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The Garden
May 2003

Plant Forum
Plant launches at Chelsea 2003

Blooms of Bressingham

Blooms is introducing Lychnis flos-cuculi ‘Jenny’ a double form of native ragged robin with large, white-centred flowers on erect stems to about 75cm (30in) high. This hardy perennial thrives in moist soil, in full sun or partial shade, and costs £6.99.

Geranium breeder Cyril Foster, of Rothbury, Northumberland, selected Geranium cinereum ‘Rothbury Gem’ (below). Its small spreading clumps of light, greyish-green, deeply-cut leaves have masses of mid-pink flowers with a darker eye. It will be available in May, price £7.99.

Thorncroft Clematis Nursery

Thorncroft Clematis Nursery is launching three new plants at the
Chelsea Flower Show, all raised by Polish breeder Szczepan Marczyñski and named after members of his close family. They have already received awards at the Plantarium Trade Show in Holland.

Clematis ‘Barbara’ is named after Szczepan’s wife and arose from ‘Hagley Hybrid’. The flowers measure about 15cm (6in) across and have vivid purplish-pink sepals with lighter spots, maturing to purplish-red in autumn with a deeper purplish-red bar. It flowers for an extended period from May to mid-July and then again from August to September.

Clematis ‘Hania’, named in memory of his mother, has vivid, purple-red sepals with a pale pink margin. With contrasting golden-yellow anthers and white filaments, it flowers from late May to mid-July and again from late August to September.

Named after his youngest daughter, ‘Julka’ has bright, velvety, violet-purple sepals with a deep purple-red bar, green filaments and violet-purple anthers. A seedling of ‘Mrs N Thompson’, it flowers from June to August and prefers partial shade.

All three clematis cost £10 each, plus £7.50 p&p for up to four plants. For more details, tel: (01953) 850407; or visit the website: www.thorncroft.co.uk

Apple court

Apple Court Nursery is introducing large-leaved Hosta ‘Prince of Wales’ on a Highgrove-inspired exhibit at Chelsea Flower Show. Selected and named by co-owner and author Diana Grenfell, the plant will be available after its introduction from Ann & Roger Bowden, Bowden Hostas, Sticklepath, Okehampton, Devon EX20 2NL; price £6.

Hillier Nurseries

As well as releasing Passiflora ‘Eden’ (see pp358-9), Hillier Nurseries is launching a new form of French lavender which has been selected for its compact habit and long-flowering season. Hardy Lavandula stoechas ‘Provencal’ has violet-blue flowers and is well suited for containers and rock gardens. It should cost about £6.99 in garden centres.

Notcutts

Notcutts Nurseries in Suffolk has many new plants at Chelsea this year.

Among them is attractive new foxglove Digitalis purpurea f. albiflora ‘Anne Redetzky’ - a chance seedling found in 1993 by a home gardener. Pure white flowers with a speckled throat have an attractive ‘petticoat form’ and grow to 1.5m (5ft) high. It costs about £6.99.

Low-growing Rosa Flower Carpet Coral (‘Noala’) (above) produces single, coral-pink flowers from June to September. Plants are resistant to disease and easy to grow. Plants will be priced around £7.99.

For more details, tel: 01394 383344 or visit the website: www.notcutts.co.uk

Eagle nursery

Sweet-pea specialists Eagle Nursery of Staffordshire will be launching three new cultivars at the Chelsea Flower Show.

Orange-pink Lathyrus odoratus ‘Margaret’ was bred by the late Frank Pettipher, a master of sweet-pea growers, and named after his wife.

Beautiful and strongly scented L. odoratus ‘Linda Carol’ has white blooms with a red stripe. It was bred by Dick Place of Cumbria and named for nursery owner Derek Heathcote’s sister.

Strongly perfumed L. odoratus ‘Lisa Marie’ has silver blooms streaked and tinged with plum. Also bred by Dick Place, this sweet pea takes the name of Derek’s daughter.

Seeds of all three are available from Eagle Nursery, Broadmoor Lane, Stowe-by-Chartley, Stafford SM8 0LD; tel: 01889 270215; or visit the website: www.eaglenursery.co.uk

Blackmore & Langdon

Begonia ‘Tequila Sunrise’ is an orange-flowered cultivar from Blackmore & Langdon of Bristol. Plants cost £30 each.

Tel: 01275 332300 or visit the website: www.blackmore-langdon.com

Brian and Pearl Sulman

Specialist pelargonium growers Brian and Pearl Sulman are exhibiting a new regal pelargonium bred by Ken Dymond. Compact-growing Pelargonium ‘Mendip Candy Floss’ has lilac-centred flowers with soft pink, frilly petals.
Plants cost about £4.

Tel: 01638 712297.

Hardy’s Cottage Garden Plants

Hardy’s Cottage Garden Plants of Hampshire, herbaceous perennial specialists, is showing a range of heucheras at the Chelsea Flower Show.

New for 2003 is Heuchera ‘Obsidian’, a dark-leaved cultivar with small yellow flowers.

In contrast, x Heucherella ‘Sunspot’ has startling acid-yellow leaves splashed with red, which fade to straw in late summer.

Both plants cost £5. For more information, tel: 0125) 896533.

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