Paeonia lactiflora 'Karl Rosenfield'
paeony / peony
- Position: full sun or partial shade
- Soil: fertile, moisture-retentive yet well-drained
- Rate of growth: average
- Flowering period: June to July
- Hardiness: fully hardy
Prized for their blowsy, glamorous blooms and glossy, deeply cut foliage, peonies are held in deep affection by many gardeners, despite their shortish flowering season and vulnerability to peony wilt in damp weather. It's easy to see why. From the promise of early spring, when their red, mottled shoots push through bare earth and the handsome foliage unfurls from spherical red buds, to early summer, when the huge flowers burst open, peonies exert a fascination that few can resist. 'Karl Rosenfield' has fragrant double flowers of startling magenta, from early to mid summer among deeply cut mid green leaves. The reddish-bronze foliage of this striking peony provides interest from early spring and after the plant has flowered. - Garden care: Deadhead after flowering. In early spring apply a top dressing of a balanced, slow release fertiliser around the base of the plant and mulch with well-rotted compost or manure. If the plant shows signs of collapse or the leaves become spotty, this may be a symptom of peony botrytis. Remove affected leaves immediately. In the autumn, cut off all the foliage and dispose of it to prevent reinfection the following spring.
Rosa Iceberg ('Korbin')
rose Iceberg (bush floribunda)
Flowers throughout the summer
£9.99
4lt (floribunda)
within 2-3 days excludes weekends
Euphorbia characias subsp. wulfenii
spurge
Handsome tall evergreen with chartreuse flowers in spring
£8.99
2 litre pot
available to order from autumn 2013
Alchemilla mollis
lady's mantle
Scalloped leaves and frothy flowers
£4.99
9cm pot
available to order from autumn 2013
Verbascum chaixii 'Album'
mullein
Saucer-shaped white flowers with mauve centres
£5.99
2 litre pot
sold out
Cottage garden
The traditional cottage garden was an intensive, yet carefree mixture of fruit, vegetables, herbs and flowers all crowded into a tiny space. Today, this informal charm can be recreated using modern varieties that largely take care of themselves around an...
Read full articleTown
Create an ‘outside room’ that overcomes the three challenges of shade, exposure and lack of space using uplifting, shade-tolerant shrubs, perennials and bulbs. A sense of seclusion can be achieved with decorative screens and trellis covered in deciduous, fragrant...
Read full article