Plant Solutions - Nigel Colborn

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Angelica Hardy biennial or short-lived perennial

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      A big, clump-forming plant which may take two or three years to flower. The three-part leaves are large and green but carried on purplish stems. The flower buds form in dark, bulging sheaths and open to form attractive, purplish umbels. An East Asian plant of great character which, if happy, will self-seed.

      Soil preference: Fertile, not too dry

      Aspect: Sun or part shade

      Season of interest: Spring, summer, autumn

      Height and spread: 2m × 1m (6ft × 3ft)

      Companion plants: A big monster to grow with lilies, perhaps, in semi-shade among shrubs, or to bring later interest in a woodland garden, perhaps among Fothergilla, magnolias, Enkianthus or to grow under wide-spaced trees in a large scale planting.

      Brassica oleracea

      Kale ‘Redbor’ Hardy biennial

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      Purple curly kale. A decorative and edible member of the cabbage family with thick, erect stems and deeply creased and ruched leaves. The stem colour is bright rose purple, darkening to deep red-purple in the puckered leaves. In its second spring, pale yellow flowers are produced. Excellent for flavour, as well as ornament.

      Soil preference: Any fertile, free-draining

      Aspect: Sun

      Season of interest: Summer, winter

      Height and spread: 75cm × 45cm (2ft 6in × 1ft 6in)

      Companion plants: Superb with the strong colours of late summer perennials such as chrysanthemums, rudbeckias, Mexican salvia spieces and with Swiss or Rhubarb chard.

      Beta vulgaris

      Chard Hardy biennial

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      Usually grown as a vegetable, but a highly decorative plant. Huge, puckered leaves with thick midribs which may be coloured. When the plants bolt, coarse seedheads form and the ornamental and culinary value diminishes. Pretty varieties include ‘Bright Lights’ (red, white and yellow stems), ‘Lucullus’ (white stems) and ‘Charlotte’ (bright red stems with dark leaves).

      Soil preference: Any

      Aspect: Sun

      Season of interest: Spring, summer

      Height and spread: To 75cm × 30cm (2ft 6in × 1ft)

      Companion plants: Lovely for an ornamental kitchen garden, or simply to mix in with a summer flower border to add substance and colour.

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      Pastel-coloured Brompton stocks (Matthiola incana) not only create attractive displays in any garden, but also attract bees with their powerful scent.

      Planting Biennials for Spectacular Schemes

      Biennials can be useful among more permanent flowering plants such as shrubs or perennials. Their temporary nature can be advantageous, enabling them to provide a spectacular show in their season, and then disappearing to leave an uncluttered space for the permanent plants to take over. Alternatively, they can be timed to complement their companion shrubs or perennials.

      Spring-flowering biennials such as wall flowers or forget-me-nots are useful, not only for early colour, but also to relieve the monotony of deciduous shrubs or emerging perennials whose period of beauty is yet to come. They can be deployed as fillers, giving background colour to more brilliant performers such as tulips, or can be used to provide drifts of colour in their own right.

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      Although the same colour, the shape of Digitalis purpurea (foxglove) contrasts with that of the rose, ‘Climbing Iceberg’.

      Stark contrast

      The rose ‘Climbing Iceberg’ is teamed (below, left) by a white seedling foxglove, Digitalis purpurea. The colours harmonize, but the shapes and character of the plants are in stark contrast with each other. When the flowers of the foxglove are over, the whole plant can be pulled out or can be allowed to set seed for next year’s repeat show.

      Informal air

      A very loose, informal planting of climbing roses along an old limestone wall is enhanced by a drift of sweet Williams – Dianthus barbatus (below, right). The contrasting rose colours – ‘Scharlachglut’ (‘Scarlet Fire’) and ‘Gloire de Dijon’ – make a cheerful splash above the biennials, which help to draw the eye downwards and along the border. This is an early summer display but later, when the Dianthus are over, the scarlet rose will carry a conspicuous crop of orange hips, accompanied in the border by lilac-coloured colchicums.

      Dual-purpose biennials

      Some biennials are valuable as dual-purpose plants, creating attractive displays in beds or borders, or as cut flowers. In the main picture, opposite, these Brompton stocks have rich pastel colours and an intense fragrance, making them ideal for both purposes.

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      Sweet Williams, loosely planted in drifts, go well with roses up against a garden wall.

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      Bellis perennis

      Double Daisy, Lawn Daisy Perennial

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      Rounded or spoon-shaped leaves create mats of foliage above which blooms are held on thin stems. The wild species has a golden flower centre, surrounded by white sterile florets whose edges are flushed pink. Garden varieties include the double ‘Pomponette’ series, pale pink ‘Dresden China’ and the reddish ‘Rob Roy’.

      Soil preference: Any

      Aspect: Sun or partial shade

      Season of interest: Spring

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

      Companion plants: Beautiful when bedded with forget-me-nots and with such bulbs as hyacinths or tulips.

      Hyacinthus

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