Flower from Mixed Borders at RHS Wisley. Photo from Chris Garnons-Williams on 24 July 2013. |
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Plant Name |
Cosmos bipinnatus 'Purity' |
Common Name |
Cosmos |
Soil |
Chalk, Loam, Sand (Alkaline) |
Sun Aspect |
Full Sun |
Soil Moisture |
Moist and Well-drained |
Plant Type |
Summer Bedding Plant - Half-Hardy Annual |
Height x Spread in inches (cms) |
40 x 16 (100 x 40) Space 12 inches (30 cms) apart. |
Foliage |
Ferny Mid-Green |
Flower Shape, Natural Arrangement, Number of Petals and Flower Colour in Month(s). Seed |
Saucer-shaped, pure White, 8 Petal flowers in June-November |
Bedding Plant Use |
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Comment |
"Cosmos bipinnatus 'Purity' is the classic cut flower and supremely lovely garden plant, which no one should be without. It has great flowers and good bushy foliage. Cosmos last 10 days in the vase, produce at least two buckets of cut flowers a week from a 100 x 100 cms (40 x 40 inches) patch and do so from late June until November - so that’s nearly fifty buckets of flowers in one season from a small patch. They are impossible to beat. Attracts bees, butterflies and pollinating insects. Sow undercover in March - April or direct sow April-June. Pinch out tips to encourage bushier plants. May need staking. Dead head regularly. " from Sarah Raven. "This popular annual cosmos makes a great filler plant for a sunny border, and as long as it's dead-headed regularly, it will produce a succession of graceful, pure white, saucer-shaped flowers from early summer to mid autumn. It is very easy to grow, and it makes an invaluable addition to the cutting garden. In early spring, sow shallowly in seed trays and keep under glass, transplanting them into individual pots when large enough to handle. Harden off before planting outside after the frosts. Alternatively, sow in-situ in mid to late spring in a well-prepared bed and thin the seedlings out as they grow to allow approximately 30cm between each. As the seedlings grow, pinch out the tips to encourage bushier plants. Taller plants may need supporting with brushwood stems in exposed positions." from Crocus. Seed and seedlings available from Sarah Raven in the UK. Seed available from Crocus in the UK with Thompson & Morgan for most countries, Mr Fothergill's in Australia, GardenStuff in New Zealand, AliExpress in China and Outsidepride in America.
Further details on Cosmos from Monty Don in his article published 14 September 2012 in Daily Mail and inserted into Mail Online:- "This is the season for daisies of all kinds but one of my favourites, at this or any time of year, is cosmos – in all its forms. I grow three different types of cosmos, two of which are annuals and have to be re-sown every spring and one, Cosmos atrosanguineus, which is a tuber and can survive for years with a little loving care. The two annuals are Cosmos bipinnatus and Cosmos sulphureus. Both are native to Mexico and South America, and both are tender annuals, so will only withstand the lightest touch of frost. I sow both in seed trays in March and April, pricking the seedlings out into plugs or pots and planting them out when the last hint of frost has gone. You can, of course, buy young plants, although one of the beauties of growing your own from seed is not just the money you save but the much wider choice of varieties. Cosmos bipinnatus is a multi-stemmed plant with lovely ferny foliage. The flowers are elegant, open daisies that will go on being produced until the first frosts if they are dead-headed regularly. When dead-heading cosmos the trick is to cut the stem right back to the first leaf, rather than just pulling the flowerhead off. The two varieties of C. bipinnatus that I like best are the tall white ‘Purity’ and the plum-coloured ‘Dazzler’, which changes its colour as it fades to a magenta shade of pink. ‘Purity’ works well in this garden because it will reach 122cm (4ft) tall, so it can be placed in among perennials and appear through their growth, but if you want a shorter variety for the front of the border you might want to try ‘Sonata’. Cosmos sulphureus ‘Bright Lights’ has done exceptionally well this year, despite the cold, very wet weather we’ve had here on the western side of the country. I have it in containers as well as borders and it is equally at home in both. ‘Bright Lights’ has a small, orange flower with a central boss which, if dead-headed regularly, carries on blooming for months and months. All Cosmos sulphureus varieties are orange or yellow and I like the pure colour of ‘Lemon Bird’ as well as ‘Sunny Orange’ and ‘Sunny Red’. The latter takes orange as far into red as it can go while still remaining – well, not quite – red. Cosmos atrosanguineus derives its Latin name from its colour of dried blood – but the plant’s popular name, chocolate cosmos, comes from its incredible chocolate fragrance. The flowers are small jewels of the richest, deepest burgundy held on long slender stems and are among the rightful royalty of the plant world. They are not hardy and if you leave them in your borders over winter there is a real chance they will be killed by a sharp frost, or rot in cold wet soil. I recommend treating them exactly like dahlias. As soon as the first frost blackens the leaves, cut off the stems and foliage, lift them, remove all soil from the roots and dry them for a few days in a frost-free shed.Then pack the tubers in pots or a seed tray in vermiculite or used potting compost and put them somewhere dark and cool. You do not want them to dry out completely, so check them every few weeks and lightly dampen them.In March, take the tubers out, carefully check that they’re not shrivelled or rotten, and then pot them up individually and place them in a warm, bright spot to stimulate growth. Gradually harden them off before planting them out after the last frost."
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Companions |
Ammi majus, |
Flowers from Mixed Borders at RHS Wisley. Photo from Chris Garnons-Williams on 29 July 2013. |
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Foliage from Mixed Borders at RHS Wisley. Photo from Chris Garnons-Williams on 24 July 2013. |
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Summer Form from Mixed Borders at RHS Wisley. Photo from Chris Garnons-Williams on 24 July 2013. |
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Location of this plant in front of Onopordum acanthium from Mixed Borders at RHS Wisley on East Border Part 5 from expanded image of Summer Form. Photo from Chris Garnons-Williams on 24 July 2013. |
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White Plant Label from Mixed Borders at RHS Wisley. Photo from Chris Garnons-Williams on 29 July 2013. |
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Black Plant Label from Mixed Borders at RHS Wisley. Photo from Chris Garnons-Williams on 29 August 2013. |
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UK Butterfly:- "OTHER PLANTS ATTRACTIVE TO BUTTERFLIES A garden with butterflies flitting from flower to flower is a delight in itself, but a garden popular with butterflies indicates a healthy environment, the more nectar plants you have, the more butterflies and moths will eventually find you. Butterflies like the warmth and it is important to choose sunny, sheltered spots when planting nectar plants. Plant as many different nectar plants as possible to increase the number of butterfly species visiting your garden. Deadhead the flowers, mulch and water well to keep the plants healthy, prolong flowering and produce more nectar for hungry butterflies. HARDY SHRUBS:
HARDY PERENNIALS:
Common stinging nettles and coarse grasses |
BEDDING PLANT GALLERY PAGES BEDS WITH PICTURES
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BEDDING PLANT GALLERY PAGES which shows the flowers from the plants in the:-
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Flower Simple Shape |
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Bedding Plant Use |
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MIXED BORDERS IN RHS GARDEN AT WISLEY DESIGN GALLERY PAGES FLOWER COLOUR RANGE IN 71 PARTS OF MIXED BORDER DURING |
7 Flower Colours per Month in Colour Wheel below in the MIXED BORDERS DESIGN Gallery, which shows the flowers from:-
Click on Black or White box in Colour of Month. |
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MIXED BORDER BEDDING PLANTS GALLERY PAGES |
Bedding Plants Height from Text Border for the |
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Blue = 0-24 inches |
Green = 24-72 inches |
Red = 72+ inches |
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Bedding Plants Soil Moisture from Text Background |
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Wet Soil |
Moist Soil |
Dry Soil |
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Click on thumbnail to change this Comparison Page to the Plant Description Page of the Bedding Plant named in the Text box below that photo.
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MIXED BORDER BEDDING PLANT INDEX |
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Bedding Plant Name. |
Flower Colour with link to a Design of East Border or |
Flowering Months See Mixed Borders Flower Colour per Month Pages |
Flower Thumbnail |
Height x Spread in inches (cms) |
Bedding Plant Use:- |
Foliage Colour with link to Mixed Borders Foliage Colour Page |
Foliage Thumbnail |
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A |
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Jul-Aug |
Its black label was below the top of the foliage. Flowers not seen before or after 21-08-2013 |
36 x 12 |
Bedding Out, |
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Jul-Oct |
Its white label not replaced with black label. Name on label difficult to read. Flowers not seen before or after 17-06-2013 |
20 x 4 |
Filling In, Pots and Troughs, Window Boxes, Hanging Baskets |
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Jul-Sep |
14 x 14 |
Bedding Out, Filling In, Pots and Troughs |
Bronze and aromatic |
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Lavender-Rose |
Jul-Oct |
24 x 20 |
Bedding Out, Filling In, Pots and Troughs |
Grey-Green and fragrant |
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Jun-Oct |
18 x 15 |
Bedding Out, Filling In, Pots and Troughs |
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Jun-Sep |
12 x 12 |
Filling In, Pots and Troughs, Window Boxes, Hanging Baskets |
Darkest Bronze- almost Black |
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Jun-Sep |
White label may not have been replaced. Identity of this plant after 17-06-2013 lost by its foliage growing over it. Perhaps its seed was sown on 7 February 2013 |
8 x 12 |
Bedding Out, |
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Apr-Oct |
24 x 24 |
Filling In, Pots and Troughs |
Grey-Green leaves dissected into thread-like lobes |
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Light Pink |
Apr-Oct |
20 x 20 |
Bedding Out, Filling In, Pots and Troughs, Window Boxes |
Divided |
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B |
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Jul-First Frost |
7 x 18 |
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Dark Green ferny foliage |
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C |
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Jun-Sep |
64 x 20 |
Bedding Out, Screen-ing, Filling In, Pots and Troughs |
Large, Bronze-tinted, bright Green, which is variously striped in green, purple, orange and pink |
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Bright Yellow |
Jul-Oct |
Flowers not seen before or after 10-11-2013 |
Height 80 inches (200 cms) |
Filling In, Screening |
Blue-Green |
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July-First Frost |
Flowers not seen before or after 3-08-2013 |
36 x 24 |
Filling In, Screening, Pots and Troughs |
Coarse and oval Green leaves with Purple margins and stems |
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Pale Lemon-Yellow |
Jul-Sep |
Flowers not seen before or after 17-06-2013 |
48 x 24 |
Filling In, Screening, Pots and Troughs |
Finely divided Dark Green |
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Jun-Nov |
36 x 16 |
Filling In, Screening, Pots and Troughs |
Ferny Mid-Green |
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Ruby-Red |
Jun-Sep |
30 x 16 |
Filling In, Pots and Troughs |
Ferny Light Green |
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Velvety-Red |
Jul-Nov |
36 x 24 |
Filling In, |
Finely-cut Dark Green pinnate foliage |
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Cosmos sulphureus (Dwarf Ladybird) |
Scarlet-Red with Tangerine and Yellow |
Jun-Oct |
24-72 x 12 -36 |
Bedding Out, Filling In, |
Dark Green |
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May-First Frost |
30 x 36 |
Bedding Out, Filling In, |
Hairy, ovate, pointed Dark Green |
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D |
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Yellow with Yellow collar |
Jul-Oct |
36 x 20 |
Filling In, Pots and Troughs |
Dark Green |
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There are photos and text description on this Dahlia and more than 44 other Dahlias in the Dahlia Gallery of this website. |
Dark Wine-Red |
Jul-Nov |
20 x 48 |
Filling In, Screening, Pots and Troughs |
Dark Green |
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As the flowers open, the Purple tipped, White petals turn a more uniform shade of Lilac. |
Jun-Oct |
48 x 24 |
Filling In, Screening, Pots and Troughs |
Dark Green |
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Jul-Oct |
48 x 24 |
Bedding Out, |
Dark Green |
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Bronze-Orange |
Jul-Oct |
36 x 30 (90 x 75) |
Filling In, Pots and Troughs |
Bronze-tinged, slightly Purplish |
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Dahlia pinnata 'Dawn Sky' |
Unable to locate flower colour or mail-order supplier |
Jul-Sep |
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36 x 12 |
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Purplish-Pink peony flower |
May-Oct |
30 x 20 |
Filling In, Pots and Troughs |
Dark Bronze |
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Yellow base petals with tips that are Rose-Red |
Jun-First Frost |
56 x 20 |
Bedding Out, Filling In, Screen-ing, Pots and Troughs |
Dark Green |
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White with Lilac flush |
Jul-Sep |
48 x 24 |
Bedding Out, Filling In, Screen-ing, |
Dark Green |
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Cadmium Yellow single flower |
Jul-Oct |
27 x 24 (73 x 60) |
Bedding Out, Filling In, |
Toothed, pinnate, dark mahogany to purple-black leaves |
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Straw-Yellow flowers, the broad rays orange-red at the base, and the disk deep purple |
Jun-Oct |
24 x 20 |
Filling In, Pots and Troughs, Window Boxes |
Bronze |
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Pale Pink with White inner collars around Yellow centres |
Jul-Oct |
48 x 24 |
Filling In, |
Dark Green Swan Island Dahlias has been family owned since 1927 and is the largest dahlia grower in the USA with 40 acres of Dahlias growing 350 varieties, that are open to the public during blooming season. |
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Red flowers tipped with White |
Jul-Oct |
40 x 12 |
Filling In, |
Dark Green |
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White with soft Pink flush flower |
Jul-Sep |
30 x 18 (75 x 45) |
Filling In, |
Purple-black stems and chocolate coloured foliage |
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Dianthus barbatus 'Kaleidoscope' It is likely that this plant's name is Dianthus barbatus 'Kaleidoscope Mixed' |
Pink that gradually mature to White |
May-Sep |
24 x 12 |
Bedding Out, |
Dark Green |
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Dusky Pink |
May-Nov |
36 x 18 |
Filling In, Screening, Pots and Troughs |
Linear to lance-shaped Mid Green |
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E |
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F |
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G |
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Jun-Aug |
18 x 12 |
Bedding Out, |
Light Green |
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H |
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Heliotropium arborescens 'Marine' |
Violet-Blue |
Jun-Aug |
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12 x 36 |
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Heliotropium arborescens is synonymous with Heliotropium peruvianum, but whether cultivar 'Marine' is the same as 'Dwarf Marine' I would not know since their descriptions are different. The Black Plant Label inserted after the White Plant Label appears to provide the name for a different plant from that named in the White Plant Label, so no Bedding Plant Description Page produced. |
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Heliotropium peruvianum |
Royal Purple |
Jun-Sep |
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18 x 12 |
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I |
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n/a |
n/a |
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24 x 18 |
Bedding Out, |
Semi-succulent cerise-colored stems and red oblanceolate leaves that are marked with lighter veins |
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J |
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K |
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L |
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Aug-Nov |
48 x 36 (120 x 90) |
Bedding Out, |
Deliciously-scented, spade-like, thick, felted, grey-green leaves |
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M |
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N |
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O |
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Osteospermum 'Sunny Cecil' See other varieties from the Sunny Series |
White daisy-like flower heads with dark Purple centres |
May-Aug |
10 x 10 |
Filling In, |
Toothed, obovate, Mid- to Dark Green |
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P |
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White Unable to locate its flowers from Apr-Nov 2013 |
Apr-Oct Used flowers from an Exhib-ition |
14 x 12 |
Filling In, |
Rose scented, deeply incised, Grey-Green |
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Wine-Red blotched Black |
Jun-Nov |
16 x 12 (40 x 30) |
Bedding Out, |
Brilliant Green |
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Penstemon 'Countess of Dalkeith' also called Penstemon |
Plum-Purple and White-throated funnel-shaped |
Jun-Nov |
30 x 18 |
Bedding Out, |
Narrow oval Dark Green |
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Penstemon Fujiyama 'Yayama' (Plant Breeders Rights apply = 'Yayama') |
Shell-Pink flowers with broad satiny White throats |
May-Oct |
24 x 18 |
Filling In, Pots and Troughs |
Narrow Mid-Green |
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Funnel-shaped Magenta to Cerise flowers with a White throat |
May-Oct |
30 x 18 (75 x 45) |
Bedding Out, |
Fleshy Mid-Green leaves with thick stems. |
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White-throated, Pink flowers |
May-Oct |
40 x 20 |
Bedding Out, |
Mid to Grey-Green |
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Wine-Red coloured flowers and throat streaked with purple |
May-Oct |
28 x 20 (70 x 50) |
Bedding Out, |
Lance shaped Dark Green leaves with tinged red stems |
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Bell-shaped purple/blue flowers with White throat |
May-Oct |
24 x 18 |
Filling In, Pots and Troughs, Window Boxes, Hanging Baskets |
Mid to Dark Green |
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Penstemon 'Vesuvius Yasius' (Volcano Series) |
Purple funnel-shaped flowers with White throats |
May-Oct |
24 x 14 |
Filling In, Pots and Troughs, Window Boxes, Hanging Baskets |
Narrow, oval and Mid Green |
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White |
Jul-Oct |
24 x 18 |
Filling In, Pots and Troughs, Window Boxes |
Dark Green |
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Jul-Aug |
30 x 18 |
Bedding Out, |
Dark Green |
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Q |
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R |
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Ricinus communis 'Impala' |
Creamy-White |
August |
The black label for this plant was seen in a photo of Canna 'Ra', but no photo of its foliage or flowers was taken before or after 10 November 2013 |
48 x 48 |
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Copper-Red palmate leaves |
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Jul-Oct |
24 x 16 |
Bedding Out, |
Dark Green |
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S |
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Blue-tinged bracts with large green calyces See photo of flower from National Trust Hinton Ampner Garden |
Jul-Oct |
80 x 80 (200 x 200) |
Bedding Out, Filling In, Screening, Pots and Troughs |
Dark Green |
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Jun-Oct |
24 x 24 |
Bedding Out, |
Dark Green |
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Fire Engine Red flowers framed by reddish-black bracts |
Jul-Oct |
24 x 24 |
Filling In, |
Triangular, toothed and Mid-Green |
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White overlaid with Pink |
Jun-Oct |
18 x 16 (45 x 40) |
Bedding Out, |
Dark Green |
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Scarlet |
Jun-Oct |
18 x 12 (45 x 30) |
Bedding Out, |
Dark Green |
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Jul-Oct |
24 x 24 |
Filling In, Pots and Troughs, Window Boxes, Hanging Baskets |
Mid Green |
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Blue flowers with black calyces |
Jul-Oct |
100 x 36 |
Filling In, Screening, Pots and Troughs |
Ovate, wrinkled, pointed, lightly-toothed, Dark Green |
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Deep Pink tubular flowers |
Jul-Nov |
60 x 40 |
Filling In, Screening |
Dark Green |
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Jun-Oct |
60 x 60 (150 x 150) |
Filling In, Screening |
Dark Green |
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(Salvia microphylla 'Hot Lips') |
White flowers with broad lower lips dipped in brilliant Red |
Jul-Oct |
30 x 36 |
Bedding Out, |
Mid-Green |
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Scarlet-Red tubular flowers |
Jun-Dec |
56 x 24 (140 x 60) |
Bedding Out, |
Oval and Light Green |
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Very long, open-mouther, deep Blue |
Jul-Sep |
24 x 12 |
Filling In, Pots and Troughs, Window Boxes, Hanging Baskets |
Dark Green |
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Soft Lavender-White blossoms with Purplish bracts |
Sep-Nov |
84 x 84 |
Filling In, Screening |
Dark Green |
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Jun-Oct |
18 x 12 |
Filling In, |
Mid Green |
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Creamy yellow flowers, suffused with shades of pink and orange |
Jun-Oct |
30 x 36 (75 x 90) |
Bedding Out, |
Mid Green |
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Jul-Nov |
36 x 36 |
Bedding Out, |
Mid Green |
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May-Sep |
14 x 12 |
Filling In, Pots and Troughs, Window Boxes, Hanging Baskets |
Serrated Dark Green |
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Purple calyces with extended purple petals |
May-Nov |
48 x 48 |
Bedding Out, |
White-woolly when young, narrow, lance-shaped, grey-green leaves, white beneath |
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Jun-Nov |
20 x 18 |
Bedding Out, |
Black-currant-scented and Dark Green |
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T |
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Jun-Sep |
24 x 18 |
Bedding Out, |
Ferny and Dark Green |
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U |
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V |
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Jun-Sep |
12 x 16 |
Bedding Out, |
Feathery and Mid-Green |
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Purple |
Jun-Oct |
12 x 16 |
Filling In, Pots and Troughs, Window Boxes, Hanging Baskets |
Dark Green |
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Light Violet-Blue |
Jun-Sep |
18 x 24 |
Filling In, Pots and Troughs, Window Boxes, Hanging Baskets |
Deeply serrated and Mid-Green |
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Red with White Throat |
Jun-Sep |
10 x 16 |
Bedding Out, |
Dark Green |
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May-Sep |
18 x 20 |
Filling In, Pots and Troughs, Window Boxes, Hanging Baskets |
Ovate and Mid-Green |
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XYZ |
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White flowers with pinky-rose centre |
Jul-Oct |
18 x 18 |
Bedding Out, |
Dark Green |
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Site design and content copyright ©January 2014. Camera Photos of plant Supports added June 2019. Chris Garnons-Williams. DISCLAIMER: Links to external sites are provided as a courtesy to visitors. Ivydene Horticultural Services are not responsible for the content and/or quality of external web sites linked from this site. |
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The Azalea Society of America provides 4 fans of RHS, UCL and RGB Colors:-
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Maybe this will explain how my small hosta - growing in the shade and I have done nothing for it - has survived slugs and snails for more than 25 years. It now produces new shoots, flowers with no leaf damage before the end of the season when it allows the caterpillars to eat it up and then it retires underground for the winter. Many years ago , I bought a small Blue Juniper tree, removed it from its container and planted it. 10 years later it died. When I removed it from the ground, I found that the roots, which had spiralled in the original container and then never unwound themselves. They had thickened until they occupied all the space between themselves, and very little new root had gone away from this original rootball. Thus the tree had insufficient roots to take up sufficient water and had then died. That problem will not occur with the plants grown in those 'Light pots', since they will continue to grow downwards and away from the rootball after they have been planted, especially if you spread the roots out when you plant the tree onto a cone of earth. |
Copied from Ivydene Gardens Mixed Borders in RHS Garden at Wisley Garden Design: |
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This section details what I consider as errors in design carried out by the staff at the RHS garden in Wisley:-
Mixing all the primary colours together for the flower colours used in many of the 71 parts of these Mixed Borders This mixture provides a foliage and flower foil against which these other permanent herbaceous perennials can provide new growth from the ground each year, with the different colours of foliage from juvenile to mature to dying off in the autumn and then an easy maintenance during the months of December-March for removing most of the growth above ground and replacing the plant supports to provide a neat bed in a series of large ground areas. The bedding plants - see Bedding Annual Plant Index and Un-labelled Bedding Annual Plant Index pages - provide the icing on the cake at different flowering time periods between May and November to enhance the overall flower colour scheme. The new bedding each year can provide opportunities to vary the look of these beds. It was disapointing that I did not see the flowers during 2013 of more than 25% of these Permanent Herbaceous Perennial Plants - possible reasons shown in Lost Flowers Page with 'Walkabout' Plants and 'Stateless' Plants Page. A table for each month - May, June, July, August, September, October, November - shows the flower photos for each of the 71 parts of the Mixed Borders split into Blue, Orange, Pink, Red, Unusual Colour, White, or Yellow for all the plants. Besides that, you can see from the table below that Red and Pink with Unusual Flower Colours seem to be predominant as flower colours and that these are spread throughout the beds.
I have added the BEDding (started January 2014 - completed March 2014) and then the OTHer Permanent Plants (started March 2014 - completed May 2014) to the table below to show the flower colour planting scheme of the Bedding and the Other Permanent Plants and then its combination.
If I had produced this planting design with its mixture of flower colours in almost every part - or maintained these beds in this way - in 2013, I would be deeply ashamed. As a nation of gardeners in Britain; the Royal Horticultural Society being at its pinnacle, with the tradition of excellence by our previous head gardeners and their staff during the Victorian era, I had thought that the staff at the RHS Garden at Wisley would not need a lecture.
Another Possible Solution for lack of coordinated Flower Colour Scheme If you want the garden to be restful to the eye, then you can provide a colour scheme using the harmony of adjacent colours. If you prefer to shock the visitor, then use the contrast of opposite colours, but I am not favourable of the above partial use of the harmony of triads as shown by the Colour Wheel Page of Garden Design.
Very Poor Plant Labelling After reviewing the situation that 102 plants were missing their identity when in flower in 2013 out of 348 (29.31% of the plants) in 768 square metres of Mixed Borders garden beds:-
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