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Daily Flower Candy: Cow Parsley
No English country hedgerow or meadow is complete without a misting of delicate, frothy cow parsley (Anthriscus sylvestris). It emerges from nowhere and disappears again equally quickly, just like...
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Daily Flower Candy: Persicaria bistorta ‘Superba’ AGM
With flowers like bottle brushes, Persicaria bistorta ‘Superba’ makes a fine herbaceous perennial, flowering over a long period. Persicaria does not like dry soil, so is best planted in a bog garden or...
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Daily Flower Candy: Rheum palmatum ‘Red Herald’
Proving that not all rhubarbs are best stewed and smothered in crumble and custard, Rheum palmatum ‘Red Herald’ put on a tremendous show at the Sir Harold Hillier Gardens last week. Stunning but...
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Daily Flower Candy: Primula japonica ‘Postford White’ AGM
I’m continuing the water garden theme this week with one of my ‘plants of the moment’, candelabra primulas. I’ve been photographing them in various gardens for the last six weeks, and they never fail...
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Daily Flower Candy: Heavenly Hostas
Having moved on from primulas, my new plant of the moment is the humble hosta. Hostas are one of those precious foliage plants that really enjoy being in a pot, where the leaves dangle like carrots...
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Daily Flower Candy: Smilacina racemosa AGM
We’ve been searching for sturdy, shade loving-plants for our London garden, and where better to look than among the flora of North Amercia. Smilacina racemosa, the false Solomon’s seal, is a...
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Daily Flower Candy: Rhododendron macabeanum AGM
No, it’s not an exotic ginger or some new discovery from the steamy rainforests of Vietnam, it’s the detail of the bud scales of Rhododendron macabeanum . One of the easiest of the large-leaved...
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Daily Flower Candy: Pulsatilla vulgaris AGM
It’s been a heavy week, so I am going to end it with something light and fluffy. These are the silken seedheads of the pasque flower, Pulsatilla vulgaris, which follow the soft purple spring blooms....
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Daily Flower Candy: Deutzia
Like Philadelphus, Deutzia is a genus of about 60 species which produce goblet-shaped clumps of cane-like growths bearing fragrant flowers in summer. I have always found them a bit unkempt and leggy,...
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Daily Flower Candy: Osteospermum ‘Nuanza Copper Purple’
With flowers tinted violet, copper, tan and coral pink, Osteospermum ‘Nuanza Copper Purple’ is an exceptional tender plant. We grow it next to our shaggy-barked Lyonothamnus, which shares similar rusty...
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Daily Flower Candy: Iris foetidissima var. citrina
Iris foetidissima is one of only two irises which are native to the UK. A hardy perennial, it’s better known by a variety of common names based on the unpleasant smell of the bruised leaves –...
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Daily Flower Candy: Sinocalycanthus raulstonii ‘Hartlage Wine’
Now you’re past the tongue-twister of a name, you can enjoy the waxy, claret-coloured flowers of this unusual shrub. I first discovered Sinocalycanthus raulstonii ‘Hartlage Wine’ at Felley Priory on a...
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Daily Flower Candy: Euphorbia rigida ‘Chris Brickell’
The Euphorbias are a wonderful group of plants – varied, yet unmistakable with their leafy stems and typically acid-yellow flower heads. A new discovery for me last year was this low growing form of...
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Go Andy
In honour of Mr Murray’s 3 set victory today, the Wimbledon club colours reflected in the flowers of Solanum laciniatum. Well done Andy!
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Daily Flower Candy: Hydrangea arborescens ‘Annabelle’
I’ve been away for a couple of days in Germany, enjoying the leafy surroundings of Bad Driburg, a pretty, rural spa town. Perfectly suited to the bucolic setting was Hydrangea arborescens ‘Annabelle’,...
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Daily Flower Candy: Salvia ‘Amistad’
Today, I’ve been sweltering in the heat at the Hampton Court Palace Flower Show. So many exciting plants to see, but one of the first that caught my eye was Salvia ‘Amistad’. Tall, purplish stems are...
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Daily Flower Candy: Disa uniflora ‘Red River’
Like the red playing card soldiers from Alice in Wonderland, the scarlet flowers of Disa uniflora ‘Red River’ marched across Dave Parkinson’s incredible exhibit at Hampton Court last week. They were...
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Daily Flower Candy: Lilium speciosum ‘Rubrum’
This graceful lily, Lilium speciosum ‘Rubrum’ is one of the last lilies to flower each summer. It blooms profusely, its bold burgundy-red speckled petals curling back on themselves as the buds open....
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Daily Flower Candy: Rosa glauca AGM
Rosa glauca is a rose with many virtues. The coppery-mauve, glaucous foliage clothing purple stems remains attractive throughout the growing season. Just once a year, small, pink flowers are borne in...
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Daily Flower Candy: Veratrum album
One of my favourite sculptural plants, Veratrum album, is also a pretty nasty poison, with a long history of accidental and deliberate death. Alexander the Great is thought to have inadvertently...
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