Centaurea montana 'Alba'
mountain knapweed
- Position: full sun
- Soil: well-drained soil
- Rate of growth: average
- Flowering period: May to July
- Hardiness:
fully hardy
This perennial cultivar of the annual cornflower has shaggy white flowers with reddish violet centres that are twice the size of the native species. It flowers from May to July and has lance-shaped, mid-green leaves. It looks particularly good with old cottage garden favourites such as lupins and catmint, or with grasses. An excellent plant for the middle of a well-drained, sunny border. - Garden care: Stake with brushwood or bamboo canes before the flowers appear. Cut back to the ground after flowering and you may get a second flush of flowers. Lift and divide large clumps every three years in spring.
Erigeron karvinskianus
Mexican fleabane
Daisy like flowers turn from white to pink
Geranium sanguineum 'Album'
bloody cranesbill
Pure white flowers in early summer
Nepeta racemosa 'Walker's Low'
catnip
Long flowering period
Perovskia 'Blue Spire'
Russian sage
Violet-blue flowers and silvery foliage. Great planted en masse
Dianthus carthusianorum
carthusian pink
Vibrant magenta flowers
Anemanthele lessoniana
pheasant's tail grass (syn. Stipa arundinacea )
Versatile and colourful
How to get more flowers
Many flowering plants can be encouraged to produce better and longer-lasting displays with the minimum of effort. A plant produces flowers in order to reproduce and ensure the survival of the species. Once a plant has flowered and fertilisation has...
Read full articlePrairie
Indulge a passion for ornamental grasses by creating a prairie- or meadow-style garden. They can be richly planted with native wildflowers or a selection of complementary perennials and self-seeding annuals to create a naturalistic planting effect. Prairie gardens often...
Read full articleThin out hardy annuals
Hardy annuals such as candytuft, California poppy and cornflowers sown direct last month into a prepared seedbed [link to making a seedbed] will need thinning to the correct spacing. Thin the flower seedlings when they are large enough to separate...
Read full articleGet more flowers
Deadheading will prevent them setting seed and so use their energy producing a further flush of blooms later on. Plants that respond well to deadheading include annuals such as Ageratum, Alyssum, Antirrhinum, Calendula, Centaurea, Cosmos, Dahlia, foxglove, Californian poppy, sweet...
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