Stars of the show plant combination
Stars of the show plant combination
This planting scheme was a big hit for Luciano Giubbilei when he used it in his Gold medal-winning garden at the Chelsea Flower Show in 2009. People loved the mix of strong colours that the peony, sage and masterwort provided, particularly when they were tempered with softness and tonal harmony of the bronze fennel.
Planting tips:
Prepare the bed well by digging in lots of composted organic matter before you plant. For best results it is essential that the plants are kept well watered for the first year, particularly during warmer weather.
What's included:
Each collection contains one of each of the following plants, all supplied in 9cm nursery pots:
- Paeonia 'Buckeye Belle': Prized for their blousy, glamorous blooms and glossy, deeply cut foliage, peonies are held in deep affection by many gardeners, despite their short flowering season and vulnerability to peony wilt in damp weather. It's easy to see why. From the promise of early spring, when their red, mottled shoots push through bare earth and the handsome foliage unfurls, to early summer, when the huge flowers burst open from spherical red buds, peonies exert a fascination that few can resist. 'Buckeye Belle' has deep red semi-double flowers from early to mid summer and dark green leaves. Grows to 90cm.
- Astrantia major 'Claret': This is one of the darkest-flowered astrantias, with deep, ruby red pincushion-like flowers with a ruff of longer bracts than many other varieties. The leaves are pretty, too; deeply lobed and dark green. Although it is an old cottage garden favourite, this astrantia works equally well in contemporary-style plantings. Use towards the front of a sunny, yet moist border, where the flower colour can be fully appreciated. Grows to 90cm.
- Salvia nemorosa 'Caradonna': A superb cultivar with glowing purple stems loaded with violet-blue flowers from June to October. The grey-green, aromatic foliage also makes an attractive accent in the summer border. A compact variety that is perfect for adding a splash of colour at the front of a well-dr ained herbaceous border or gravel garden. It thrives in a sunny spot and will become drought tolerant once established. The blooms are a magnet for butterflies and bees. Grows to 50cm.
- Foeniculum vulare Giant Bronze': Fine clouds of feathery, bronze-purple leaves are followed by flat-topped, sulphur-yellow flowerheads in mid to late summer and then by aromatic seeds. This giant fennel looks fantastic as a centrepiece for a sunny herb garden, or among tall perennials and grasses. The foliage acts as a delicate veil through which the flower heads of herbaceous plants and bulbs can be seen. Grows to 1.8m.
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The plants in this collection will die right back in autumn, then fresh new growth will appear again in spring.
4 × plants | 1 of each
£60.96
£15.24 each
Standard Delivery£5.95
Named Day Delivery£10.95
