Take Hampton home - plants
Try these three show garden plants to refresh your summer borders, chosen by Phil Clayton of The Garden, the RHS members' magazine
Salvia 'Amistad'
as seen in A Hampton Garden
One of the plant highlights from A Hampton Garden by Squires Garden Centres, is Salvia ‘Amistad’. For mid and late summer drama, few plants match the flower power of this recent introduction. Ideal for enriching borders after earlier perennials have faded, it will also thrive in large pots.
The tall leafy stems reach around 1.4m (4ft 8in); these are topped by showy heads of purple flowers from July until the frosts. Salvia ‘Amistad’ looks at home both with exotic plants such as cannas and dahlias, or in a more delicate arrangements, perhaps with silver Artemisia ‘Powis Castle’, tall Verbena bonariensis, or mauve Penstemon ‘Alice Hindley’. The stems can be brittle, so plant in a sheltered site - some support is sensible. In mild gardens it is hardy in a well-drained position - mulch with garden compost to protect the crown.
Agastache ‘Blackadder’
as seen in Vestra Wealth's Vista garden
The Vestra Wealth Garden included plants of splendid Agastache ‘Blackadder’, a tall-growing perennial looking impressive with the dainty flower heads of Deschampsia grass and purple Angelica gigas. In fact this selection of Agastache is proving itself as a first-rate perennial and an excellent addition to gardens needing summer colour.
Tall, upright stems of hairy aromatic foliage bear showy, long-lasting conical heads of purple-blue flowers, which are attractive to insects. It forms a fairly tight clump, spreading slowly at the root, and grows best in a sunny, well-drained site, although it will stand a little shade. It will also tolerate fairly dry conditions once established. Grow it behind other sun-loving plants such as Sisyrinchium striatum, Agapanthus and silvery Convolvulus cneorum.
Morina longiflora
as seen in The Macmillan Legacy Garden
T
he Macmillan Legacy Garden included a particularly choice perennial that is well worth growing.
Glorious Morina longiflora (80cm (30in) produces showy heads of small but long-tubed pink and white flowers that appear over several weeks - here it made an impressively colour-themed show alongside pink-flowered chicory and pale blue Aconitum. Grow Morina in a sheltered, sunny, well-drained spot that does not get too dry - it likes plenty of water in the growing season, and it will take a little shade for part of the day.
The low, leathery, slightly prickly foliage is evergreen and forms rosettes of growth that build into clumps. Plant it at the edge of a border as it does not enjoy too much competition - a position in a gravel garden may also suit it well. Grasses and annuals such as nigella make good planting combinations.
