The Sunday Times May 29, 2022 13
Left: the gold
medal-winning
RNLI garden,
designed by
Chris Beardshaw,
which included
indigo-coloured
Baptisia australis
‘Blueberry
Sundae’9 10
11
12 13
horticultural charity
Perennial. Thalictrum delavayi
‘Album’ has deeply divided
apple-green foliage and a
fabulous froth of tiny white
flowers on wispy stems about
4ft tall, and ‘Nimbus White’ is
a more compact cultivar with
masses of fluffy white flowers
creating a cloudlike effect.
They do best on moist soil in
sun or part shade.15 Papaver dubium subsp.
lecoqii ‘Albiflorum’
The Latin name is a bit of a
mouthful, which might
explain why it’s more
simply referred to
as Beth’s poppy,
after the
renowned
plantswoman
Beth Chatto.
This delightful
candyfloss-
pink flower
with grey
blotches at the
base of each petal
featured on the Alder Hey
Urban Foraging Station
garden, where it mingled with
herbs. It’s an annual that will
grow and self-seed in full sun,
in light, well-drained soil.Echium candicans, which Kate
Gould incorporated into the
lush, exotic planting on her
Out of the Shadows garden.
Although originating from
Madeira, it can take a couple
of degrees of frost, and if given
a mild, sheltered spot with
free-draining soil it can
become a substantial plant —
I’ve seen a towering, 10ft-tall
specimen in a Bristol front
garden. For a hardier and
more compact plant that’s just
as good for pollinators, try
Echium amoenum ‘Red
Feathers’, an unusual variety
from Iran with
raspberry-red
flowers, which
Andy Sturgeon
used in his
meadow
planting.14 Thalictrum
These
perennials have
a delightful airy
growth and are prized
by designers looking to add
see-through height and
interest. One of several
designers to use them,
Richard Miers incorporated
them into his garden for thebetween 5ft and 6ft high, with
slender, glossy foliage and
attractive green-white bell-
shaped blooms in late spring.
It makes a dramatic plant for a
shady location, where
it’ll thrive on rich,
moist soil that’s
acid to neutral.12 Gladiolus
communis
subsp.
byzantinus
If your garden
is missing some
vibrant colour
now the tulips have
faded, this bulb used by
Andy Sturgeon has eye-
popping magenta-pink funnel-
shaped blooms on tall, slender
stems. Plant in drifts in a
border or naturalise them in
long grass for a meadow-like
effect. The corms of this
spring-flowering gladioli
should be planted in autumn
in well-drained soil.13 Echium
The milder winters we’re
experiencing due to climate
change mean it’s possible for
more of us to grow the bee-
friendly blue flower spires ofneed to be brought under
cover in autumn.10 Amsonia
Finding spring plants that
have another season of
interest can be
tricky, but one
such plant was
this clump-
forming
perennial
native to
North
America. While
designers such
as Sarah Eberle
planted it for the
profusion of pale-blue
star-like flowers it bears from
late spring to midsummer,
the foliage takes on pleasing
shades of golden yellow in
autumn. Plant it in sun or
part shade, in moist but well-
drained soil. Wear gloves
when handling because the
plant contains a milky sap that
can be a skin irritant.11 Disporum longistylum
‘Night Heron’
A star performer on Chris
Beardshaw’s RNLI garden, this
plant native to China has
branched, bamboo-like stemsof alliums have become
synonymous with Chelsea, but
this year Pollyanna Wilkinson
and Joe Swift went for
something different with this
intriguing plant, which until
recently was classed as
nectaroscordum. The tall (up
to 4ft) stems are topped with a
drooping cluster of creamy-
yellow flowers with flashes of
pink. Bees go mad for the
flowers, then once they fade
the seedpods turn upwards,
creating welcome structural
interest throughout summer.
The plant does have a strong
oniony scent, which you may
find off-putting. Plant the
bulbs in autumn as you would
with other alliums.9 Geranium maderense
‘Guernsey White’
This geranium from Madeira
was used on the Grow 2 Know
Hands Off Mangrove garden.
It’s a short-lived perennial
that grows to 3ft x 3ft with
large, dissected foliage and is
more commonly seen with
magenta flowers rather than
this white-flowered version
with pink centres. Hardy to
minus 5C — outside London
and mild coastal spots it’llCH FROM CHELSEA
year’s RHS
ow with a
out plants from
s. By Louise Curley
8
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