Campanula rotundifolia
harebell
- Position: full sun or partial shade
- Soil: moist, but well-drained soil
- Rate of growth: fast-growing
- Flowering period: July to August
- Flower colour: violet-blue
- Hardiness: fully hardy
Spreading by underground rhizomes, this pretty perennial will form a neat clump of foliage in spring, which starts to die back as the upright flower stems emerge in midsummer. The violet-blue flowers resemble nodding bells that form in loose trusses at the top of the wiry stems. Elegant and easy to grow, it is a native of dry, grassy slopes throughout Europe and the UK, so it looks right at home in naturalised planting schemes. - Garden care: Surface-sow onto good quality compost, which is kept moist but not wet and keep under glass (or in a polythene bag) until they germinate. When they are large enough to handle transplant into small pots and grow on before planting out in a sunny position. Protect the tender foliage from slug-damage using environmentally friendly slug pellets or beer traps. During the growing season water freely and apply a balanced liquid fertiliser each month.
- Sow: March-May or September-November
- Flowering: July-August
- Approximate quantity: 1000 seeds
Nepeta × faassenii
catmint
Loose drifts of lavender flowers. Great for edging
£7.99
2 litre pot
within 2-3 weeks
Centaurea 'Jordy'
knapweed
Intense, near-black flowers
£5.99
9cm pot
within 2-3 days excludes weekends
Dianthus cruentus
feld pink
Great for pots or the alpine bed
£6.99
9cm pot
available to order from summer 2013
Dicentra 'Adrian Bloom'
bleeding heart
A compact, long-flowering form
£6.99
9cm pot
available to order from summer 2013
How to make a new lawn
There’s nothing like a lawn to bring the various disparate elements in a garden together. It’s easy on the eye and helps highlight other more ornamental features within in the garden. Best of all, it adds much needed space to...
Read full article