Plant Profiles RSS

Vinca difformis & varieties Vinca (Periwinkle) are great plants to use all over the garden whether its full shade, woodland, front of border or an exposed bank they will put on a great show of flowers from November right through until April. They are mostly evergreen and have a creeping habit, they are great for ground cover. Some varieties can be a little invasive like Vinca major, others are less so. Vinca minor has much smaller leaves and can be cut back from areas that you want to keep free. Vinca difformis is somewhere in between V.major and V. minor....

Abutilons Abutilon is a lovely plant that can be kept outside all year if it’s in the right location, a warm sheltered spot against a wall is ideal. I’m focusing here on the megapotamicum varieties, these are vigorous climbing plants that need to be tied in as they grow, they flower profusely throughout the summer. Abutilon megapotamicum Abutilon megapotamicum ‘Kentish Belle’ Abutilon megapotamicum ‘Wisley Red’

Caryopteris My personal favourite for many reasons, they have fragrant foliage, blue flowers in late Summer, very attractive to bees and insects, easy to grow etc. A genus of deciduous plants with both shrubs and perennials and they are commonly known as the Blue Beard due to the shape of the flowers. There are two species widely available in the UK, C. x clandonensis and C. incana. Both species have many varieties within them which have different attributes, mainly leaf colour and different shades of blue in the flowers. My favourite of these are: Caryopteris x clandonensis ‘Arthur Simmonds’ Caryopteris...

Buddleja Buddleja’s are extremely useful shrubs for the garden, they offer wonderful flowers through the Summer, are easy to grow and very beneficial to insects. They are often viewed as large plants but there are many different species and varieties that offer all manner of flower types & colours as well as size, there are even dwarf varieties like Buddleja Buzz™, ideal for pots on the patio or front of the border. Some of the best varieties are: Buddleja davadii ‘Black Knight’, a larger growing variety getting up to 6ft with large dark purple flowers through mid-late Summer. (photo courtesy...