Artemisia 'Powis Castle'
wormwood
- Position: full sun
- Soil: well-drained, fertile soil
- Rate of growth: fast-growing
- Flowering period: August
- Hardiness: fully hardy
Artemisias are prized for their light, almost silver, aromatic foliage rather than for their flowers, which are dull and insignificant. This cultivar has fine, fern-like, aromatic leaves and tiny, yellow-tinged silver flowers in August. The billowing foliage of this woody stemmed perennial is ideal for a sunny rock garden or border. Although it's one of the hardiest varieties of wormwood, do plant it in a well-drained site, as the plant is likely to be short-lived in poorly drained soil. - Garden care: Cut back in early spring, but be careful not to cut into the old, woody stems that do not have buds unless it needs complete regeneration, as this may kill the plant. It helps if you can wait until the new buds are breaking before tackling it, as this will give you an indication as to where to make the cut. They fill out really quickly after pruning, but the tips may need pinching out to prevent them getting leggy.
Geranium himalayense 'Gravetye'
cranesbill
Large, purple-blue flowers with reddish centres
Foeniculum vulgare 'Giant Bronze'
fennel - bronze
Tall perennial with feathery, bronze leaves
Sedum (Herbstfreude Group) 'Herbstfreude'
stonecrop (syn Autumn Joy)
Perfect filler plant
Rosa 'Tuscany Superb'
rose Tuscany Superb (gallica)
Deliciously deep crimson-maroon flowers
Verbena bonariensis
verbena
Lilac-purple flowers
Lavandula stoechas subsp. stoechas f.rosea 'Kew Red'
French lavender
Bright cerise, butterly-like flowers in early summer
Allium sphaerocephalon
round-headed leek bulbs
Small, wine-coloured flowers on tall stems
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Combine this billowing mound of finely cut, grey-green foliage with sun lovers on your hottest, driest sites for summer exuberance
Val Bourne - Garden Writer