Adult Learning

Bye bye Sarah and hello handout

Helen Bostock Plantsforbugs — Wed, 19 Jun 2013 09:43:00 GMT

New echinaceas on the way

Graham Rice — Tue, 18 Jun 2013 21:31:00 GMT

Every so often, here on my RHS New Plants blog, I like to give you glimpse into the future. We haven’t done that for quite a while, so here goes.

We've seen an unseemly rush of new echinaceas in recent years - some superb, some not so... These two unnamed echinaceas will be named later in the year and will be available to gardeners… well, probably another couple of years after that. It takes time, even using the latest tissue culture laboratory techniques, to propagate enough to sell.

Spotted at a show in France by Dutch perennials wizard Luc Klinkhamer (they’re his pictures – thank you, Luc), the all-green flowered plant with its multiple rows of petals is a double selection of ‘Green Jewel. It’s going to be an essential for cut flower growers. And the extraordinary colouring of the strawberry blonde double (left, click to enlarge) - it looks like Cornish ice cream drizzled in raspberry juice. And as long as it has good strong stems to support those fat double flowers that is going to be sought after too.

I’ll let you now when they’re available…

And next time, here on my RHS New Plants blog, I’ll be looking back over the last few years to see which new plants have captured the most attention.

Mid-June, and what beautiful flowers...Lucie Rudnicka in the Alpine department, RHS Garden Wisley

Sara Draycott — Tue, 18 Jun 2013 13:30:00 GMT

June 12th 2013

The weather may have forgotten that it’s early/mid June, meaning the sun seems to have disappeared! However, I am currently standing at the bottom of the Alpine Meadow. All of the hoop petticoat daffodils Narcissus bulbocodium may have passed but I still enjoy a carpet of yellow; buttercups merge with clover which makes a wonderful habitat for our wildlife here at Wisley.

Flower arranging with the under 5s

Dawn Isaac — Tue, 18 Jun 2013 09:22:00 GMT

Diplomacy is a fine art and a beautiful thing to see in action.

New faces and first sightings of Green Hairstreaks

Helen Bostock Plantsforbugs — Fri, 07 Jun 2013 15:06:00 GMT

Just how do you celebrate a century of the RHS Chelsea Flower Show with bedding? - Rohanna Heyes

Sara Draycott — Wed, 05 Jun 2013 16:55:00 GMT

Following last week's whirlwind of design and excitement at the Chelsea Flower Show (we Wisley Diploma Trainees get involved working at Chelsea and even get to attend press day-so lucky) I am back gardening at Wisley.

NGS garden openings and last minute plant sales

Dawn Isaac — Mon, 03 Jun 2013 16:28:00 GMT

I need to be better at filling in forms. A lot better.

Growing up I never realised this was a skill I needed to perfect, but it appears that a) there are more forms to fill in than I ever imagined possible and b) I am appalling at it.

Eye-catching plants in the Glasshouse at Wisley, with Cara Smith

Sara Draycott — Wed, 29 May 2013 15:18:00 GMT

Spring is a lovely time in the glasshouse. As in any other area of the garden the plants display a new vitality as they come into their new growing season and it is a good time for flowering plants.

New pond excitement

Miranda Hodgson — Tue, 28 May 2013 11:19:00 GMT

During the slow process of renovating the garden at home, we found a tiny overgrown pond tucked away in an especially shabby corner. It was so overgrown that you could easily miss it – with Cerastium tomentosum and herb Robert (Geum urbanum) taking over at the edges and ringed in by thick stands of invasive Solidago canadensis (Golden rod). In a larger garden, I’d have left it as it was, but in an average sized garden like this one, it didn’t work and, since we are told that wildlife gardens do not have to be overgrown wildernesses, I decided to give it some attention having the idea that, whilst it’s good to know that it’s there, we would also like to actually see it.

The pond at the beginning

Chelsea Plant Of The Year - Where to buy the contenders

Graham Rice — Sat, 25 May 2013 21:05:00 GMT

Last time I told you about the winner and the two runners up for the Chelsea Plant of The Year 2013. This time, I’m going to set out where you can buy all twenty of the shortlisted plants, or who will be selling them when they become available. These are twenty of the best new plants around, and all are well worth trying.

Chelsea Plant of the Year 2013
Mahonia eurybracteata subsp. ganpinensis 'Soft Caress'
Crocus
Gardening Express

Chelsea Plant of the Year 2013 Runners-Up
Clematis 'Lemon Dream'
Thorncroft Clematis

Tropaeolum 'Fruit Salad'
Thompson & Morgan

Chelsea Plant of the Year 2013 Shortlised Plants
Aeonium 'Poldark'
Trewidden Nursery (available to order in June 2013)

Allium schoenoprasum (Chives) 'Cha Cha'
Suttons

Billbergia 'Hallelujah'
Every Picture (not available to order at the time of writing)

Clematis 'Kaiser' (top, click to enlarge)
Thorncroft Clematis

Diascia Sundiascia Rose Pink
Dobies
Hayloft Plants
Suttons
Unwins

Heuchera 'Thomas' (Fox Series)
Plantagogo (not available to order at the time of writing)

Lathyrus odoratus 'Chelsea Centenary'
Mr Fothergills

Lavandula angustifolia Platinum Blonde ('Momparler')
Gardening Express

Leucanthemum x superbum 'Real Neat'
Hardy’s Cottage Garden Plants
Simply Seeds and Plants

Lilium 'Sweet Desire'
H W Hyde & Son (not available to order at the time of writing)

Lilium 'Zirconia'
H W Hyde & Son (not available to order at the time of writing)

Lupinus nanus 'Snow Pixie'
Not yet available

Chelsea Plant Of The Year – 2013 winners

Graham Rice — Sat, 25 May 2013 19:09:00 GMT

On the Monday afternoon of the Chelsea Flower Show, this year’s award for the best new plant at the show, the Chelsea Plant of The Year, was announced – Mahonia ‘Soft Caress’ (above, click to enlarge). The runners-up were Clematis 'Lemon Dream' and Tropaeolum 'Fruit Salad'.

I wrote about Mahonia ‘Soft Caress’ here on the RHS New Plants blog back in September last year. It’s outstanding in combining the long attractive spikes of fragrant yellow flowers, and the blue-black berries that follow, with slender, soft and spine-free foliage. It also makes a more maneagable plant than many mahonias, and its slightly silvered evergreen foliage is attractive in a container or border all year round.

You can order Mahonia ‘Soft Caress’ from Crocus, and also from Gardening Express.

In second place came Clematis 'Lemon Dream' (left, click to enlarge). Unique in having large, fragrant double flowers in pale lemon, the most prolific flush of bloom on this self-clinging alpine clematis is in late spring with a second flush later. Needing little or no pruning, and it’s easy to grow.

You can order Clematis 'Lemon Dream' from Thorncroft Clematis.

The plant voted into third place is very different, a nasturtium. Tropaeolum ‘Fruit Salad’ (below) took twelve years to develop after a customer passed a plant with serrated petals to Thompson & Morgan. The result is the first bicoloured nasturtum with serrated petals. And it’s also sterile so it flowers continuously for a long season on bushy, slightly trailing plants.

You can order Tropaeolum ‘Fruit Salad’ from Thompson & Morgan.

Demand for all three of these plants is high so, although orders can be placed now, delivery of some plants may be delayed while stock is built up.

Bacterial infection confirmed

Helen Bostock Plantsforbugs — Thu, 23 May 2013 12:57:00 GMT

A craze transcendent in fashion, Tulips at RHS Wisley by Sabatino Urzo

Sara Draycott — Tue, 21 May 2013 15:52:00 GMT

Let me tell you something; I have an ever-growing passion for European culture, art, history, literature, flavours, gardens and above all, beauty! In the last few years I have been travelling around this continent many times and one of my much-loved destinations has been Holland. The Dutch like give to the world a taste of their agricultural excellence and tulips are a proof of that! Originating from the Ottoman Empire, now Turkey, tulips were imported to Holland in the 16th century and they are only associated with the Dutch because of Carolus Clusius a Dutch gardener born in 1526. Clusius was head gardener at the University of Lieden in Holland, where his work in botany and medicine was well-known.

Two brand new crocosmias

Graham Rice — Mon, 20 May 2013 14:45:00 GMT

Back in 2008, I wrote a piece here about a flurry of new crocosmias - some of which turned out not to be new at all! Now, as a result of new breeding work carried out in Oregon, we have two genuinely new crocosmias added to the 2013 RHS Plant Finder, which came out in April.

'Twilight Fairy Crimson' (above, click to enlarge) and 'Twilight Fairy Gold' (below left, click to enlarge) are both short, as crocosmias go, reaching only about 40cm, and both have the same smoky bronze foliage that makes the old favourite ‘Solfatare’ so much appreciated. So, like ‘Solfatare’, the leaves make a valuable contribution to the border tapestry long before the flowers open.

'Twilight Fairy Crimson' has rich red, flared flowers carried in branched heads on dark stems and with that bronze tint to the foliage. The foliage of 'Twilight Fairy Gold' has more of a coppery colouring, and orange-yellow flowers open from orange buds.

Both are good towards the front of sunny borders, in mixed containers, and even as neat cut flowers. Although drought tolerant, they’re best kept moist to keep them flowering well, to help the flowers last as long as possible, and to help prevent spider mite attack.

You can order Crocosmia 'Twilight Fairy Crimson' from these RHS Plant Finder nurseries.

You can order Crocosmia 'Twilight Fairy Gold' from these RHS Plant Finder nurseries.

Other crocosmias added to the RHS Plant Finder this year are: 'Butterball', 'Eggs and Bacon', 'Sherbert Orange' and 'Suzanna'.

Poorly viburnum

Helen Bostock Plantsforbugs — Fri, 17 May 2013 08:59:00 GMT

While working on site yesterday, a very sick looking Viburnum sargentii caught our attention. It's not cold damage as other viburnums are not affected. Our plant pathologist, Liz, is going to take a look later today but has anyone any ideas? Will post shortly with her findings.