Amateur Gardening – 10 July 2019

6 JULY 2019AmAteur GArDeNING 33

All photography Alamy, unless otherwise credited

6 cool blues

Iris ‘Katharine Hodgkin’ AGm

A miniature beauty that will melt your

winter heart when it blooms in January

and February, this reticulata iris needs

very well-drained soil in sun or semi-

shade. H: 5in (13cm).

Crocus.co.uk

Juniperus squamata ‘Blue Star’ AGm

A dwarf conifer that forms a spiky mound

of grey-blue evergreen foliage – great

for injecting colour into winter borders.

Grow in well-drained soil, in sun or

semi-shade. HxS: 1x3ft (30x90cm).

Hebe pinguifolia ‘Pagei’ AGm

Year-round blue-grey leaves and white

flowers in May and June make for a

useful little shrub. Grow in well-drained,

neutral-to-alkaline soil, in sun or semi-

shade. HxS: 16inx3ft (41x90cm).

Scilla mischtschenkoana AGm

Producing its polar white-blue flowers

from January to March, this eager squill

is great for well-drained windowboxes or

borders in sun or semi-shade. It’s an ideal

partner for snowdrops. H: 6in (15cm).

Festuca glauca Intense Blue AGm

Site this spiky, tuft-forming grass in sun

for the best shade of silver-blue from the

evergreen needle-like foliage. A well-

drained border or container will suit it

perfectly. H: 1ft (30cm).

Chamaecyparis pisifera ‘Blue moon’

A new dwarf cypress that, over time,

forms a bushy dome of steel-blue

foliage. Grow in sun or semi-shade, in

well-drained, neutral-to-acid soil, in a

border or container. H: 3ft (90cm).