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For your interest we have an archive newsletter section.
Please note that any special offers and prices mentioned may not now be current.
Summer Flowering Bulbs
Summer flowering bulbs give so much colour
and pleasure later in the year. Wherever you go to purchase these,
or if you buy through one of the many mail order companies advertising
in the gardening press, do make sure that they are guaranteed
not to have been collected from the wild. All properly accredited
stock will be clearly marked. It is our policy not to sell 'bulbs'
taken from the wild even in accordance with the Convention on
International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) as we do not
think that the beauty of your garden should be at the expense
of the beauty of the bulbs in their natural habitat. A particular
problem at this time of the year is outdoor cyclamen. We do not
have any tubers on sale, except container grown plants, as the
only tubers available were taken from the wild. We expect to
have cyclamen tubers from cultivated stock available again in
the autumn.
If you have a sheltered sunny boarder,
especially with a wall behind it, and pink is a suitable colour
for the site, two beauties to consider are Nerine bowdenii which
grows to about 18 inches (45cm) and displays a charming array
of star like pink flowers above the strap like leaves from August
to November. Behind these you could plant Crinum powelli which
will grow to about 36 inches (90cm) producing fragrant pink flowers
from September to October. Crinum, which originate from South
Africa, are considered to be hardy in south England and West
Scotland, but in our part of the country you will either need
to lift them at the end of the season or make sure they are well
protected in the winter.
Another very popular corm, the Gladioli,
seems to appear with ever more stunning colours every year. To
pick on just a few varieties all of which will flower between
July and August there is Plum Tart, a really rich plum purple,
Friendship, a delicate orange/pink, Jackpot, a vibrant yellow
edged orange, Gold Rush, a beautiful pure gold, Atom which is
scarlet edged white and Spring Green an unusual greenish yellow.
Apart from the tall varieties which are not fully hardy and therefore
should be lifted at the end of the season, there are also varieties
of Gladiolus nanus available. These are closely related to the
wild species and are hardy in most of Great Britain. They will
naturalise in suitable sites. There is a wonderful array of colours
available and many of them are a lot shorter and will not suffer
in the wind. Also available are Gladiolus callianthus (Acidanthera
bicolour) which originate from Abyssinia. These produce dainty
white flowers with deep purple centres which have the added advantage
of being fragrant, especially at night when they are pollinated
in the wild by long-tongued hawk moths.
The Royal Horticultural Society has awarded
this an Award of Garden Merit. Finally there is Primulinus Gladioli,
a very dainty gladioli hybrid producing small, elegant hooded
florets in July and August. They grow to 2-3 ft (60-90cm) in
height so do consider the wind when planting.
For those with a good moist soil and plenty
of sun Liatris spicata can be worth well growing. From corm like
rhizomes it produces glabrous linear leaves, then in July and
August spikes of purple flowers. These are hardy and given the
correct conditions will spread to form attractive clumps.
At the moment there are over 50 varieties
of begonias to choose from and these are marvellous plants for
tubs and baskets. They not only produce masses of flowers but
they flower for such a long time so are well worth growing. If
you are happy with mixed colours there are packs available with
ten tubers for only £4.99. The non-stop types are especially
useful for pots as they are only 8 inches (20cm) high. Amongst
the pre-packs look out for 'Hanging Sensation' and 'Pendula Giant
Flowering' in individual colours, which are hanging begonias
with fully double flowers, and the Primadonnas and Giant Trumpet
types which are upright plants with extra large flowers.
Again to give you the most choice it is
worth looking for your dahlias now. Not only are there over 80
varieties in their various forms - cactus, pompon, patio, dwarf
bedding, star, patio pompon and decorative, but there are some
good bargins. There are bulk packs of 5 for £1.99, packs
of three at £1.99 or three for £2.49.
If you want to create a really 'hot' bed
and you have a good sheltered area with well-drained soil in
full sun then Canna Lilies may be the plant for you. These really
are vibrant orange or red and there is even one which produces
orange flowers with red spots. These plants are sometimes known
as Indian Shot because the hard seeds were supposedly fired from
muskets in times past - good pea shooter material!
Yet another plant to have originated from
South Africa, but this time as for northwards as Angola, is Zantedeschia,
also known as Calla, the white form being known as Arum Lily.
They are very elegant flowers which need plenty of water, in
fact some can be grown in water. They produce either large plain
green or green spotted with white or black leaves and from the
centre of these appear either rich red, yellow, white or pink
flowers. They are not hardy and will therefore need protection
from frost.
Again this is the time to choose from over
sixty varieties of Lilies which are available from 99p to £3.99
each or bumper packs of 15 for £3.99. Also at the moment
there are named variety large loose bulbs available at only 99p.
These are excellent value. There are, of course, Asiatic, Oriental,
Species and Patio varieties available but to get the best choice
it is advisable to come sooner rather than later as they are
always popular. One which is a little different is the species
Martagon with its fragrant salmon pink dainty flowers.
And finally, it is the time to get some
Lily of the Valley established. The shooting pips are in excellent
condition and should be planted as soon as possible in a shady
position in soil, preferably rich in leaf mould. Once you have
a clump established they should spread and produce a wonderful
display of richly fragrant flowers year after year from April
to June, and at only £1.99 for ten a real investment if
you have the right spot for them.
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