Phlomis fruticosa

Jerusalem sage

2 litre pot £8.99 Buy
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  • Position: full sun
  • Soil: any fertile, well-drained soil
  • Rate of growth: average
  • Flowering period: June and July
  • Hardiness: borderline hardy (may need winter protection)

    In June and July, distinctive whorls of hooded, golden yellow flowers are strung like beads at intervals above sage-like, aromatic, grey-green leaves. This spreading evergreen shrub forms a neat mound and even after the flowers fade, it retains a dramatic presence in the border, with architectural seedheads that look wonderful among late-flowering perennials and grasses. Try it towards the middle of a sunny mixed or herbaceous border, or as part of a scheme with silver-leaved plants.

  • Garden care: In mid-spring shorten any frost-damaged stems, cutting back to just above a healthy bud. Remove any weak or diseased shoots, cutting cleanly back to the base. Avoid excessive winter wet and offer winter protection in colder parts of the country or when temperatures really drop.

Helenium 'Chelsey'

sneezeweed

Crimson and yellow daisy-like flowers

£8.99 Buy

Acanthus spinosus

bear's breeches

A stunning architectural plant

£8.99 Buy

Kniphofia 'Nancy's Red'

red hot poker

Ideal for a small garden

£8.99 Buy

Alcea rosea 'Nigra'

hollyhock

Tall stems bearing near-black flowers

£1.49 Buy

Papaver somniferum (Paeoniiflorum Group) 'Black Paeony'

poppy

Big, blousy, near-black blooms

£1.99 Buy
 

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