New products at Crocus
by Sarah - July 3rd, 2014.Filed under: Crocus, New Products.
Crocus has these new items today
Magnolia ‘Butterflies’ (magnolia) £39.99
Position: full sun or partial shade Soil: moist, well-drained, acidic soil Rate of growth: average Flowering period: April to May Hardiness: fully hardy Green-flushed, yellow, slender-petalled, cup-shaped flowers, which open widely as the flowers mature to reveal red stamens, appear on this hybrid before the leaves emerge in spring. This beautiful small tree or large shrub, makes a spectacular specimen for the spring garden, especially when underplanted with seasonal flowering bulbs. Try to plant it where you can take full advantage of the scented flowers. Garden care: Requires minimal pruning. Remove any broken, diseased or crossing branches in midsummer. The best time to plant is in April, adding plenty of peat to the planting hole, in a sheltered spot. Mulch in spring with manure and leafmould, especially on dry soils.
Gold pebble tea light holder £14.99
These look lovely in groups of three decorating a table. They are shiny and tactile. They look even more interesting nestled amongst a set of matt black pebbles. They have felt pads on the underside to protect the surface that they sit on. These are now available as a set of three. Dimensions: Height – 5cm Width – 8.5cm
Verbascum chaixii ‘Album’ (mullein) £8.99
Position: full sun Soil: poor, well-drained, alkaline soil Rate of growth: average Flowering period: May to August Hardiness: fully hardy (but short-lived) Bold spires of saucer-shaped, white flowers with mauve centres from May to August. One of the most reliable and long-flowering varieties of verbascum. Seeds sown in a cold frame in late spring or early summer produce rosettes of hairy, mid-green leaves and flowers the following year. Perfect for a sunny border. Garden care:Apply a 5-7cm (2-3in) mulch around the base of the plant in autumn to protect from winter extremes, taking care not to cover the crown. Stake in spring with bamboo canes or twiggy prunings before the flowers appear. Mullein moth caterpillars can be a problem, pick off the insects in early June as soon as they appear. Remove faded flower spikes. It is worth keeping in mind that these plants are mainly biennial, so although they usually self-seed freely, the plant will only live for two years.
Geranium wallichianum ‘Buxton’s Variety’ (cranesbill) £8.99
Position: full sun or partial shade Soil: fertile, well-drained soil Rate of growth: fast growing Flowering period: July to October Hardiness: fully hardy One of the later-flowering geraniums, this has soft, blue-mauve flowers with a distinctive splash of white around the centre and deeper purple veins. The flower colour intensifies as the weather gets colder and the plant keeps on flowering until October. The pretty, marbled foliage quickly forms dense drifts, valuable for suppressing weeds, and turns a fabuluous shade of red in autumn. Garden care: In midsummer rejuvenate plants that are beginning to look jaded, by removing old flowered stems and leaves. Lift and divide large colonies in spring.
Viola riviniana ‘Purpurea Group’ (wood violet (syn. Viola labradonica var. purpurea)) £7.99
Position: full sun or partial shade Soil: fertile, humus-rich, moist, well-drained soil Rate of growth: fast-growing Flowering period: April and June Flower colour: violet-blue Hardiness: fully hardy Delicate, violet blue flowers borne in April and June above attractive, dark purplish-green heart-shaped leaves. This charming wood violet look lo vely planted in drifts under deciduous shrubs in a wild or woodland garden. A vigorous, semi-evergreen variety, it needs protection from midday sun and damage from slugs. Garden care: Deadhead regularly to prolong flowering and remove runners as they appear to ensure the best flowering performance.
Geum ‘Lemon Drops’ (avens) £7.99
Position: full sun Soil: moist, fertile soil Rate of growth: average Flowering period: May to June Hardiness: fully hardy A low-growing variety with single, yellow flowers, each with prominent orange stamens, that nod gracefully on upright, arching stems. First introduced by renowned plantswoman Beth Chatto, it forms a neat dome of scalloped, fresh green leaves and looks lovely at the front of a sunny, moist border. Garden care: Lift and divide large clumps every year in early spring or late autumn.
Calamintha nepeta subsp. nepeta ‘Blue Cloud’ (lesser catmint) £7.99
Position: full sun or partial shade Soil: moist, well-drained, humus-rich soil Rate of growth: average Flowering period: June to September Hardiness: fully hardy This upright, bushy plant produces a haze of tiny blue flowers with long purple bracts from June right through to September. When crushed, the oval, dark green leaves emit a spearmint-like scent and the flowers are a magnet for bees. Try this lovely catmint in a warm, sunny spot in the garden, among herbs or Mediterranean-style plants. Garden care: Lift and divide congested colonies in spring.
Deutzia x hybrida Mont Rose (deutzia) £7.99
Position: full sun or partial shade Soil: any fertile, well-drained neutral to alkaline soil Rate of growth: fast growing Flowering period: June to July Flower colour: rose pink Hardiness: fully hardy Dense clusters of star shaped, rose pink flowers and slender, dark green leaves. This elegant, summer flowering shrub is an excellent specimen plant for smaller gardens. Although best in full sun it tolerates light shade and alkaline soil. Garden care: To encourage a bushy habit tip-prune young plants, either by pinching off the tips of soft shoots or by reducing long leading or lateral shoots by a third. Immediately after flowering, cut back the stems that have flowered to one or two healthy buds.
Lysimachia clethroides (Chinese loosestrife) £5.99
Position: full sun or partial shade Soil: humus-rich, moist but well-drained soil Rate of growth: average to fast-growing Flowering period: July and August Hardiness: fully hardy Tall stems of narrow, mid-green leaves are topped with arching spikes of tiny white flowers in July and August. Chinese loostrife looks striking towards the back of a moist, well-drained border or beside water in sun or partial shade. But be warned, it can be invasive and its spread needs to be reduced each year. Garden care: To maximise water retention, incorporate lots of organic matter when planting and mulch each spring. Lift the plant and reduce the circumference of its roots each spring.