var.PUMILA

This has made an excellent mat forming plant for  the rock garden. Deep green toothed, palmate leaves of  only an inch across that are silky hairy below, overlap to form a neat backdrop to the clusters of tiny greenish yellow flowers on 1 in. stems.

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ALLIUM

 Many growers miss out on this superb range of plants for the rock garden,  scree or pan due to the reputation of a few thugs. All our offerings are choice and well behaved.

The blue onions are superb rock garden plants, with the proviso that they do not like dryness or lime.  This is a robust 12 in. tall with upright foliage. Flowers of a superb deep blue.

NEW

Seed grown and flowered for the first time in 1994, this is a superb blue onion with a globular head 2 inches across on a 10 inch stem. Grows outside here on a sunny scree.   2 per pot

NEW

The 8 inch long straw coloured stems open up at the tip in October/November to produce one inch wide heads of creamy coloured flowers that have green centre with dark anthers. The new foliage erupts at the same time.

An interesting little onion that grows well here in a sunny free draining bed. Dark green very thin foliage persists until June when it withers away to leave a 4 inch ‘piece of straw’ sticking up in the air, tidy gardeners never see the flower because this opens in late September to reveal an umbel of small cup shaped flowers of an almost  translucent hue with deep red veins. The picture shows it growing through Gentian acaulis.

NEW

GOODINGII

Only recently described (1947) this onion is rapidly becoming a regular feature on the Summer Show benches. Deep purplish pink upright facing flowers with contrasting golden yellow anthers atop a very erect 10 in stem whilst the foliage is still in good condition make this very pleasing. Not tried in the garden here but indications are that it is not difficult.                                                 

NEW

DIMINUTIVE FORM  Clear pale pink, bell shaped flowers in umbels of up to 20 on a 10 inch stem (much shorter than normal) atop the shorter neat foliage. Clump forming. Not yet tried outside but as it is a low elevation endemic of Western USA would probably prefer winter protection. A good form that does well at summer shows.      

NEW

3 per pot

NEW

3 per pot

NEW

One of the best late summer flowering onions for a sunny scree or rock garden. Only 4 inches tall the heads of gently nodding pink flowers, with a hint of orange, are freely produced over a six week period.

A dainty, gentian blue, onion from Western China, an excellent addition to the rock garden. It prefers a moist position flowering through May and June. 6 inches.

NEW

THUNBERGII 'OZAWA VARIETY'

Very long lasting flowers that open in late September and are still in good condition at the end of November. Dense umbels, over an inch across, of rich reddish purple flowers on 10 in. erect stems. Clump forming with neat narrow foliage that is insignificant compared to the flowering stems. Makes an excellent pan for the Autumn Shows but also a good garden plant.

A most attractive N. American onion that belies its name having usually at least three leaves. Our form is at the shorter end of its height range at about 9 in. Heads of 8-10 bright sugar pink starry flowers are freely produced. Good here in the garden but also makes an attractive pot plant.          3 per pot

VIRGUNCULAE

Recently introduced this November flowerer, although fully hardy with us, is well worthy of a pan in the alpine house. Quickly clumps up to make a stunning display of almost shiny pale pinkish lilac orbicular heads about an inch across that last and last.  6 in.

WALLICHII 

This lovely Chinese onion is making a lovely show at the front of one of Dot's herbaceous borders.. Reddish purple starry flowers about a half inch across in loose heads up to 3 ins across on 18 in. stems- late summer/ autumn. 

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Seen at the Edinburgh Botanic Gardens in June several years ago, this made an outstanding display. Covered in hundreds of the deepest blue flowers, the low mat of deep green foliage, 12 in. across, was hidden. At home it was still flowering in December whenever the sun shone. Of course it had to have a drawback, needing some winter protection. 1 in.

AGM 

Given austere treatment in the grittiest of composts in 'long tom' pot or open scree, you will be rewarded, in late spring, with clusters of sessile gentian blue flowers in the centre of the darkest green leathery leaved rosettes. 2 inches.

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Androsace

(x SEEMANNII)

A lovely delicate pale cream flowered nemorosa hybrid, the other parent being A. ranunculoides. 3 in.. All in this group are summer dormant, disappearing underground quite quickly after flowering.

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'ALBA PLENA'

The lovely double form of our native anemone. No garden should be without it. 3 inches.

AGM

Many typical anemone flowers of shiny yellow on 2 in. stems, over tidy foliage in early spring. Soon makes a spreading  mat in woodland edge conditions.

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A most unusual form that has almost double flowers of a yellowish green.

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TRIFOLIA

Foliage on purple pink stems less dissected than in A. nemorosa. Open faced flowers an inch across are pristine white with a large central boss of feathery stamens.

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ANEMONELLA THALICTROIDES    

Dainty pale pink flowers on 4 in. stems amongst ferny foliage. Needs a leafy compost in semi shade to produce the best results. Although completely hardy here we get the best results by growing them in shallow pans which are sunk into the borders in spring and brought inside, under the alpine house bench, over winter.

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This Japanese species has few basal leaves which are slightly glaucous. Large creamy white flowers with broad hooked spurs are carried erect on 3 in. stems. Excellent for a trough or sunny rock garden.

One of our favourite columbines that grows well here on a sunny scree bed. 20 inches.

The nodding flowers, several on each 10 inch stem, demand closer examination and it is well worth it. The chocolate/purple flower colour, contrasting with the mid green foliage is a most unusual combination. It is also beautifully scented.

ARENARIA MONTANA

AGM      We have an excellent form of this variable plant. Pure white flowers a good half inch across are borne on 3 inch stems above a mat of mid green foliage. We find it does best in a well drained bed with some shade.

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One of the easiest and attractive garden species. Deep green heavily notched leaves produce a cream, green and brown striped spathe, with a creamy green spadix. 15 ins.

A small but beautiful plant that produces a symmetrical whorle of leaves just topped by the spathe which is pale fawn, lime green and striped cream. The whispy tip is very long and hangs downwards. Hardy. 15 ins.

CANDIDISSIMUM

AGM Excellent statuesque garden plant. Large jagged leaves, long spathes of subtly striped mint green and cream. Needs a deep moisture retentive medium and some shade here. Dormant till June. 18 in.

FLAVUM 

Bright green divided leaves emerge from a brown sheath. Butter yellow spathe 2-3 in. long. Given a friable soil a patch of these lighten up a shady area in late summer, but do not need to dry out. Fully hardy. 10 in. 

JACQUEMONTII

Attractive narrowly divided leaves and a shiny spathe of polished mahogany, green striped to the top end and  pure white inside. A stunning combination.  This is fully hardy in all but the coldest most exposed parts of the UK. 15 in.      

Hardy with us this forms a clump of large broad leaves about 18 inches high. The 6 inch green spathe has white and purple-brown stripes with a very long ‘tail’ extending from the hood.

TORTUOSUM 

A lovely robust Himalayan species that from a stout stem produces 2 or 3 large much divided leaves. The spathe is pale green with a greyish overall bloom. The purplish green spadix, several inches long is very whippy and gives the plant its name. 18 ins.                                                    

A very statuesque plant first seen in Chris Grey-Wilson’s garden. the leaves are large and a pewter green in colour, liberally splashed with cream and occasional brown markings. Spathe is cream followed by large spikes of bright orange fruits. 18 ins.

CYRENAICUM

A lovely species probably best suited to a cool glasshouse. Clear pale green leaves. Spathe has green outer and pale rosy pink inner, with deep pink spadix. 

ITALICUM 'BLACK SPOT' 

Similar to italicum 'Pictum' but much more distinctive. Leaves are longer, narrower and more pointed, background colour is of a pewter green with creamy blotches and large black fuzzy spots liberally splashed across the surface. Clumps up quite quickly and regularly produces its beautiful spathe followed by deep orange fruits. 8 in.    

The spectacular large, deep purple shiny spathes produced in late spring are one of the most dramatic features of our woodland bed. Previewed from autumn by the slightly pewter green large lance shaped leaves and followed by spires of orange berries. We offer 3 year old seed grown plants. 

AGM 

Delicate pink flowers over grey/green hairy foliage. Excellent pan plant for the show bench, but grows and flowers well here in a free draining trough and tufa outdoors. Needs a haircut in autumn to keep it in character.

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DAPHNEOLA

The most beautiful of the Asperula family with deep red flowers. Introduced by Robert Rolfe from Nif Dag, Turkey. (pps 358-62 AGS Bull. Vol. 60). It has now grown on a well drained trough here for 4 years and for the last 2 years on tufa,  unprotected. Not easy in a pan but has won classes at AGS Shows.

ASTER NATALENSIS

(now correctly Felicia rosulata) An easy going  daisy for the rock garden or scree bed. A small mat of hairy rosettes of rounded leaves and through the summer months large deep blue daisies about 2 in. across with large yellow eye. 6 in.

CAMPANULA

MICROPHYLLA

Originally grown as a pan plant this is now gently spreading, though not invasive, in one of our moist peat enriched beds. Divided erect leaves erupt from underground stolons and from spring to mid summer are followed by several deep pink flowers on each of many 2 in stems. Choice.

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Clematis

CODONOPSIS FORRESTII 

Delicate stems climb to about 4 feet and in late summer produce a long succession of large deep blue, open faced flowers.  Prefers a peaty soil in cool conditions.

A delicate Chinese/Tibetan climber with narrow jagged edged leaves on relatively long stalks. Lavender blue starry flowers are a good 2 inches across.

Described by Will Ingwerson as 'a glamorous mat forming gem with gleaming silver leaves and clusters of pure white funnel shaped flowers' (the form that we offer is pink tinged). Grown outside here in a gritty sheltered position but it also makes a  good specimen in a pan where it would be safer in colder regions. 2 in.

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(PURPLE LEAF)

Becoming increasingly well known, this excellent  introduction has bronze tinged foliage contrasting well with the brilliant blue flower. We find that it needs shade here to grow well and produce its flowers over a three month period. 7 in.

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LINSTOWIANA

Masses of pale green feathery foliage. 6 in. pinkish stems carry many umbels of sweetly scented flowers. Each flower about a half inch long, several shades of blue, from the palest hint of blue on the main body, to almost purple blue on the keel. With a clear sky blue fall retreating into a white throat. Long flowering outdoors from May to November. 10 in.

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