E-STORE FEATURE PLANT "Dropmore" Catmint

 "Dropmore" Catmint 

(Nepeta × faassenii syn. mussinii)

A slightly larger version of Faassens Catmint, with bluer flowers. 

Mid sized at 70cm in flower, with a similar spread by Summer end. 

Not as lanky as "Six Hills Giant" !

Full sun in a drier part of the garden. 

Herbaceous perennial will die down to a leaf crown in Winter briefly. 

Prune back in Late Autumn.

Flowering in Mid Spring, but if spent flowers are pruned will flower

again in Autumn before dormancy. 

Available at our new e-store nursery

Scarlet Bee Balm

 

Scarlet Bee Balm (Monarda didyma "Mahogony") 

is one of those versatile perennials 

we really seek out at the Nursery.

Frosted seed heads in Winter

• Flaming blossoms atop tall strong stems
• scented foliage
• seemingly rabbit and wallaby proof once established
• Winter prune with a brushcutter
• Full sun and moist to well drained soil
• edible flowers
• edible foliage
• bee attractant

It does have a bad reputation for being prolific in its growth

so we treat it mean at the Farm growing it in poor soil

to contain its enthusiastic growth

Perfect for the new gardener as it is very forgiving of mis-adventures

Scarlet Bee Balm in Summer

Dusty Miller

 

Senecio "Vira Vira" in flower

A glorious day at the Farm today

Sunshine and the crisp breeze that tells of highland snowfalls

My poly tunnel is warm and the plants are jumping at the bright daylight

Cuttings are being run over the work bench today

silvery and feathered is the theme

Senecio "Vira Vira"

Last Summer I trialled a few new Senecio's

chosen of course for silver foliage to be a beautiful back drop to pretty much any colour

They have survived -7oC, flooding, water logging and the heat of last years Indian Summer

So that ticks all the boxes for us to propagate them

They will be nicely ready about late November at the Nursery

fully hardened and garden ready

 

Senecio "Cirrus"

Common Name: Dusty Miller's

Botanical Names: Senecio "Vira Vira": Senecio viravira syn Senecio leuchostachys

                                      Senecio "Cirrus" :  Senecio cineraria 'Cirrus'

Height: 65cm (85cm in flower)

Spread: 50 - 75cm

Flower: white / pale lemon in Summer, repeat flower in late Autumn

Uses: ornamental

Aspect (Tasmania): North, North West, East, North East

Sun: Full Sun only Soil: tolerant of poorer soils, free draining Water: not much water need after establishment, may need a splash in high Summer if soil moisture is not retained through mulching or extreme heat is expected
Maintenance: prune spent flowers back, light prune to encourage regrowth in late Summer
Problems: occasional Cineraria Leaf Miners, and grub borers in stem, but can be easily controlled through a bit a pruning for the borer and healthy growth.

Gaillardia Wynter Geld

Back in Winter I was lamenting the lack of colour our garden has. 

I do expect a lot, I suppose as a Horticulturist I'm allowed !

Yet one of those gems which shine through the Winter bleakness

has been this Gaillardia, which we have now started to propagate as

a colour specific cultivar after it merged from a hybrid in the stock beds two years ago.

We are calling it "Wynter Geld" for obvious reasons

 It is such a hardy specimen through sodden Winter and into the hot dry Summer

Sturdy and abundant flowers on nicely hoary leaves.

It takes a good pruning back of its evergreen form well,

replenishing any lanky growth with a thicket of foliage and flower buds.

Our plants are happily growing under the clothesline in an un-watered, and only slightly improved garden bed, with a good thick layer of bark mulch.

Ragged Robins

Lychnis flos-cuculi "White Robin"

Winter doesn't offer to much colour in our garden yet

It is such a new garden the Winter flowering plants and Autumn colours

are too small to make in imprint on the landscape at the farm

A little surprise popped up in one of the stock beds.

Planted to harvest seed from we weren't expecting flowers until Spring

but this little white version of the English wildflower species

 of Ragged Robin (Cuckoo Flower)

sent forth a froth of white shaggy blossoms

A -4oC Frost did not damage the blossoms or foliage !

So I'm not sure if our strange warm weather patches through Autumn 

triggered the flowering

or this is just a feature of this plant

either way I'm happy for any flowers in Winter, even white ones !

The advantage now is that these blossoms will produce seed that

will have been through a severe frost

making the next generation of plants assuredly tough !

Summer Cut Flowers

Sarah Raven

adding to our cut flower selection

of potted plants is the annual

Burpleurum rotundifolium "Griffithii"

I must admit to not having grown it before

but have coveted it since seeing them in

Sarah Ravens Cutting Garden Book

a few years ago

Pictured above with Cerinthes, 

Fritillarias and Anemones

Sarah Raven

It is a break from our normal perennial range

but it is quite simply a stunning and unusual plant

It looks much like a Euphorbia

but hasn't the same toxic sap or allergy issues

is not prone to weed invasiveness like Euphorbia

and has a better upright form when cut for indoors

Throughwax or Hare's Ears, as it is also know

prefers sunny free draining soils

and self seeds much like a Cerinthe

I'd be inclined to grow the two together

as they are so similar in requirements !

blanket flowers

Gaillardia "Goblin" (our seeds stockists photo)

this year we have added the wonderful

Blanket Flowers to our catalogue of hardy garden colour

I grew these at our first house in town

but when we moved, it stayed behind and

I had never come across them again to replace it

so now I have a steadfast seed supplier

and this year we have our new Gaillardia

or Blanket Flowers ready for Summer gardens

they are a hardy perennial

suited to full sun and tougher soils

they do require coddling to establish, like most plants

but once you get past your first Summer

they will be a steadfast feature in the flower bed

prune back after flowering
and you should gain a second flush of blooms
prune again in Mid Autumn to regain shape

ready for next Summer

we have three types of Blanket flowers

ready now

Gaillardia "Goblin"  

 a dwarf form with yellow and orange flowers

Gaillardia "Burgundy" 

stand size with deep red flowers

Gaillardia "Aurea" 

with golden orange flowers

Later in the season we will add Gaillardia "Lorenzo" - a fancy ruffled flower

and Gaillardia "Dazzler -

Pincushion Flower "Samantha's Pink"

isn't the Internet grand

for helping solve a mystery

I have finally found out what my pretty Pincushion Flower

actually is: 

 Scabiosa columbaria "Samantha's Pink

onto the next mystery plant

I guess that's the fun of buying unlabelled plants !

Cut Flowers from Shrubs

If you are after a luscious and bountiful

cut flower display for home

from Spring blooms

you can't go past some of the woody shrubs

A superb prolonged performer are

the Guelder Roses (Viburnum opulus sterile)

who's blossoms range from early minty green to later creamy white.

Quite a large shrub / tree if let run

so a bit of space is advised and tough pruning to keep

blossoms low enough to pick.

green tints of Guelder Rose

For delicious perfume it has to be Lilacs (Syringa spp.)

and they come in a wonderful colour range

from lemon to deepest blue and red.

An easy care plant that will grow

in tough conditions, just watch

the grafts on cultivars

to prevent the privet rootstock taking over.

lovely lilacs

A surprising cut flower is

Native Mint (Prostanthera rotundiflia)

for both blossoms and foliage

the foliage is edible, though strong

and can also be used in cooking.

Such a tough plant you can slip

them into the garden with little care

and little space.

deep lilac of native mints and strong green foliage

They will provide a delightful period

of cut flowers for home

as well as the volume for a larger

arrangement for a bigger room

or function.

Faassens Catmint

Faassen's Nepeta, Faassen's Catmint, Catmint
Nepeta × faassenii

 

Catmints are one of those delights of the Summer garden. 

Its delicate blue flowers and grey green leaves

belie the fact that these are pretty tough plants.

Faassen's Catmint, is a lower growing perennial flower (to about 60cm) 

compared to its cousin the "Six Hills Giant", 

so allows for a more compact growth and 

robustness against foot traffic and wind.

Delicate blue flowers appear through Summer 

and attract bees and butterflies in abundance.

After flowering prune back its spent floral spikes, 

and you will more then likely get a repeat flowering.

In Winter prune untidy Summer growth back 

to a small foliage clump (about 30cm wide).

Full sun is best, as Catmints have a tendency 

towards powdery/downy mildews if shaded. 

Free draining soils are also preferable 

to waterlogged soils, but periodic drying out 

doesn't set plants back too far, 

though its not desirable.

Dwarf Michalemas Daisy

asters are such an old fashioned flower

they once heralded the arrival of michaelmas or easter

that of course is the northern hemisphere

here it tides the beginning of autumn weather

of nights getting a little cooler

but still hot and muggy days

this little fellow is a dwarf michaelmas daisy

known as Aster novi-belgii "Professor Anton Kippenberg"

presumably after the chap that bred it

normally easter daisies are back of the border due to their height

but these Kippenbergs are more front to middle of the garden

as they really only get to about 50cm in height

the spread, as with any of these busy herbacious perennials

they can range up to a metre depending on how good your soil is

mixed with "evangeline" roses, sedum, native rosemary and fennel for Exeter Show

best in full sun or only morning shade

tough, dry hardy once established

a lovely cut flower

a delicate background bloom for your heavier blossoms

spring tube stock

Aster novi-belgii "Professor Anton Kippenberg"

syn. Aster x dumosus "Professor Anton Kippenberg" 

syn. Aster prealtus "Professor Anton Kippenberg" 

syn. Symphyotrichum prealtum "Professor Anton Kippenberg" 

syn. Aster salicifolius "Professor Anton Kippenberg"

Helenium

Helenium "Dark Beauty"

an amazingly productive flower

heleniums are very tough once established 

only needing watering once or twice a week 

they grow to a good height of 120cm in full flower

making it ideal for a middle of the border display

planted enmasse provides a brilliant long lived floral display

Helenium "Dark Beauty" enmasse

heleniums seem pretty happy to establish in an only mildly improved soil

but the better the soil the bigger and better the plant establishment

so if you have access to good mulch or manure for Winter soil conditioning go for it

they do not like water logging, doing better on a well drained or slopped garden bed

(U.K. refereces say they need moist and constantly damp soil - but we haev not found this the case here on our harder drier soils)

Helenium "July Sun ?"

the unusual flowers have recurved petals curling down from the cone

this somehow deters people from these flowers in cutting bunches, as they mistake the recurved petals for wilting

just the same it is an excellent cut flower with a vase life of about a week
(longer if water kept very fresh and topped up) 

the flower works less well in arrangements
this is due to the slower water uptake caused by the foam

Helenium "Moerheim Beauty"

We mix our Heleniums into a hot and sultry garden bed full of dark and exotic colours of purples and deep reds. Lysmachia "Firecracker" with its deep purple leaves provides a wonder foil for the flowers.

Leave spent flowers to form dry cones for a lovely Winter display, white frost on the old seed spikes are lovely. Prune back the flowering stems in Mid Winter .

Divide established plants also in Mid Winter in Tasmania. I know that recommendations are to split these plants in Early Spring, but as our Winters are generally dryer then in the U.K. I prefer to get smaller split plants established before the wet and often water logged Spring. 

I'm not a fancy pants perennial splitter, I take to our Heleniums with a sharp edged spade once they are over 30cm wide - splitting a plant into fours directly down the plant middle.

cultivars we stock

"Dark Beauty" - a cultivar off "Moerheim Beauty" that has less of the orange streak infiltrating the petals, and great petal recurving. More vigorous and reliable then "Moerheim Beauty".

"July Sun"  - This plant was called "July Sun" when I bought it, but I tend to think it is another cross bred variation due to its orange petal streaks, rather then clear yellow that a true "July Sun" should have. However the variation we have is a reliable and vigorous plant, flowers readily and heavily.

"Moerheim Beauty" - the original favourite to come out of the U.K. it has less recurved petals then the "Dark Beauty", but has delightful orange streaks through the petals. Less vigorous, we have found its to be a lovely flowering plant but a bit "missish" - trying a few other locations to see if it can come right !

We are currently sold out of Heleniums this year. 

Pre order or get in early for next Springs stocks in September.

Himalayan Fleeceflower

Fleeceflower in Summer bloom

Himalayan Fleeceflower or Knotweed

( Persicaria affinis syn. Polygonum affine syn Bistorta affinis )

an unusual flower for the garden

it is suited to both full sun and semi-shade

once it is established it is a very hardy and dry tolerant plant

creeping across the ground striking down new roots this plant will quickly settle as a good strong ground cover

leaves are slender rounded blades 

deep green with slashes of reddish-purple for new leaves and Autumn colouring as well as an indicator that your soil is drying out !

it is a herbaceous perennial so expect dieback in Winter where you get heavy frosts

otherwise you can expect the foliage to stay around in gentler climates

reddened leaves for many reasons

 

spikes of dusky dark pink, turning to soft pink flowers appear in mid Summer

and continue to repeat flower through Autumn

flowers grow taller as the season progresses

starting at about 10cm and reaching 25cm in late Summer

Common Name: Knotweed
Botanical Name: Persicaria affinis
Exposure: Full sun, Partial shade
Hardiness: Hardy
Soil type: Clay/heavy, Moist
Height: 30cm
Spread: 60cm
Time to divide plants: September to May
Flowering period: July to October 

full summer form

We have seasonal stock of the Fleeceflower. 

As we get heavy frosts leafed 14cm pots are available from late Spring (October).

"Red Velvet" Yarrow

deepest red wine flowers

upon tall feathered stems

a hardy and vigorous perennial

showy flower display appearing mid Summer

best for a bigger garden

yarrow has a reputation for being pushy

growing to 120cm high with an equivalent spread

prune to ground level each winter as per regular perennial maintenance

benefits from a nice dose of manure through winter to invigorate foliage growth

mulching always helps to retain soil moisture, but will grow under poorer conditions

available through out the year from our nursery and on-line in standard 14cm pots or in Spring as Slimline Tubes

Fringed Loosestrife 'Firecracker'

Loosestrife in high Summer

Fringed Loosestrife - Lysimachia ciliata "Firecracker", is a stunning purple leaved perennial. Through Winter the deep purple leaves are mere rosettes before the erupt into tall wands of large wide leaves that remain purple until High Summer when the stronger sun tinges the leaves green, just as the rather insignificant flowers appear.

Six month old Loosestrife in the Drift Garden

A spreading perennial most noticeable due to its deep burgundy purple foliage that grows tall and upright. Topped by oxalis like yellow flowers in late Summer this plant is a hardy addition to the mid to rear of a perennial border.

Dark foliage is a perfect foil for a "hot" colour scheme garden of oranges and reds, but equally provides a lovely backdrop for pinks and peaches. An all rounder.

Tolerates a wide range of soils from wet to mid-dry. But don't let it stress due to lack of water - mulch well !

Plants die down to leafy rosette mound in Winter. Prune leaf/flower stems off in Autumn with other perennial maintenance.

new season potted Loosestrife (November)

Flowers: bright yellow
Foliage: burgundy purple - changing to green purple in late Summer with more intense daylight.

Height: 75 - 100cm
Spread: 75 - 100cm

Growth: fast - quick filler

Light: full sun to light shade

pH: any
Soil: broad tolerance incl. wet but not water logged

Flowering: various times through Summer

Traffic: No - large leaves do not tolerate foot traffic

Windy: doesn't seem to have a problem with gusty weather (at least not at our place)

guelder roses

guelder roses

i've waited nearly two years for these lovely guelder roses to be big enough to cut

they have grown lovely long wands topped with huge pom poms of blossoms

lime green when they are young, turning to a creamy white at full bloom

we have a whole row of them in the flower paddock

they look just amazing

i have even propagated a bundle in the poly tunnel

they should be big enough to plant out next autumn

it's wonderful to see them in a profusion

they are what i'd call "granny's flowers"

they are so old fashioned

yet so structurally startling

i picked a bunch for the house

placed them in a simple ewer

stunning

* * * * * *
GROWING: guelder roses are a deciduous tree/shrub growing to 5m in height and spread.
they become a many branched form, that can be pruned to contain shape.
pom poms of flowers appear in mid spring.
Sterile versions are only sold in Australia, so no berries are set.
grow in full sun or semi shade (woodland).
tolerant a broad range of soil type and pH

Yarrow "Walther Funcke"

With a name like "Walther Funcke" I'd buy this plant for that alone.

A serious quick establish-er, this vibrant orange Yarrow is best in a large garden.

Growing to a medium height of about 60cm, with a variable spread of 50 - 100cm (dependant on soil type). Cold and frost hardy. Suitable to poor to good soils, but not waterlogged.

A glorious orange coloured flowers ranges from light peach to deep orange as the blooms age.

Long flowering, repeat flower-er, excellent cut flower.

unlike many variations of the peachy Yarrow's, "Walther Funcke" has stiffer and more upright flowering stems, making it less prone to collapse.

A spreading feathery foliage that remains throughout the year. Best grown in full sun, for better flower production and leaf form. Semi shade is tolerated, but plants tend to become lanky.

Tolerant of very dry and hot weather, but not complete loss of moisture from the root area. Will always benefit from a regular drink when the Summer gets more extreme.

A good hard prune in mid winter will get this plant back to a better fresh shape for late Spring flowering.

If you find a yarrow getting out of hand in the garden, it will respond well with a touch of a non-selective herbicide applied to the outer reaches of the plant. The main plant will suffer some set back even from a judicious chemical pruning, so best applied after flowers have been spent. 

Equally if you find it creeping into a lawn - a dose of "Weed n Feed" will get the lawn back into shape and give the yarrow a knock back. Otherwise if found in the lawn, it will remain small and soft to walk on if mown regularly.

AVAILABLE NOW at the JARDINIERE NURSERY.
Healthy Slimline Tubes are ready for quick establishment.