Named for Adrian Bloom's sister, Anthea, Achillea 'Anthea' is noted for soft, soothing yellow flowers, which lend credence to the legend that Achilles used poultices of yarrow (or Achillea) to heal his soldiers' wounds during the Trojan War. 'Anthea' likes full sun and fits nicely into rock gardens or can be used as background plantings for island beds and borders.
A specialty in Blooms breeding since the 1920's, Heuchera are usually known for either their flowers, or, in the case of Bressingham Bronze, their foliage. A robust plant of unsurpassed beauty and form, 'Bressingham Bronze' offers the deepest purple, most stable leaf colour of any plant in this genus. Fine, off-white flowers form in late spring to midsummer and can be used for arrangements or drying.
A dwarf hybrid of Hebe raised by Dennis and Margret Potter in North Yorkshire, England, 'Margret' has deep evergreen leaves and bright blue flowers that fade toward white as they mature, producing an interesting bicolour effect. The flowers form flowering spikes closely resembling those of the genus Veronica.
'Margret' is normally hardy in zones 8 to 10 and does best only in a limited area of the United States along the less humid West Coast in partially shaded areas. Relatively slow growing plants require little maintenance and range in size to 16 inches tall and to 16 inches wide, so could be treated as an annual here in Canada.
| And now for something completely different! |
North American gardeners are going to love Pink Panda from Blooms of Bressingham Perennials. This easy-to-care-for, pink-flowered strawberry is an easy-spreading perennial ground cover that brightens the landscape. With their large flowers, the plants adapt beautifully to patio containers and hanging baskets or can be brought inside for
short periods as house plants. The fruit is tasty but distinctly different from regular strawberries and not intended as a commercial crop. The plants are also extremely hardy and have demonstrated the ability to survive temperatures well below zero, and then come back year after year. I like this one so much, I'll talk it about it again!
Tip: The number one enemies of perennials are slugs and snails. Try eating more grapefruit and use the skins turned upside down in your patch of peonies.
