Garden And Gardener

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New products at Crocus

by Sarah - April 2nd, 2015.
Filed under: Crocus, New Products.

Crocus just added these new products

Cornus Venus  ('Kn30-8') (PBR) (flowering dogwood)

Cornus Venus (‘Kn30-8’) (PBR) (flowering dogwood) £99.99
Position: full sun Soil: fertile, humus-rich, well-drained, neutral to acid soil Rate of growth: average Flowering period: May to June Hardiness: fully hardy Recently hybridised in the US by Dr. E Orton, this new dogwood is the result of crossing Cornus nuttallii and Cornus kousa var. chinensis. The result is a beautiful small tree that is very tough and undemanding, has good drought tolerance and a high resistance to diseases. Its most striking feature however is the size of its creamy white bracts, which appear for several weeks from mid to late May. These are extremely large and can grow up to 15cm across, which creates a spectacular show, especially as they are usually produced in large numbers once the plant has become established. On more mature plants, these ‘flowers’ may be followed by large, strawberry-like fruits. This tree has the added bonus of providing spectacular autumn colour, when the large, glossy green leaves take on rich shades of yellow, orange and purple. Its compact habit and many interesting features make it a stunning focal point in a smaller garden. Garden care: Incorporate a good amount of well-rotted leafmould when planting. Requires minimal pruning.

Aruncus aethusifolius (goatsbeard)

Aruncus aethusifolius (goatsbeard) £9.99
Position: full sun or partial shade Soil: moist, fertile soil Rate of growth: average Flowering period: June and July Flower colour: creamy-white Hardiness: fully hardy Branching plumes of tiny, creamy-white flowers appear in June and July above the deeply cut, green foliage. Emerging in spring with a bronze flush the foliage will turn buttery yellow in autumn before it dies back. This is a slowly spreading perennial, which will gradually form dense clumps, so it makes a very effective groundcover for moist, shady beds. For the best results chose a spot that remains reliably moist over summer. Garden care: Cut back the flowered stems back hard to just above ground-level in autumn and apply a generous mulch of well-rotted garden compost or manure around the base of the plant.

Delphinium Summer Skies Group (delphinium)

Delphinium Summer Skies Group (delphinium) £6.99
Position: full sun Soil: fertile, well-drained soil Rate of growth: average Flowering period: June and July Hardiness: fully hardy Powder blue flowers, each with a white eye, are evenly spaced along the stout flower spikes, creating towering columns of colour. Their elegant, upright shape is useful for creating vertical interest in mixed planting schemes where they associate particularly well with Echinaceas, Iris, Paeonias and Eryngiums. Garden care: For best results, choose an open spot away from taller plants. Stake with bamboo canes as they start to shoot upwards in mid-spring and protect young foliage against slug and snail damage. During the growing season, apply a balanced liquid fertiliser every 2-3 weeks and wearing gloves cut back the faded flower-stems to a flowering side-shoot to encourage repeat flowering. At the end of autumn cut back and compost the faded flower stems.

Rodgersia aesculifolia (rodgersia)

Rodgersia aesculifolia (rodgersia) £6.99
Position: full sun or partial shade Soil: humus-rich, moist soil Rate of growth: average Flowering period: July Flower colour: white or pink Other features: large, horse chestnut-like leaves Hardiness: fully hardy Towering spikes of star-shaped, white or pink flowers on large panicles up to 60cm long in midsummer. This striking, clump-forming perennial with its horse chestnut-like leaves looks great planted in the moist margins of a stream or pond. Best grown in a sheltered, shady spot where it contrasts well with the lacy texture of ferns. Garden care: Add lots of well-rotted leaf mould when planting. Protect the young foliage against slug damage using beer traps or environmentally friendly slug pellets. Lift and divide congested colonies in early spring.

Rodgersia pinnata 'Superba' (rodgersia)

Rodgersia pinnata ‘Superba’ (rodgersia) £6.99
Position: full sun or partial shade Soil: humus-rich, moist soil Rate of growth: slow-to-establish Flowering period: July and August Flower colour: pink Other features: attractive pink-tinted seed-heads Hardiness: fully hardy Clusters of bright-pink, star-shaped flowers appear on dark-red stems in mid and late summer above the deeply divided leaves, and turn darker as they mature. The subsequent seedheads remain interesting into the winter. Initially emerging in spring a purplish-bronze, the handsome foliage becomes greener in summer. This award-winning rodgersia is perfect for the moist margins of a pond or stream. Best grown in a sheltered, partially shady site, it contrasts well with the lacy-textured foliage of regal or shuttlecock ferns. Garden care: Add lots of well-rotted leaf mould when planting. Protect the young foliage against slug damage using beer traps or environmentally friendly slug pellets. Lift and divide congested colonies in early spring.

Monarda 'Fireball' (bergamot)

Monarda ‘Fireball’ (bergamot) £5.99
Position: full sun or partial shade Soil: fertile, moist, well-drained soil Rate of growth: average Flowering period: July to September Flower colour: scarlet Other features: fresh or dried leaves make a delicious tea Hardiness: fully hardy Whorls of scarlet flowers appear in profusion from midsummer to early autumn above the aromatic, mid-green leaves. This compact bergamot is an ideal, long flowering plant for the front of the border, where it looks lovely planted in drifts. The flowers are decorative and are highly attractive to bees. Garden care: Lift and divide large clumps in early April. Resist cutting bergamot back in autumn since the stiff, vertical stems look good all winter. These plants are very susceptible to powdery mildew, and while this rarely causes long term damage it can look unsightly towards the end of the summer. You can help reduce this by applying a 5-7cm (2-3in) mulch of well-rotted organic matter around each plant in spring and autumn.

Geranium 'Elke' (cranesbill)

Geranium ‘Elke’ (cranesbill) £5.99
Position: full sun or partial shade Soil: fertile, well-drained soil Rate of growth: fast Flowering period: June to September Hardiness: fully hardy Masses of small flowers appear for a long period from midsummer above the deeply divided foliage forming an attractive carpet of colour. Each purple-pink flower petal is paler at its base and fades again to near-white around its edge creating a lovely bi-coloured effect. They are also attractively threaded with darker coloured veins throughout. In autumn the normally green foliage turns attractive shades of red before it dies off. This is an easy to grow cranesbill that becomes drought tolerant with age and looks great spilling over the edges of a path or the front of a bed. Garden care: Some protection from severe frosts may be necessary during winter using a framework of canes surrounded with fleece and stuffed with straw or bracken. Container grown plants should be placed in a cool, sheltered site such as a cold greenhouse or cold frame.

Athyrium filix-femina (lady fern)

Athyrium filix-femina (lady fern) £5.99
Position: fu ll or partial shade Soil: moist, fertile, neutral to acid soil Rate of growth: average Hardiness: fully hardy This is the lady fern, with graceful, bright green, filigree-like leaves. One of our recommended plants, it looks great planted in bold swathes with other shade-loving plants in a sheltered, shady woodland edge, shrub or mixed b order. It is deciduous, and begins to look tatty in the autumn, so try it among evergreen ferns or late-flowering perennials. Garden care : Incorporate lots of well-rotted leaf mould, composted pine needles or gard en compost into the planting hole. In cold areas in late autumn protect the crow n of the plant with a dry mulch of straw or bracken.

Sanguisorba albiflora (burnet)

Sanguisorba albiflora (burnet) £5.99
Position: full sun or partial shade Soil: Poor-to-average, moist, well-drained soil Rate of growth: average Flowering period: June to September Flower colour: white Hardiness: fully hardy Handsomely divided foliage is topped with somewhat drooping spires of white flowers. A stout form that is ideal for illuminating lightly shaded areas, both the foliage and graceful flowers make fine additions to cut arrangements. Garden care: Divide over-large plants in spring or autumn.