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Growing Kerria in a Cottage Garden

Growing Kerria in a Cottage Garden

kerria

Also known as the Japanese rose, Kerria Japonica it is a cottage-garden regular that grows dependably almost anywhere. The flowers are a distinctive single or double yellow flowers in April and May. The arching stems are thin and the leaves serrated.

Varieties

  • The modern AGM plant, Kerria japonica ‘Golden Guinea’, has very large, single flowers up to 2.5in across and bright green, attractively veined leaves.
  • Gardeners who are not sure about yellow may actually prefer the single form, Kerria ‘Simplex’, AGM.
  • A silver variegated form Kerria japonica ‘Picta’ has single flowers 1.25 – 2in across and it grows 5ft in height with creamy white margins on grey-green leaves. This is a low, spreading cultivar
  • Kerria japonica ‘Pleniflora’  syn. ‘Flore Plena’ is a vigorous, upright form with double flowers. It grows to 10ft in height and has an AGM.

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Honesty is the Best Policy

Honesty is the Best Policy

I will enjoy these Honesty plants three times over. Honesty also called Lunaria annua, Money plant or in America, Silver dollar plants are bi annuals grown from seed in one year to flower in the next.

  1. These leaves have attracted a heavy covering of frost but they will come through even in a hard winter to grow away strongly next spring. They are a bit prone to mildew next autumn but for now they provide shape and texture in a natural part of the garden.
  2. In spring the grey -green plants will branch and produce a profusion of lightly scented, single, small purple flowers. There is also a white variety great for cottage gardens.
  3. The reason these plants are famous and one reason for there names is the seed heads. A coin sized translucent papery seed head is uncovered as the seeds are self sown by the plant in late summer. These multiple seed heads are very popular as dried flowers and in flower arranging and look eerie in a dark corner of the garden through winter.

Honesty

Other Resources

Seedheads for display
Honesty growing tips for flowers and seedheads.