Hellebores are generally very accommodating plants flowering early in spring and living happily in shade. Avoid Helleborus foetidus the stinking hellebore or setterwort. If you want coloured rose like flowers with shapely green leaves try growing them in a dedicated green bed.
As this graphic shows there are a growing number of hybrids offering a range of colours.
See our tips on Growing Helebores
Blazing saddles had nothing on this years blazing Lilies in pots and beds. My current go- too is the oriental ‘Black Beauty’
Oriental Lilies are native to China and Japan and are a later flowering variety of Lily. Oriental Lilies tend to produce large, showy and fragrant flowers. They vary in size from 1 foot dwarves to 7 feet giants. The smaller varieties make good pot plants.
Oriental Lily Facts
‘Twin flowers’
Cistus produce abundant flowers when grown in a hot dry garden but are more at home growing wild in Crete or Cyprus
The Latin part of a plant name often gives a hint about the attributes of a plant or flower.
Maculatus or maculata means spotted in leaf, bark or this case flower. It also means spotted in the insect world.
Look out for other obvious hints like odorata and fragrans which will be scented . Alba means white whilst nigrescens will be black. The spellings may differ and it isn’t a fool proof method of plant selection but it may help.
Cistus are known to cross pollinate with Halimum with are smaller similar plants that grown in the same conditions
A national collection and authority on the species is Bob Page. see Cistaceae family. http://www.cistuspage.org.uk/
It is hard to ignore plants with leaves as stunning as these in a Parks garden. The purple is from one of the Sumachs or Rhus family. Selecting plants that contrast in colour shape or form is part of the skill of gardening but starting with plants like these is a good beginning.
Purple is one of my favourite leaf colours of the moment and the Lamium below is called Perilla fructenscens. I am putting several plants in one area of my garden and will see how well they get on with one another.
This Heuchera below surprised me growing in a wall cleft with thin soil. I do not remember planting it in what I thought would be a hostile location. It must have been self sown but I have not got any other plants except the parent.
I am hoping for some coloured Heucheras for Fathers day later this year – well hope is free!
Uses of Heuchera
Six DVD’s in a boxed set ‘A Year at Kew – The Collection’ (Series 1-3) with Alan Titchmarsh is available from Amazon in time for a Christmas gift. Over 1000 minutes of gardening in a month-by-month journey via the BBC through the world’s greatest botanical garden.
I enjoyed a winter perusal of the BBC Book that accompanied the series. With monthly highlights and in sights into the inner workings of various specialist department there is enough to encourage return visits.
Rather than punt the book for the negligible commission we get if you buy after clicking the cover or link above I will just post some seasonally coloured photos of plants taken at Kew.
My book de Jour is ‘Fifty Favourite Roses’ Michael Gibson. A second reading has given me some new insights and some varieties to look out for: 5 petalled Tea Roses Dainty Bess, Mrs Oakley Fisher (golden) and Ellen Willmott (white) rugarosa Robusta and colour changing Mutabilis
Above is a true red rose that also flowers very early on a robust plant 5 feet tall.
Now a more commonly available single rose this Rosa ‘Canary Bird’ is a tall growing very floriferous lemon- yellow rose with good foliage.
Repeat flowering old Rose varieties do what it says in their name however the first 5 in my Top Ten only flower once per year but still inspire.
The Gallicas are probably the oldest of all garden roses forming short bushy shrubs, many of which are quite suitable for small gardens. They were grown by the Greeks and Romans then bred in 17th century by the Dutch and French.
Among them are some very fine roses with magnificent mixtures of colour particularly among the crimson, purple and mauve shades. They have beautiful flower formation with open upright blossom which shows the yellow stamens
All of the Gallicas are once blooming and most have very good fragrances. Tuscany variety is an almost black purple may be the oldest surviving Gallica from pre 1596.
Damask roses are another very old group, said to have originally been brought from the Middle East by the Crusaders. …
What is a Patio Rose if it isn’t a rose grown on a patio?
Patio roses grow bigger and bushier than miniatures and are about 14 -24 inch high, yet they are perfectly formed. H.T. Bush and Floribunda roses grow bigger but Patio roses are easy and decorative.
Patio Roses are easy for growing in small spaces and can be useful in many other garden locations. They can be grown in containers and pots or just planted near your front door.
Edging plants in front of other plants or in a narrow border on their own.
Some varieties make an attractive small hedge.
They all look well planted in groups 3-5-7 of each variety.
They are not house plants and are as hardy as larger roses.
Patio Roses are great for tubs and containers but remember to feed, water and mulch them.
Combined with summer bedding plants they will flower all summer long.
Growing Tips For Patio RosesMinimum pruning in late February or March will help keep them tidy.
Plant in full sun for the best show.
They are of course totally hardy and being perennials will appear year after year.
Roses are outdoor plants and do not survive in the house.
More information from Amazon in ‘Growing Miniature and Patio Roses’ by Dawn and Barry Eagle £6.99
Some special varieties providing a great display of colour and scent include:
There seems to be a named patio rose for most birthday and anniversary event if you shop around – that is modern marketing for you.
June is a wonderful time to appreciate the variety of easy care patio roses that are now available.
Third Year of outstanding Flowering
Yorkshire Princess Patio Rose
On My Patio with Room for More
See also Top Ten Old Roses
Credits
Patio rose by Charles D P Miller CC BY 2.0
Patio Rose – Birthday Wishes by jovike CC BY-NC 2.0
Rose in our patio in Berwick upon Tweed by Karen V Bryan CC BY-ND 2.0
