Garden And Gardener

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New products at Crocus

by Sarah - January 10th, 2014.
Filed under: Crocus, New Products.

Crocus just added these new items

Hydrangea paniculata Vanille Fraise ('Renhy') (PBR) (hydrangea)

Hydrangea paniculata Vanille Fraise (‘Renhy’) (PBR) (hydrangea) £17.99
Position: full sun or partial shade Soil: moist, well-drained, moderately fertile, humus-rich soil Rate of growth: fast-growing Flowering period: June to August Flower colour: white and pink Hardiness: fully hardy A welcome addition from French breeders, this plant is already an award winner. Loose pyramid-shaped clusters of flowers form at the tips of red-stemmed branches in summer. They emerge creamy-white and turn shades of pink as they age, before finally taking on rich red and russet tones. Perfect for adding late summer colour to the shrub border, or for creating an informal, flowering hedge. Garden care:To enhance flowering prune hard in early spring, cutting back the previous season’s shoots to within a few buds of the permanent, woody framework of the plant.

Clematis 'Mrs Cholmondeley' (Clematis (Group 2))

Clematis ‘Mrs Cholmondeley’ (Clematis (Group 2)) £14.99
Exquisite, pale lavender-blue flowers with delicate mauve veins and light-chocolate centres from May to September. This vigorous, large-flowered clematis looks lovely growing on its own or scrambling through a strong shrub or tree. A long-flowering variety, producing flowers up to 20cm (8in) across, it thrives in full sun or partial shade. Position: full sun or partial shade Soil: fertile, well-drained soil, neutral soil Rate of growth: vigorous Flowering period: May to September Flower colour: lavender-blue Other features: N/A Hardiness: fully hardy Garden care: Remove dead and damaged stems before growth begins in early spring, cutting all remaining stems back to where strong buds are visible. Apply a slow-release balanced fertiliser and a mulch of of well-rotted garden compost around the base of the plant in early spring

Clematis 'Venosa Violacea' (clematis (group 3))

Clematis ‘Venosa Violacea’ (clematis (group 3)) £14.99
Position: full sun or partial shade Soil: fertile, well-drained, neutral soil Rate of growth: fast-growing Flowering period: July to September Flower colour: purple Other features: N/A Hardiness: fully hardy Each white flower is heavily veined with violet-purple towards the outer edges of the sepals creating a striking two-tone effect. A viticella clematis, the flowers appear for several months from midsummer. Garden care: In early spring cut back the previous year’s stems to a pair of strong buds about 15-20cm (6-8in) above ground-level and apply a slow-release balanced fertiliser and a mulch of well-rotted garden compost around the plant, avoiding the immediate crown.

Lattice rattan hanging basket

Lattice rattan hanging basket £8.99
Natural basket on strong wire frame. Pre-lined and includes galvanised chain. Made from natural rattan with threaded lattice fern. Holds 8 litres of compost (approx). Measures: 16cm high x 35cm diameter.

Lattice rattan cone basket

Lattice rattan cone basket £8.99
Natural basket on strong wire frame. Pre-lined and includes galvanised chain. Made from natural rattan with threaded lattice fern. Holds 12 litres of compost (approx). Measures: 40cm high x 35cm diameter.

Digitalis 'Spice Island' (foxglove)

Digitalis ‘Spice Island’ (foxglove) £6.99
Position: full sun or partial shade Soil: moist, humus-rich soil Rate of growth: average to fast-growing Flowering period: June to July Hardiness: fully hardy These plants are mainly biennial so will flower in their second year and then die off. All parts of the plant may cause severe discomfort if ingested and contact with the foliage may irritate skin. Garden care: Ensure that the soil is kept moist in summer. After flowering cut back the flowered spikes to encourage more sideshoots. Apply a generous 5-7cm (2-3in) mulch of well-rotted organic matter around the plant in early spring.

x Heucherella 'Sweet Tea' (coral bells)

x Heucherella ‘Sweet Tea’ (coral bells) £5.99
Position: partial shade Soil: fertile, moist or well-drained soil Rate of growth: average Flowering period: June to August Hardiness: fully hardy Large, deeply lobed, burnt orange leaves, that have richer plum central blotch and veining, are the main feature of this shade-loving perennial. A wonderful container plant, it will also look attractive as an understory plant on a woodland floor. Garden care: Remove tatty foliage in autumn. Lift and divide clumps every couple of years in early autumn and replant with the crown just above the surface of the soil. Apply a generous 5-7 cm (2-3 in) mulch of well-rotted organic matter around the crown of the plant in spring.

Digitalis purpurea 'Dalmatian White' (foxglove)

Digitalis purpurea ‘Dalmatian White’ (foxglove) £4.99
Position: partial shade Soil: humus-rich soil Rate of growth: average to fast Flowering period: June to July Hardiness: fully hardy You wont be disappointed with this new foxglove if you like to see immediate results, as it will nearly always flower in its first year. The pure-white flowers that form on the upright branching stems, have a pretty freckling of plum coloured markings in their throat, and if cut back promptly, there may well be a second flush of flowers later in the year. Garden care:Ensure that the soil is kept moist in summer. After flowering, cut back the flowered spikes to encourage more sideshoots. Cut down to the ground after flowering. Apply a generous 5-7 cm (2-3in) mulch of well-rotted organic matter around the plant in early spring. These plants are mainly biennial or short-lived perennials, although if happy they will produce plenty of new sideshoots and self-seed freely.

potato 'International Kidney' (potato - early maincrop)

potato ‘International Kidney’ (potato – early maincrop) £2.49
Position: sun-partial shade Soil: fertile, well drained Rate of growth: fast-growing Harvesting period: mid June Hardiness: protect tubers from frost This famous main crop potato International Kidney has been made famous by being grown and sold in supermarkets as a new potato. This kidney shaped Heritage potato has a delicious buttery flavour – excellent boiled or as a salad potato. Garden care: As soon as the potato tubers have been delivered you should unpack them and start the chitting (sprouting) process. Place them in single layer in a seed tray without compost and leave in a light, cool area protected from frost. This can be started about six weeks before you intend to plant them. Early varieties can be planted out under frost fleece protection, but the later varieties should be planted after the worst frosts have passed in your area – this is generally mid March to mid April. Dig a trench 8 – 13cm (3 – 5in) deep adding a general purpose fertiliser to the bottom of the trench. Plant the potato tubers in the trenches about 30cm (12in) apart, being careful not to knock the shoots off the tubers, and keeping the shoots facing upwards. Then lightly cover with soil. As the plants get to around 20cm (8in) tall you need to bank up the soil around the plant, so the soil covers the bottom two thirds of the plant. Watering your plants well will help improve crop yield and discourage potato scab.