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A hybrid between Helleborus niger and H. orientalis has recently been announced - and this time it really does sound like the real thing. A hybrid between these two species has been claimed before, there even used to be a plant at Kew behind a label which claimed it was such a hybrid. But no. Not until...
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As bulb-buying time is upon us, I came across this lovely little daffodil over on the Our Little Acre blog from Ohio - and it's available here too. ‘New-Baby' looks unique. It's a Jonquil, about 10in/25cm high, with slender dark green foliage and heads of three or four, occasionally five...
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News from Ireland of a gorgeous new dahlia which Camolin Potting Shed of Wexford have on sale before anyone else. ‘Maya’ was raised in Holland by Kees and Aad Verwer of Verwer Dahlias , the good people who have been bringing us the superb Happy Single Series of dahlias as well as the popular dwarf double...
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When we think of hibiscus we tend to think either of the hardy shrubs in which Notcutts have specialised for so long or we think huge and exotic... say Hawaii. But Shelley and Robert Antscheri of Burton Grange Nurseries in Cheshunt in Hertfordshire realised that large-flowered, exotic hibiscus can be...
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There are almost seventy new roses in this years RHS Plant Finder and I was especially taken with Lucky (‘Frylucy') which I wrote about last month over on my plants blog from the Hampton Court Palace Flower Show and which is the Rose of the Year for 2009. But there have been even more launched since...
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There are lots of exciting new plants around now and here’s news of the first ever red rudbeckia. ‘Cherry Brandy’ is the result of fifteen years careful selection at Thompson & Morgan Seeds . Click on the pictures to see larger versions revealing the astonishing colouring. “The colour really is as...
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Last winter there was a huge trial of winter pansies at Wisley. Two hundred and fifty four different entries were grown and many were dazzling in the spring but not so many were consistently good in the winter when they're most needed. And it was for winter flowering that we judged them. The result...
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Some impressive new echinaceas (coneflowers) have arrived in nurseries this year, you can see some of them in my article entitled Rays of Light in the August issue of The Garden . Now I can bring you the latest echinacea news - a spectacular new variety for next year. ‘Hot Papaya' will be the next...
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I couldn’t believe it either. I was visiting Mr Fothergill’s Seeds near Newmarket recently and they were very excited by their exclusive new begonia for the 2009 catalogue. Of course, it’s their job to get excited about their new varieties but there was definitely something special in the air. Me? Well...
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Berberis may not be the most glamorous of shrubs - what is, I wonder: the camellia, perhaps? - but for many years, Berberis thunbergii ‘Helmond Pillar' has been popular for its purple foliage and striking, unusually upright habit. It makes an attractive small specimen, and can even be clipped into...
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It’s crocosmia season and in gardens, around the shows, in garden centres and at many nurseries crocosmias are opening their fiery sprays. Gardeners with a taste for pastels are sometimes wary of their flaming colours but they make fine garden plants and excellent cut flowers. And there are quite few...
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This week I'm at the Hampton Court Palace Flower Show, dodging the downpours by taking shelter in the floral pavilions and hunting out the interesting plants. I'm blogging about them from the show every day until Sunday when it closes. You can find my posts here . Highlights so far? Spectacular...
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Grow-your-own gardeners are becoming more and more interested in unusual fruits - and shoppers, too, are increasingly looking out for something different. So what about a honeysuckle with edible fruits?! The Honeyberry produces fruits which look rather like large bullet-shaped blueberries with that same...
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Judging the verbascum trial at Wisley recently, a splendid new introduction caught my eye. Many of the plants in the trial had died during the winter – sadly, many are not as hardy as we’re led to believe and this trial has proved the point – but a new variety from the garden at Great Dixter was outstanding...
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Shasta daisies, Leucanthemum x superbum , have never been the most fashionable of plants but they're tough, dependable and those masses of brilliant white daisies make real impact. They're good for cutting, too. In recent years the trend has been to reduce their height, ‘Snow Lady' can flower...
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