The Plants - the stars of the show
I grow a lot of the plants from seed, but to get a start with perennials I picked up a number of shop bought plants including plug plants over the internet. Shops like B & M stores were doing three perennials for a fiver at one point and while they may not have been the healthiest specimens, once the went in the ground they came away fine. I also bought from the garden centre when the season had ended and the plants were greatly reduced in price. Every now and then I treat myself to something really special, especially when I get garden centre vouchers as a present.
There are a number of varieties that I just can't get enough of, Astrantia being one of them. I've also found I'm drawn to particular flower types and started off with Lavatera trimistris - silver cup and ended up with a shrub Lavetera and also Malope - vulcan and a prairie mallow. I'm also very partial to true blue flowers such as the Mecanopsis betonicifolia and the wonderful Nigella - moody blues.
From late winter the garden starts to re-awaken with snowdrops, winter aconite and anemone - blanda blue leading the way in the woodland garden.
Plant List - just a few of them!
Trees
Acer Orange Dream
Acer Emerald Lace
Acer atropurpureum
Rowan
Oak
Elder
Silver Birch
Bulbs
Alliums - Spherocephalon, Purple Sensation,
Nigrum, Nectaroscordum
Anemone - Blanda Blue
Daffodils including Minnow
Tulips - Spring Green,Queen of Night
Camassia quamash
Crown Imperial fritillary
Snake's Head fritillary
Erythronium - Pagoda
Pond Plants
Water forget-me-not
Water Lily
Water mint
Water plantain
Saururus
Pickerel weed
Water milfoil
Elodea
Perennials
Agapanthus - Midnight star
Agastache
Alpine potentilla
Astrantia - Star of Love,
Primadonna, Florence
Bamboo - Fargesia murelei
Bergenia
Campanula persicifolia
Campanula latifolia
Candelabra primulas - Bessiana and Pulverulenta
Canna - Happy Wilma
Clematis - The President, Piilu, Rouge Cardinal and Blue Angel
Corydalis elata
Corydalis sempervirens
Cotinus - Royal Purple
Crocosmia - lucifer
Dahlia - Noordwiks Glorie, Bishops Children, Mystic Enchantment
Delphinium - Black Night
Dianthus inc, Arctic Fire
Echinacea inc, Tangerine Dream, Pallida
Echinops ritro
Erodium - Spanish Eyes
Erygngium inc, Blue Hobbit
Euphorbia amygdaloides
Euphorbia griffithii - Fireglow
Fatsia japonica inc Spiders Web
Perennials
Geranium - Vision Violet
Geum - Lady Stratheden, Mrs Bradshaw, Rivale and Boriisi
Hellebore niger
Heuchera - Coral Forest, Palace Purple, Melting Fire, Plum Pudding, Alabama Sunrise, Indian Summer
Heucherella - Quicksilver
Knautia - Melton Pastels,
Kniphofia - Mango popsicle
Leucanthemum
Linaria purpurea - Canon Went
Lupins - Russell Mixed
Lupin arboreus
Lysimachia - Fire Cracker
Mechanopsis - Himalayan Poppy
Monarda didyma - Red
Shades
Musa sikkimenis
Nerine bowdenii
Penstemon
Phygellus - Funfair Orange
Polemonium caeruleum
Polemonium pauciflorum
Rose - Compassion
Salvia nemorosa - Caradonna
Salvia microphylla - Hot Lips
Salvia transylvanica
Silene coronaria
Tetrapanax papyrifer
Trollious - Lemon Queen
Verbascum, Southern Charm, Snow Maiden, Phoeniceum
Verbena bonariensis
Veronica teucherum