Plant advice articles

Astrantia

Among the loveliest border perennials, the distinctive, papery flowers look like small pin cushions.

How To Grow Irises

Irises are beautiful, often flamboyant plants that are easy to grow given the right place. There are three types of irises; ones with beards, ones without beards and ones that grow from bulbs.

Mention to a gardener that you like Bergenias (Elephant ears) and you get a long, confused stare as though to say ‘what those boring things!’ But I really do like and respect these robustly formed, immensely useful plants.

Campanula

There are lots of types of Campanulas, all of which provide the border with a flowery, cottage feel. The other name for this variable bunch is Bellflower for the obvious reason as the flowers are bell-shaped.

Tree Peonies

The term Tree Peony is a little confusing as it seems to describe a plant that grows to the height of a tree, which it does not. The main difference between Tree Peonies and their herbaceous cousins is that Tree peonies don’t die back in winter.

Centaurea

These free-flowering, clump-forming plants can be divided into two groups: tall and upright with large, knob-like flowers or short and mounding with flat, wheel-like flowers.

What happens when I place my order?

When you place an order it goes into a pile with other orders. These are then collated into one ‘pulling’ list. We then go outside, onto the stock beds, and ‘pick’ the plants on the list ......

What will the plants look like when they arrive?

In winter perennials are dormant which means that most plants will have no or very few leaves although....

Delphinium

These stalwarts of the grand herbaceous border offer structure and well-defined height. Although there are many named varieties, most are expensive and difficult to obtain.

When is the best order to plants?

The majority of our perennials are grown in pots, which means they can be planted at any time of the year including winter and early spring. When you want to plant them is up to you as the plants ....