Its that time of year again when thoughts are heading towards the greatest flower show. Chelsea 2015 is fast approaching so what wonderful new introductions are we bringing to the party?
For the last 3 years we have made it our policy to only launch UK bred plant material and this still holds. It has to be said we have been offered some very interesting new plants from worldwide sources but have had to say no.
So what have we got to offer you?
Here we go I will start with Rhemannia Walbertons "Magic Dragon"
A world first Rhemannia elata x Rhemannia glutinosa
Rhemannia elata in this case the epithet elata means tall. They have hairy stems and leaves with tall spikes of large pink flowers with a yellow throat. This variety is easily grown from seed and can be variable. The common name of Chinese Foxglove is as usual with common names misleading as they are not related to Digitalis, it is due to their appearance and the fact that the plants originate from China.
Rhemannia glutinosa a much shorter growing variety with very hairy stems and leaves which is has a higher hardiness rating. The flower colour is more a dusky orange/red.
The wonderful thing about having parents with these characteristics is that the subsequent offspring have been chosen for a combination of parental characteristics.
Rhemannia " Walbertons Dragon" is very free flowering producing numerous stems per plant over a very long flowering period from May until the first frosts. With a neat tidy habit and very large dark pink flowers a favourite of the bees, giving great garden performance.
This will be a great addition to any garden for sun or part shade in any reasonable soil. For those who love to grow something different in containers this will also be ideal giving so much pleasure throughout the summer. Occasional dead-heading will be necessary and liquid feeding recommended for growing in a container.
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