New products at Crocus
by Sarah - September 12th, 2015.Filed under: Crocus, New Products.
New lines today at Crocus
Ilex crenata Dark Green (‘Icoprins11’) (PBR) (box-leaved holly – ball) £29.99
Position: full sun or partial shade Soil: moist, well-drained, moderately fertile, humus-rich soil Rate of growth: average Flowering period: May Hardiness: fully hardy This bushy evergreen shrub can be tightly clipped into almost any shape, so will make a really viable alternative to box (Buxus). This is particularly useful if you existing box plants have been affected by blight, which has become more widespread over the last few years. This Ilex has small (to 2cm long), slightly glossy green leaves, and may develop rounded black fruits in autumn. Tolerant of shade and urban pollution, this is a tough, long-lived and versatile plant. The berries may cause a mild stomach upset if ingested. Garden care: Plants grown as free-standing specimens require minimal pruning – remove diseased or misplaced branches in spring. Trim plants grown as formal hedges in late summer. After pruning apply a generous 5-7cm (2-3in) mulch of well-rotted compost or manure around the base of the plant.
Rhododendron ‘Cosmopolitan ‘ (hybrid rhododendron) £24.99
Position: partial shade Soil: moist, well-drained, humus-rich, acid soil or ericaceous compost Rate of growth: average Flowering period: May and June Flower colour: pink Other features: evergreen Hardiness: fully hardy Ravishing rounded trusses of pale-pink, funnel-shaped flowers with a deep red flare in late spring and early summer and glossy, dark green leaves. The flowers of this bushy, evergreen rhododendron gradually fade to light pink. Neat and dense in habit it makes an attractive all-year plant for a shrub border with humus-rich, acid soil. Garden care: Avoid planting too deeply. Apply a generous 5-7cm (2-3in) mulch of leaf mould around the base of the plant each spring.
Rhododendron ‘Hatsugiri’ (evergreen azalea) £9.99
Trusses of up to three funnel shaped, bright crimson-purple flowers in spring, and small, dark green leaves, retained all year. This dwarf, evergreen azalea is perfect for a sunny, rock garden or raised bed with humus-rich, acid soil. Avoid planting too deeply and mulch each spring with leaf mould. Position: full sun or partial shade Soil: moist, well-drained, humus-rich, acid soil or ericaceous compost Rate of growth: average Flowering period: April and May Flower colour: purple Other features: dark green leaves, retained all year Hardiness: fully hardy Garden care: Avoid planting too deeply. Apply a generous 5-7cm (2-3in) mulch of leaf mould around the base of the plant each spring Goes well with: Amelanchier lamarckii, Pieris japonica ‘Prelude’, Enkianthus campanulatus, Digitalis purpurea f. albiflora, Hamamelis mollis, Galanthus nivalis
Choisya x dewitteana Pink Dazzler (PBR) (Mexican orange blossom) £9.99
Position: full sun or partial shade Soil: fertile, well-drained soil Rate of growth: average Flowering period: April to May and August to September Hardiness: fully hardy Recently introduced, with slender green leaves of this new Mexican Orange Blossom has pink flowers that look like icing sugar. Garden care: Prune established plants in spring immediately after flowering, removing 25-30cm (10-12in) of the flowered stems. This encourages a second flush of flowers in late-summer and autumn. At the same time remove any frost-damaged stems to the base.
Raspberry ‘Rubyfall (PBR)’ (raspberry – autumn fruiting) £5.99
Position: full sun Soil: fertile, well-drained soil Rate of growth: fast-growing Hardiness: fully hardy Still a relatively new cultivar, ‘Rubyfall’ produces its autumn fruits on virtually thorn-free stems. The berries themselves are large, red and aromatic, and they appear in abundance from mid-August. It’s quite a compact grower too, so well suitd for patio pots or smaller gardens. Garden care: Prepare the planting area well, removing all perennial weeds and adding plenty of well-rotted garden compost or manure. Plant canes 8cm (3in) deep, at 45cm (18in) intervals, carefully spreading out the roots and backfilling with soil. Subsequent rows should be 1.8m apart. Normally after these autumn fruiting raspberries have been growing for one year, all the canes should be cut back to just above ground level each February. However there is an alternative way of pruning that brings the harvesting season well into summer, thereby increasing the months of berries. At the end of autumn, instead of cutting all the canes to the ground, only prune out the canes which fruited. These will grow on next year, fruiting much earlier than ususal giving you a summer crop. Next year’s spring shoots will emerge as normal to give you your autumn crop of raspberries. As the canes emerge they can be tied onto their supports as normal.
Daucus carota ‘Dara’ (wild carrot / ornamental carrot) £1.99
Position: full sun Soil: humus-rich, moisture retentive soil Rate of growth: average to fast Flowering period: June to September Hardiness: hardy annual Ever since a flowering carrot was used by Cleve West in in his 2011 garden at the Chelsea Flower Show, these plants have taken on a whole new role in ornamental gardens. This one then is a purely decorative form that is grown for its airy umbels of pink and burgundy flowers, which create a haze of colour throughout the summer months. The feathery foliage of this hardy annual is attractive too. Growing Instructions: Sow the seeds thinly into a well prepared bed directly where you want them to grow, and cover lightly with soil. Early sowings can be covered with cloches and germination should take between 10 and 20 days. When large enough to handle, thin the seedlings carefully to 10cm apart, watering beforehand to avoid disturbing nearby roots. Sow:August to September or February to April Flowering: June to September Approximate quantity: 50 seeds.