Plant Solutions

Soil preference: Any well-drained

Aspect: Sun

Season of interest: Autumn

Height and spread: 60cm × 15cm (2ft × 6in), spreading

Companion plants: An outstanding cut bloom. The candy pink contrasts sweetly with the soft violet blues of perennial asters or with the reds and rusts of spray chrysanthemums and autumn foliage.

Focus on…

Lilies

A group of hardy bulbs of diverse habit, lilies are superb for producing elegant, showy flowers throughout summer and and sometimes into early autumn. Many also have fragrant blooms for added appeal.

1. Lilium lancifolium

The tiger lily, whose tiger-orange petals are strongly spotted, rather than striped. The stems produce axilliary buds which develop into bulbils, tiny bulbs from which the plant is easily propagated. Lime tolerant.

2. Lilium regale ‘Album’

A pure white form of the regal lily, whose richly fragrant, elongated flowers are more usually flushed pink on the outsides of their petals, but with creamy white interiors.

3. Lilium henryi

Probably the most lime-tolerant of all the lilies, with tall, flexible stems, dark in hue, and narrow, glossy leaves. The flowers, which open late in summer, are bright orange, with raised, dark spots on the petal surfaces. The petals curl back as the flowers mature.

4. Lilium martagon

The Turk’s Cap lily, a European native with tall stems whose leaves are attached in whorls on a tall, self-supporting stem which carries generous numbers of purplish pink or white flowers. The petals turn back on themselves to resemble turbans. Lime tolerant.

5. Lilium longiflorum

A vigorous, fast growing lily with the stem-rooting habit. The flower stems carry up to six intensely fragrant, pure white flowers. This variety, ‘American White’, has green tips to its petals and there is a blush pink variety, ‘Casa Rosa’.

6. Lilium ‘Golden Splendor Group’

A vigorous strain of lilies suitable for outdoors with sprays of large, elongated, bright yellow blooms, whose petal backs are pinkish, in mid to late summer. Lime tolerant.

7. Lilium ‘African Queen’

A very tall, trumpet-flowered hybrid lily whose large, showy blooms are brownish purple in bud, opening to a rich egg-yolk hue, between orange and yellow. Protection from severe frost is necessary.

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Bulbs for containers

Narcissus (dwarf hybrids)

Bulb

Familiar narcissus and daffodil shapes, but on smaller scale plants. Good varieties include buttercup yellow, small flowered ‘Tête à Tête’, the lemon and white ‘Jack Snipe’, whose outer petals are swept back, and the intriguing ‘Queen Anne’s Double’, whose flowers are almost like small yellow roses. Later varieties include the highly scented jonquil ‘Trevithian’ and ‘Hawera’, whose tiny cups are accentuated by fully reflexed petals.

Soil preference: Any, not too dry

Aspect: Sun or part shade

Season of interest: Spring

Height and spread: Up to 25cm × 10cm (10in × 4in)

Companion plants: Naturals with almost any small, spring-flowering planting scheme, these narcissi will spice up forget-me-nots, primroses, winter heathers or such big foliage plants as Bergenia.

Eucomis bicolor

Pineapple Lily Marginally hardy bulb

Undulating dark green leaves surmount a single, thick, cylindrical stem carrying masses of tightly packed flowers in a broad spike. A topknot of foliage, above the greenish, dark-edged flowers, gives the impression of a pineapple. A handsome display of ripening seed capsules follows.

Soil preference: Moist, humus-rich

Aspect: Sun or part shade

Season of interest: Summer, autumn

Height and spread: 60cm × 45cm (2ft × 1ft 6in)

Companion plants: A streamside plant in its native South Africa, but excellent in containers for summer gardens. Mix with potted cannas and bananas to enhance the tropical feel and create a striking patio display.

Leucocoryne purpurea

Glory of the Sun Tender bulb

T. Cooper

A species from South America with grassy foliage and spikes bearing six-petalled flowers, which are mottled purple with paler centres. Under-used in northern gardens, this plant is, however, a genus of great beauty. Leucocoryne ixioides has brilliant blue flowers with white petal bases.

Soil preference: Free-draining

Aspect: Sun

Season of interest: Spring, early summer

Height and spread: 45cm × 15cm (1ft 6in × 6in)

Companion plants: Though tender, these will over-winter with minimal protection and are beautiful near the silvery foliage of, say, Convolvulus cneorum or Artemisia ‘Powis Castle’ in a large container.

Lilium hybrids

Hardy bulbs

Highly variable group, always with narrow leaves along the stems which bear sprays of large, often highly scented flowers. These may be funnel shaped or may open to form big, six-pointed star shapes, or can curl back on themselves to resemble turbans. Examples include ‘Casablanca’, tiger lily (L. lancifolium) hybrids and ‘Trumpet’ lilies.

Soil preference: Fertile but free-draining. Some dislike lime

Aspect: Sun or part shade

Season of interest: Summer, autumn

Height and spread: To 1.5m × 75cm (5ft × 2ft 6in)

Companion plants: Virtually all lilies are excellent container plants and are best grown alone, but with their pots arranged with other, large plants. A pot of lilies placed close to a containerized dwarf maple such as Acer palmatum ‘Dissectum’, for example, will create an Oriental effect.

Gladiolus callianthus

Acidanthera Near hardy, corm-bearing perennial

Sword-like leaves arranged in a fan shape are joined in late summer by tall flower spikes bearing fragrant white blooms, whose centres are boldly marked with dark crimson or purple. Each flower hangs on a short, but elegantly curved stalk. Previously known as Acidanthera.

Soil preference: Any free-draining

Aspect: Sun

Season of interest: Late summer, early autumn

Height and spread: 120cm × 30cm (4ft × 1ft)

Companion plants: A great mixer, beautiful in pots among Eucomis, lilies or with containerized bedding such as tuberous begonias, hot-coloured dahlias or fuchsias.

Agapanthus africanus

Tender bulb

These evergreen agapanthus – superb for containers – are more tender than deciduous kinds and need winter protection. Bold, strap-shaped leaves and massive stems bear generous umbels of blue, or in ‘Alba’, white flowers. ‘Sapphire’ is dark blue; ‘Glen Avon’, lilac blue and the impressive ‘Purple Cloud’, deep purple-blue.

Soil preference: Free-draining

Aspect: Sun

Season of interest: Summer

Height and spread: Up to 1.5m × 1m (5ft × 3ft 3in)

Companion plants: Beautiful as solo performers, but also effective with mixed containers of architectural foliage plants. A cool effect is achieved with the silver foliage of artemisias, Helichrysum petiolare or Felicia amelloides.

Bulbs for growing in grass

Crocus tommasinianus

Hardy corm-bearing perennial

Tiny crocuses which appear at winter’s end. The outer petals are soft greyish lilac but when the flowers open to the sun, their interiors are bright mauve. Though free seeding, they also spread by underground stolons. Improved forms include ‘Whitewell Purple’ whose flowers are dark purple.

Soil preference: Any, not too wet

Aspect: Sun or part shade

Season of interest: Late winter, spring

Height and spread: 10cm × 5cm (4in × 2in)

Companion plants: Best for naturalizing in grass with daffodils or narcissus to follow, or perhaps among emerging snake’s head fritillaries.

Crocus large Dutch hybrids

Hardy corm-bearing perennial

Grassy leaves, with central white stripe, and bold, gobletshaped flowers, which are held well clear of the leaves. Colours can be purple, mauve or white – often with bold, contrasting stripes or veins on outer petals – as well as yellow. Out of scale with other species of crocus and being very showy best kept apart.

Soil preference: Any, not wet

Aspect: Sun or part shade

Season of interest: Early spring

Height and spread: 15cm × 10cm (6in × 4in)

Companion plants: Fine in grass, with daffodils, or in border fronts among primulas or winter and spring pansies.

Scilla bifolia

Alpine Squill Hardy bulb

Twin leaves, grooved and suffused with bronze when young, appear from each bulb on either side of the short stems, which carry a small spray of azure flowers. A free self-seeder, quick to naturalize in a part-shaded or sunny wild garden. Modest, but beautiful.

Soil preference: Fertile but free-draining

Aspect: Sun or shade

Season of interest: Spring

Height and spread: 10cm × 5cm (4in × 2in)

Companion plants: Often found in the wild, growing with Crocus sieberi and wild fritillaries – a worthy combination to imitate at home.

Narcissus pseudonarcissus

Wild Daffodil, Lenten Lily Hardy bulb

The species that inspired the poet Wordsworth. Strap-shaped leaves in glaucous green among which short stems bear blooms with forward-sweeping lemon petals and a darker, flared, yellow trumpet. This species naturalizes best in high rainfall areas where summers are cool, but is not difficult to establish in moisture-retentive, humus-rich soil elsewhere.

Soil preference: Rich, leafy and not too dry

Aspect: Part shade, shade

Season of interest: Spring

Height and spread: 20cm × 10cm (8in × 4in)

Companion plants: A plant of hedgerows, stream sides and woodland borders, beautiful beneath large trees, between shrubs such as camellias or early rhododendrons and lovely in the grass of an established fruit orchard.

Cyclamen repandum

Hardy tuber-bearing perennial

Broad, bluntly pointed leaves, sometimes faintly marbled, unfurl in spring accompanied by small cyclamen blooms whose petals are swept right back. Typical colour is vivid carmine pink, but the subspecies from the island of Rhodes, C. repandum var. rhodense, has pink-flushed white blooms with darker centres. More difficult to establish than most hardy cyclamen.

Soil preference: Humus-rich, well-drained

Aspect: Part shade or shade

Season of interest: Spring

Height and spread: 15cm × 20cm (6in × 8in)

Companion plants: A woodland species, best among humus-loving plants such as Anemone nemorosa, oxlips and violets, perhaps in shaded, sparse grass along the edge of a shrubbery.

Tulipa kaufmanniana ‘Guiseppi Verdi’

Hardy bulb

Broad, faintly striped foliage arranged along the stems which bear a single, elongated tulip flower. The outer petals are fiercely flushed with carmine, edged with yellow; the flower interior is bright yellow with a dark centre. A ‘botanical’ tulip, robust enough to survive in grass.

Soil preference: Fertile but free-draining

Aspect: Sun or part shade

Season of interest: Spring

Height and spread: 25cm × 15cm (10in × 6in)

Companion plants: A good companion, in grassland, to shorter daffodil varieties such as ‘Jack Snipe’, ‘Rip van Winkle’ or to Narcissus pseudonarcissus. Also striking with cowslips and fritillaries in the grass.

Focus on…

Crocus

Crocuses offer far more than their small stature would suggest. Many of them bloom when colour is most needed, at winter’s end; their flower shapes are charming and their nectar is of great value to early stirring bees. When their season is done, they leave minimal aftermath, dying down quickly and gracefully, to rest underground and build up strength for next year’s show.

1. Crocus tommasinianus ‘Whitewell Purple’

One of the easiest winter-flowering species whose pale blue-grey outer petals belie the brighter mauve interior. The form ‘Whitewell Purple’ develops a deeper colour than seen in the wild species, but retains its simple charm.

2. Crocus speciosus

A strong-growing species whose naked violet-mauve blooms appear soon after the Autumn Equinox. The petals are feathered with darker purple, making a handsome contrast with the orange stigmata. Leaves follow the flowers, in late winter.

3. Crocus sieberi ‘Tricolor’

Wild forms of Crocus sieberi vary considerably, even when found in the same location, but the vivid mauve and ochre flowers of this garden selection make a startling display.

4. Crocus imperati

A striking crocus for late winter whose outer petals are biscuit-beige with bold pencilled feathering in deep purple-black. When the flowers open, to reveal bright lilac-mauve interiors, their appearance is transformed.

5. Crocus hybrid ‘Jeanne d’Arc’

Dutch hybrid crocus are much larger and coarser than their wild forebears, but still retain that essential early spring charm. Colours range through purple and mauve shades, often with striped petals, but one of the most outstanding varieties, ‘Jeanne d’Arc’ is pure white.

6. Crocus sieberi ‘Bowles White’

A more delicate, dainty plant altogether, than the hybrid Dutch crocus, this selected white form of the wild Crocus sieberi has been popular in cultivation for almost a century.

7. Crocus chrysanthus ‘Cream Beauty’

Another variable wild species has given rise to a broad range of subtly coloured, gem-like beauties. Their flowers are more goblet-shaped than larger, cultivated crocuses.

8. Crocus ancyrensis

The ‘golden bunch’ crocus, one of the earliest of the yellows to bloom. The small flowers are produced in tight clusters from each corm, and are a vivid egg yolk hue.

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Bulbs for rock or gravel

Galanthus reginae-olgae

Hardy bulb

A remarkable snowdrop species, from Greece, which, instead of flowering in midwinter, produces autumnal blooms without leaves. The flowers are similar to those of the common snowdrop, with three outer tepals and green-tipped inner parts. Leaves develop in late winter.

Soil preference: Any free-draining

Aspect: Sun

Season of interest: Autumn

Height and spread: 15cm × 5cm (6in × 2in)

Companion plants: A conversation piece rather than a garden essential, but fun to grow with the yellow, crocus-like Sternbergia lutea to create an out-of-season spring effect.

Muscari neglectum

Common Grape Hyacinth Hardy bulb

The commonest species, with grassy foliage and short stems crowded with small, dusky blue flowers shaped like tiny, rounded jars with restricted openings. Multiplies invasively from small offshoots, as well as seeds, so not a plant to let loose where it could become troublesome.

Soil preference: Any

Aspect: Any except deep shade

Season of interest: Spring

Height and spread: 15cm × 5cm (6in × 2in), spreading

Companion plants: Natural-looking among pebbles, especially when blended with the white Muscari botryoides ‘Alba’ or with crocuses.

Muscari comosum

Hardy bulb

Heather Angel

A curious species, tall for a grape hyacinth. The lower spike carries fertile flowers, which are brownish and jar-shaped, but above these are bright mauve plumes or tufts of sterile florets. The garden form M. c. ‘Plumosum’ bears only dense masses of the beautiful mauve sterile florets.

Soil preference: Any free-draining

Aspect: Sun or partial shade

Season of interest: Spring

Height and spread: 30cm × 10cm (1ft × 4in)

Companion plants: Interesting addition to a mix of drought-tolerant bulbs which might also include Tulipa batalinii, Bellevalia dubia and Scilla peruviana.

Ornithogalum thyrsoides

Chincherinchee Marginally hardy bulb

A South African native with narrow, pointed leaves which tend to wither before the erect, naked flower stems appear. These bear spikes of closely packed, white, cup-shaped flowers. An excellent cut flower, but not very long lived in the garden.

Soil preference: Free-draining

Aspect: Sun

Season of interest: Summer

Height and spread: 60cm × 15cm (2ft × 6in)

Companion plants: The cool, white flowers are refreshing among gravel scree plants, particularly, dark leaved Carex species such as C. buchananii and with grasses such as Stipa tenuissima.

Anthericum liliago

Hardy bulb

Grassy foliage and in early summer, tall stems bearing widely spaced, lily-like flowers in startling white. The selection A. l. major has larger flowers with wider petals. A graceful meadow plant from southern Europe, which seeds freely in gravel when happily established.

Soil preference: Any free-draining

Aspect: Sun

Season of interest: Early summer

Height and spread: 60cm × 15cm (2ft × 6in), spreading

Companion plants: At home with sun-loving shrubs such as rosemary and lavender, and with such annuals as Cerinthe major or wild poppies.