring. I am not growing it under optimum conditions so it does not put on a lot of annual growth. The specimen shown is a few years old and remains outside. May/June |
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Ipomea 'Grandpa Otts' |
Ipomea
look and climb like bindweed but they are much flashier, better behaved,
deeply gorgeous and don't overwinter outside here [treat as an annual].
A wonderful show as summer turns to Autumn. Grandpa Otts and
Kniola's Black seem very similar to me, Heavenly Blue
is that classic breathtaking sky blue. The one pictured to the right
is different to those above, it has much thicker and bigger leaves. Can get grumpy if the weather is grey and miserable in early summer, this shows in a whitening of the leaves - normally pull their socks up with a bit of TLC, summer warmth and feeding. There was a useful article in the April 2003 issue of the RHS Magazine on summer container planting including combinations using Ipomea, Thunbergia and Mina lobata. |
 July
to frost |
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| Iris | ||||||||||
|
A fairly early flowering Iris, probably a germanica hybrid. It is an odd off- white, flushed pale grey-violet. The flower scent is that of violets. This Iris is the source of orris root, the rhizomes have been dried and used for centuries as a scent base in pot pourri and perfumes. Polunin states that it is also the model for the Fleur-de-Lys and it does look distinctly like that in this picture. The flower bud unwraps itself in a different manner to the more clumsy unfolding of the other bearded iris I grow [reminds me of Rennie Mackintosh]. I. 'English Cottage' is larger in all it's parts, much whiter with blue/purple pencilling on the fall edges, it too is strongly scented and slightly later flowering. Both grow vigorously
for me, they are in dryish soil mulched with gravel in full sun.
Lift and divide after flowering. Flowering May - June
|
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 reticulata |
One of the early spring flowering miniature Irises, in the wild it's range stretches from Russia to Iran. I grow them in pots for a moveable early Spring show. The colour can range from pale blue through to rich purple and the intensity of the scent varies. The style and flower size between the different cultivars can also be quite different. Cultivars include 'Joyce', 'Harmony', 'J S Dijt' and 'Cantab'. I plant them in late October in pots in free draining peat-free compost and lift and dry off when the foliage had died down in late Spring. It has been suggested they should be planted about 6 inches deep in the garden to stop too much development of bulbils at the expense of flowering size 'bulbs'. |
February | ||||||||
Hermodactylus
tuberosus [Iris tuberosa] |
The
Widow or Mourning Iris, a sombre name for such an ephemeral beauty.
I was intrigued by them and first bought a bunch of these in a small
florists in London's Holborn years ago. I fell in love with the odd
combination of chartreuse and black. It took a while to track them
down as I didn't know the latin name then. In the wild it grows in
S.France, Greece, 'Yugoslavia', Turkey and Israel. In my mothers garden this is a shy flowerer, it spreads readily and produces lots of leaves but few flowers, perhaps it needs meaner treatment like I. unguicularis? |
February - March | ||||||||
Kniphofia  K northiae |
Red
Hot Pokers originate from Southern Africa and to be honest I used
to hate the 'normal' traffic light poker mainly for its ubiquity [plant
snob alert...]. So now I have found some unusual ones I am more comfortable!
The first time I saw K northiae was in a pot without a flower
and I thought it was an aloe - as you can see it is a chunky thing
the flowers perhaps let it down. K northiae is easy from fresh seed
and makes fast growth. I would like to be able to keep K brachystachya
which has fine brown scented flowers which is unusual for pokers
- Pan Global Plants had some in flower last summer and the scent is
pleasantly vanilla. The King of the Kniphofia is Bob Brown, visit his nursery to be spoilt for choice. |
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Lathyrus
odoratus [SweetPea] 
'Black Knight' |
One
of the key scents of summer. The Sweet Pea has been with us for a
long time, sources suggest the original purple came from Sicily and
was introduced to the UK around 1699. Some of the older cultivars
such as the one's shown here tend to have smaller flowers but are
still grown for their scent which some of the larger cultivars have
lost to some extent. In 2004 I tried some more modern Unwins varieties including Cambridge Blue and Champagne Bubbles. 2007 - Hunters Moon [cream] , Percy Thrower [bluey lilac] and Wiltshire Ripple [cream stipled with black currant]. Cultivation - most sources suggest you should sow in pots in the autumn for the best performance, I am making autumn and spring sowings and will also sow direct into the ground in April. They like to be kept fairly moist and have a good feed to do their best. For more information visit the experts: The National Sweet Pea Society |
 'Mrs Collier'  'Blanche Ferry' June - September |
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Leonotis
ocymifolia |
A
South African native perennial plant from grasslands in the Transvaal
and Cape Province. Easy from seed if a little painful to extract from the somewhat spikey seed casings. Flowers from late summer into late Autumn. I was hoping they would over winter. I tried outside and also in an unheated polytunnel but none survived in pots. Rix & Phillips remark that it should be hardy to -15°C but needs somewhere realtively hot and dry if planted in the ground. Try, try again .......... |
August | ||||||||
Leonurus
cardiaca
|
Motherwort - a perennial that is found wild in Britain but said to be introduced. Employed by herbalists for a myriad of female 'disorders' as well as having other uses including curing murrein in cattle! Moerman notes that a number of North American tribes including the Micmac used Motherwort for women's disorders and the Cherokee for hysteria and nerves. Apparently rather a bitter herb. Whorls of grey
cut leaves and spires of pink and white hooded flowers. |
July onwards |
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| Lilium regale 
|
What
can I say? This is one of the scents of high summer. Discovered
in 1903 is China. L. regale Alba doesn't display the
pink-purple tint on the outside of the petals. To extend the lily
scent fest grow L. formosanum and L. leucanthum which
flower much later into the autumn. I have found that cultivars such
as the rich gold Golden Splendour and deep orange African
Queen flower slightly later in summer so also extend the season
albeit not 'white'. I generally grow my L. regale lilies in pots, re-potting in fresh compost in October when the foliage is on it's way out. The L. regale pictured is growing in fairly clay soil but on a slope which so far it doesn't seem to mind. Accepted wisdom is to add grit to the planting hole if you have particularly water retentive soil as the bulbs can rot if continually waterlogged over winter. More thoughts on scent |
July - foliage dies down with the first frosts | ||||||||
lancifolium
[tigrinum] 'Flore Pleno' 
|
Love or hate
this one, you can't miss it. The normal 'tiger lily' has just one
row of petals, this as you can see is a 'muddle' of petals. These
grow in semi-shade in quite loose soil. The plants get to a height
of about 4 feet or so and I get about 5 flowers per plant. Bernwode
Plants sell a white single form. This lily can be grown from
the fresh bulbils that nestle in the joint between the leaf and
the stem, I am trying this for the first time and am guessing 2-3
years to make flowering size. |
August - foliage dies down in the winter | ||||||||
| Linaria | ||||||||||
Common
Toadflax |
Linaria
vulgaris has snapdragon-like flowers which are a lovely acid yellow
with slightly darker 'lip'. Known as 'Butter and Eggs' in some regions
and Torskemunn
[Cod's Mouth] in Norwegian. The individual flowers are larger
than purpurea, with longer spurs and more loosely arranged
in the spike. It is a perennial often found in dry and waste places
on roadsides and railtracks. Grigson
says not to let it into your garden as it 'runs'. I did grow it in
a 'formal' bed and it grew lanky and unattractive when coddled, treat
it mean! |
June - October | ||||||||
|
Linaria purpurea
|
This
is similar in habit to the Common Toadflax and is also perennial originating
from Italy. It has more refined spires comprised of smaller 'snapdragon'
like flowers. It is a native of France. The common colour is a purple
but cultivars include 'Canon Went' which is pink and 'Springside
White'. They grow to over 12 inches high providing a gentle filling
in between other starrier performers. The style is also perfect for
the less formal cottage style planting. I have recently noticed some
lovely light lilac to almost white shaded plants growing in profusion
alongside the purple on the approach to Bristol Temple Meads station
from Bath, in harsher growing conditions as these are, they would
make a good companion amongst the airier grasses. L.triornithophora has fewer and much bigger flowers in pink or purple, slightly less hardy as it comes from Spain and Portugal, well drained soil in sun. |
June - August | ||||||||
| Lobelia tupa | From Chile comes this chunky red lobelia [nothing like the more familiar L.erinus of pot and basket fame]. Eventually making large clumps of felted leaves topped in July by thick spikes of red tubular flowers. pollinated by hummingbirds apparently! Well drained soil in full sun but not too dry in summer. Hardy to around -10°C, watch out for slugs and snails on the emerging shoots in spring. | |||||||||
| Lonicera | ||||||||||
|
japonica 'Halliana'
'Halls' Prolific [L] and similis delavayi [R] |
This may be a 'common or garden' climbing honeysuckle and more or less foolproof, but it has to be one of my favourites for scent and flowerpower. Introduced to the UK from Asia in 1806, Hilliers notes it is becoming a pest in the US. The trumpets turn gold from white when pollinated. Unlike many other Honeysuckles the flowers appear in clusters along the trailing shoots rather than in clusters at the tips. The leaves are semi-evergreen and it does need a good trimming every so often in early spring to stop too much build-up of dead twigs under the flowering branches. It will certainly grow in 'dryish' conditions as both of mine do, although some watering helps as 2003 proved! Cuttings from semi-ripe shoots 'take' fairly readily. 'Hall's Prolific'
is said to be a better form, it seems to start into flower Lonicera similis delavayi - similar in style to L. japonica but has thinner and longer flowers. I have not found it quite as scented and it has proved to be a bit of a thug, I have had to cut hard-back a number of times which has delayed flowering. |
June - early Autumn semi-evergreen |
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|
Lupinus |
Lupins come
in a wide variety of shapes and sizes. Some are annual and others
shortish lived perennials. |
 L. sericeus May - June |
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| Last updated August 2007 |  |
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thin
spikes of orange flowers and thinner leaves than H spicatum. Both
of these gingers are relatively hardy in the South. I keep mine
in pots and put them under cover in winter when they die down.
This
shrub is a native of woods in Argentina. The flared bells about
2 inches long run along the branches under the leaves which is a
'pretty' and rather delicate effect.
slightly
later and has a stronger scent. Another form is 'reticulata' which
has a fine gold 'netting' on the leaves.