Amateur Gardening – 24 August 2019

34 AMATEUR GARDENING24 AUGUST 2019

Who was Ellen Willmott?

BORNin 1858intoa richfamily,EllenWillmotthada life-long

passionforhorticulture.Herhome,WarleyPlacein Essex,

wassaidto rivalKewforitscollectionof plants;severalof

thesewerenamedafterher,includingMissWillmott’sGhost

(Eryngiumgiganteum).It’ssaidEllenusedto stealthily sow

its seeds in other people’s gardens when visiting.

Stipatenuissima

Bleachedbythe

sun,thewispy,

pale-greenleaves

of Mexican

feathergrassturn

lovelyshadesof

blonde.Planted

in clumps,their

arching,airy

growthmakes

a fabulous

backdropfor

spikyeryngiums.

HxS:2x1ft

(60x30cm)

Perovskia

‘BlueSpire’

A greatpartnerfor

seahollies,this

deciduousshrub

thrivesin similar

conditions(free-

drainingsoilin full

sun).Thesilvery-

greystemsare

coveredin grey-

green,aromatic

leavesandmasses

of tinylavender-

blueflowers

fromAugustto

September.HxS:

4ftx39in (1.2x1m).

What to plant with eryngiums

Echinaceapallida
NativetotheNorthAmericanprairies,thisspeciesconeflower,
withitsreflexed,slenderpinkpetals,hasa moredelicatefeel
thanE. purpurea. Thesoft,subtlecolourworkswell with the
blue of eryngiums. HxS: 4ftx20in (1.2mx50cm).

Echinopsritro

Thesphericalflowersof theglobethistleaddcontrastin

formwhenplantedalongsideseaholly’sspikes.It needs

thesamegrowingconditionsandbloomsin August,justas

eryngiums also reach their peak. HxS: 3x1^1 ⁄ 2 ft (90x45cm).

Growing tips for eryngiums

Sowseedsintoa gritty

compost,orpropagatethe

Europeantypesfromroot

cuttingsin earlyspring.

Buyplantsof biennial

varieties(onesthatgrow

one year and then flower

Leave seedheads of biennials in situ

thenext)in consecutive

years,andleavetheseed

headsin placetoensureyou

haveflowerseverysummer.

Digin lotsof horticultural

gritwhenplanting,orgrow

in a gravel garden.

Where to buy

BethChatto

8 bethchatto.co.uk& 01206 822007

ClaireAustin

8 claireaustin-hardyplants.co.uk& 01686 670342

CrûgFarm

8 crug-farm.co.uk& 01248 670232