Plants

This month’s Garden Flowers post,which I write with Rona Wheeldon of Flowerona, features Heleniums.  The flower’s common name is Sneezeweed which is derived from the false belief that they cause hay fever.

Heleniums bring long-lasting colour to your garden and the flowers are particularly valued for their bronze and copper-red tones.

There are forty species in total and they need full sun to really thrive.  Although they prefer moist soil, they will grow on more freely draining soil if plenty of compost or other organic matter is dug in before planting.

Heleniums are herbaceous perennials which means that they die back in the winter and reappear again each summer.

They look fantastic planted in swathes with other late flowering perennials, such as Crocosmias and taller varieties of Achilleas, such as ‘Cloth of Gold’.

Some varieties begin flowering in early July but most, like Helenium ‘Moerheim Beauty’ appear in late July and early August, and often continue flowering into September and sometimes as late as October.

If you’re keen to bring wildlife into your garden then Heleniums are a great addition because their bright daisy flowers attract many insects, including bees.

And now’s a great time to buy them because, although it’s not really planting season, you’ll be able to see them in flower and choose the colour you want.

Remember too that they look best planted in swathes, so you’ll need more than one in your garden if you want to create an impact.  Odd numbers tend to work best and, if you have the space, why not plant a few clumps to create rhythm and to lead your eye through the garden?

(Images: Lisa Cox)

In this month’s Garden Flowers blog post which I write with Rona Wheeldon of Flowerona, we’re looking at a very popular garden plant, the hydrangea. Read more

Lavender is one of those plants that even the non-gardening population have heard of and it’s one of my favourites because it’s a really versatile plant that can be used in so many different situations.  Lavandula angustifolia is English Lavender and ‘Hidcote’ is one of the most common varieties.  It’s fully hardy which means that it can easily cope with the British climate. Read more

I really hope you enjoyed the Jubilee weekend (assuming you’re in the UK of course!).  I managed to spend some time in the garden, between showers, tidying up a bit so I thought you might like to see some pictures of the plants that are looking gorgeous in my garden right now. Read more

This month’s Garden Flowers post, which I write with Rona Wheeldon of Flowerona features the top three new plants at this year’s RHS Chelsea Flower Show. Read more

This month, my Garden Flowers blog post, which I write with Rona Wheeldon of Flowerona features one of our favourite flowers, the peony, whose Latin name is Paeonia. Read more

In this month’s Garden Flowers blog post which I write with blogger and freelance writer, Rona Wheeldon, we’re looking at perhaps one of the lesser well-known garden plants, the flowering currant. Read more

I was reading a very old copy of The Times newspaper earlier this week which we brought my partner’s parents on their Golden Wedding Anniversary as a momento of their wedding day. Read more

March sees the official start of spring and although the early focus in the garden is on the appearance of bulbs, there are other plants that really shine at this time of year. Read more

In this month’s Garden Flowers blog post, which I write with Rona Wheeldon of Flowerona, we’re looking at an evergreen flowering shrub with delicate blooms to brighten up your garden in these winter months…the Camellia sasanqua. Read more