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NCG 233
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Achillea millefolium
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Common Yarrow, Milfoil
A plant of many names! It has variously been called, Devil's Nettle, Hundred-leaved Grass, Lace Plant, Milfoil, Nose Pepper, Nosebleed, Sanguinarya and Soldier's Woundwort (to name just a few), some clearly referring to its medicinal properties, others to its appearance. Whilst many cultivars are available, this wild flower is white… |
NCG 785
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Allium ostrowskianum syn. oreophilum | |
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Mountain lover, Pink lily leek
Description coming soon. |
NCG 721
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Allium ursinum
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Ramsons, Wild garlic
The wide, bright green leaves of this pretty woodland plant have a mild garlic flavour and can be used in salads. In spring it produces attractive heads of small white flowers - which are also edible, as are the shoots, stems, roots and seeds! Ransoms require shady, moist conditions. |
NCG 278
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Anthriscus sylvestris 'Ravenswing'
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Black-leaved Cow Parsley
The finely divided, ferny, deep-purple, almost black leaves of this unusual plant make a lovely contrast with other plants, particularly those that have predominantly light-green foliage. The flat heads of tiny flowers are white with small pink bracts. Please note that not all plants produced from the seeds offered will… |
NCG 283
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Antirrhinum majus ssp. tortuosum
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Greater Snapdragon
The seeds of this unusual variety of antirrhinum were collected in the Rif Mountains, Morocco. The plant has a rather lax, sprawling habit and bright, purplish-red blooms, Although a perennial, antirrhinums are usually treated as annuals, but you can try cutting them back from late autumn to early spring. |
NCG 236
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Apium graveolens secalinum
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Leaf celery, Wild celery, 'Par-Cel', Smallage
Looking almost identical to flat leaved parsley, all parts of this plant have a strong celery scent and flavour. Add a sprig or finely chopped leaves to stocks and sauces. The insignificant flowers are white, followed by masses of seed, which can be used to make celery salt (hover over… |
NCG 011
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Arum italicum subsp. italicum 'Marmoratum' AGM
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Italian arum 'Marmoratum', Variegated Cuckoopint, Lords-and-Ladies
The boldly marbled, arrow-shaped leaves appear in autumn and last right through most of the year. Seedlings may look unpromising at first, but as the plants grow the leaves develop their beautiful markings. Plant under trees to light up dark areas. When plants are on offer they are usually self… |
NCG 703
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Borago officinalis 'Bianca'
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Borage 'Bianca' (White)
Like the common blue borage, this white variant is edible. The flowers, which have a flavour reminiscent of cucumber, can be added to summer drinks or as a garnish on salads and other cold dishes. The leaves can also be added, wilted, to Mediterranean recipes such as pasta sauces and… |
NCG 593
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Borago officinalis, Blue
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Borage, Blue
Borage is edible - the flowers, which have a flavour reminiscent of cucumber, can be added to summer drinks or as a garnish on salads and other cold dishes. The leaves can also be added, wilted, to Mediterranean recipes such as pasta sauces and to ravioli stuffing. Borage is very… |
NCG 242
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Brimeura amethystina AGM
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Amethyst hyacinth, Spanish hyacinth
The delicate, pale blue, nodding bells of this pretty bulbous plant are fragrant and much loved by butterflies. Although the common name refers to it as a hyacinth, it is in fact only distantly related. NOTE: Not to be confused with the Spanish bluebell, which is a thug and… |
NCG 049
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Calendula officinalis
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Pot Marigold
One of the most recognisable and popular cottage garden plants, this Calendula mixture will light up the garden for many months with an abundance of yellow and orange blooms, some double. Makes a nice addition to small flower arrangements, so cut often to encourage repeat flowering and to keep the… |
NCG 092
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Centranthus ruber
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Valerian
A classic cottage garden plant with delicate sprays of white, pink or red flowers held above grey green foliage. Perfectly happy in poor, stony, chalky soil, but is will tolerate other more-or-less neutral soil types. Although a perennial, perhaps better treated as a biennial as older plants tend to become… |
NCG 301
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Craspedia globosa 'Drumstick' | |
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Billy balls, Billy buttons
Originating in Australia, where it is perennial, this quirky hardy annual has a long flowering period, producing bright-yellow, ping pong-shaped flower clusters (glomerules), about an inch in diameter, on strong, straight, unbranched stems rising from basal rosettes of leaves. Excellent for use in both fresh and dried flower arrangements. |
NCG 517
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Cyclamen hederifolium | |
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Hardy cyclamen, Ivy-leaved cyclamen
A delightful autumn-flowering woodland plant, with leaves shaped a little like ivy, though more tapered, strongly patterned with silver-green markings. The flowers are pink and sometimes delicately scented, usually appearing before the foliage. Looks wonderful naturalised under trees. |
NCG 625
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Cynara cardunculus
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Cardoon
The cardoon, also called the artichoke thistle, is a member of the sunflower family. It is native to the western and central Mediterranean region. A robust plant, growing up to 2.4m/8 feet tall, it produces large, purplish-pink, thistle-like flower heads above divided, grey-green foliage. The immature flowers, called globe artichokes,… |
NCG 234
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Datura stramonium
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Jimson Weed, Thorn Apple
Datura produces white, fragrant, trumpet-shaped flowers and light green foliage, but the most striking part of the plant is its large spiky seed pods. They make a very interesting addition to dried flower arrangements. Although originating from warmer countries, this plant has become widely naturalised in the UK. HIGHLY POISONOUS!!!… |
NCG 447
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Digitalis purpurea
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Foxglove
This, the original, wild form of the traditional cottage garden biennial plant, will be familiar to all, with its tall spires of blooms in a variety of pink shades above rosettes of large, mid-green leaves. The flowers are much loved by pollinating insects, especially bumble bees. |
NCG 683
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Echium vulgare
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Viper's bugloss
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NCG 428
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Fritillaria meleagris | |
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Snakeshead fritillary
Description coming soon |
NCG 559
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Fumaria officinalis
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Common fumitory
This delicate wildflower bears spikes of small, pink, tubular flowers above bright green divided foliage. Will happily self-seed. |
NCG 533
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Galanthus nivalis | |
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Common snowdrop
Snowdrops, with their delicately green-tipped white flowers, flower in late winter/early spring and look beautiful naturalised in drifts under trees, but will be happy in most other locations, including containers. Bulbs offered will be sourced to order from my various patches of naturalised snowdrops and delivered potted, so that there… |
NCG 737
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Galium odoratum | |
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Sweet woodruff, Sweet-scented bedstraw
A useful low-growing ground cover plant for shady areas. Tiny white flowers above bright-green divided foliage. Forms a dense mat of fine roots, so also useful for stabilising light soils on slopes.Can be invasive, so site carefully. |
NCG 243
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Iris setosa var arctica
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Dwarf Arctic iris
This sweet little iris, standing only a few inches tall, has pale blue flowers with striking veins, and are yellow at the centre, fading to silver. The blooms appear above green, spear-shaped leaves. |
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NCG 468
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Lathyrus Syn. Orobus vernus
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Spring bitter vetch, Spring pea, Spring vetchling
A lovely mound of reddish-purple pea blooms in spring, maturing to purple-blue. A lovely addition to the woodland garden! |
NCG 164
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Linaria purpurea
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Perennial Toadflax
This delightful plant with its tall spikes of tiny purple or pink flowers resembling miniature snapdragons, which appear from a basal clump of fine, grey-green leaves, is attractive not only to right-minded humans, but to wildlife... it is much loved by butterflies and bees. It flowers from June right through… |
NCG 483
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Linum perenne 'Blue Sapphire'
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Perennial flax 'Blue Sapphire'
This compact form of perennial flax is a cottage garden favourite, with ferny foliage and masses of sky-blue flowers from late spring and right through the summer. It works well as an edging plant, in containers and for naturalising in wildlife gardens. Although short-lived, it will gently self-seed. Established plants… |
NCG 034
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Linum usitatissimum
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Common Flax, Linseed
The delicate flowers of this dainty plant are sky-blue or white, on fine, grey-blue foliage - a delight to see en masse! Ours appeared from nowhere in my hot bed (flax is grown in the fields nearby, so the seeds were, no doubt, brought in by birds). Despite the fact… |
NCG 485
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Monarda fistulosa
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Wild Bergamot, Bee Balm, Horsemint, Oswego Tea
A beautiful perennial well known as a medicinal herb. The masses of pale-mauve blooms are very attractive to butterflies, bees and other pollinating insects, The foliage is scented. |
NCG 380
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Nigella sativa
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Fennel Flower, Nutmeg Flower, Roman Coriander, False Black Cumin, Black Seed
Similar in many respects to the more familiar Nigella damascena (Love in a Mist), but the flowers are smaller and usually white, occasionally pale blue, on delicate stems clothed in very finely divided foliage. In Asian countries the seeds are traditionally used in rice dishes and confectionery. They are also… |
NCG 470
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Oenothera biennis
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Evening primrose
Although generally thought of as a biennial, this favourite herbal and garden flower often survives as a perennial. In its second year of growth it produces masses of bright yellow blooms, which are delicately scented, on tall, branching stems. |
NCG 222
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Onopordum acanthium
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Scotch Thistle, Scottish Thistle, Cotton thistle
I don't generally welcome thistles in the garden, but this is an exception! This huge, ornamental thistle, which can reach 3 metres tall and a metre across, has spiny, silver-green leaves on a thick, branching stem, from which beautiful spherical buds develop, opening to gigantic pinkish-purple thistle flowers which are… |
NCG 865
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Oxalis corniculata | |
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Creeping wood sorrel
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NCG 514
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Oxalis corniculata var. atropurpurea
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Bronze leaved yellow sorrel, Procumbent yellow sorrel
A low-growing plant with dark, bronze-red leaves and small yellow flowers followed by upright seed capsules, this variety of oxalis, which is perennial, can be invasive more due to self-seeding than its creeping habit, but if kept in check is a valuable addition to the garden. It grows well in… |
NCG 002
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Panicum elegans 'Frosted Explosion'
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Switch grass 'Frosted Explosion'
As the seed heads emerge, they resemble fibre optics! Lovely plant for floral arrangements. Remove seedheads if you don't want the grass to self seed, but unlike some grasses is not difficult to control - roots are shallow so young, unwanted plants can be removed easily. |
NCG 036
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Papaver cambricum
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Welsh Poppy
This beautiful wild flower has clear yellow flowers - often with crinkled petals - and bright green foliage that lights up dark areas. Ours found their place under the apple trees. Recently renamed from Meconopsis cambrica. |
NCG 502
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Papaver miyabeanum | |
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Japanese poppy
Although strictly speaking a perennial, this very pretty alpine poppy is best treated as an annual or biennial. Just a few inches tall, with soft greenish-yellow blooms and basal rosettes of attractive, deeply divided foliage, followed by lovely seed heads, this is a pretty plant for containers or a rock… |
NCG 096
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Papaver rhoeas - various
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Poppy Mixture
This is a mixture of Field, Ladybird (black-eyed), white-eyed and possibly other similar poppies. Most will be red, but there may be the occasional deep pink or pastel variety. They look lovely planted in drifts towards the front of the border. |
NCG 040
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Papaver somniferum, red, single
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Opium Poppy, red, single
Harvested from deep-coral-pink plants with a darker eye and occasional fringes, but although common varieties growing near these were removed as soon as identified, it cannot be guaranteed that all these seeds will breed true - however, a very reasonable proportion should do so. |
NCG 330
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Papaver somniferum, single, mauve
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Opium Poppy, single, mauve
The flowers of the familiar opium poppy are often pale purple-pink, but are quite variable, with colours varying from almost white to dark purple-pink and sometimes shades of salmon-pink. The darkness of the blotch at the centre of the flowers can also be variable. The seeds of are widely used… |
NCG 375
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Primula vulgaris | |
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Common primrose
Spring would not be Spring without the primrose! The soft yellow blooms of this familiar native wildflower arise on short stems from basal rosettes of crinkly, light-green leaves. Seeds itself around happily but is not difficult to control. |
NCG 308
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Pulmonaria officinalis
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Blue Lungwort
All the pulmonarias are lovely shade plants, and no less this, the common type. Blue flowers, turning mauve and then pink, adorn rather hairy stems up to 12 inches tall growing from a rosette of green foliage specked with white. NOTE: Plants, when offered, may, depending on season, be trimmed right… |
NCG 226
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Ranunculus lingua 'Grandiflorus' | |
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Large-flowered Greater Spearwort
This is a lovely aquatic plant which, in its natural habitat, favours shallow streams or river banks. It can be grown as a marginal plant in ponds, but is generally not suited to small ponds as it can be rather invasive. Clear yellow buttercup-like flowers appear in mid-summer above tall,… |
NCG 436
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Rumex acetosa
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Common sorrel
Description coming soon |
NCG 259
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Silene hookeri | |
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Hooker's campion
Not just any campion! Low-growing hummocks of furry leaves from which starry flowers in shades of pink raise their heads. Needs some TLC, but much recommended. |
NCG 496
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Silene latifolia
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White campion, Cuckoo flower, Thunder-flower, White robin
Description coming soon. |
NCG 217
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Tanacetum parthenium
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Feverfew
Hundreds of tiny little chrysanthemum-like flowers, white with a yellow centre, adorn this popular cottage garden plant. The stems are strong and erect, with mid-green, lobed leaves. |
NCG 131
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Trollius europaeus | |
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Globe Flower
A member of the buttercup family, this lovely wild-flower produces globe-shaped pale to mid-yellow flowers, appearing above attractive foliage. Valuable for colour in spring gardens, particularly in light shade, where they glow beautifully. They also make a good cut flower. |
NCG 089
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Verbascum thapsus
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Great Mullein, Aaron's Rod, Torches
This wildflower forms rosettes of grey-green, woolly leaves from which very tall spikes of clear yellow flowers grow in summer. Not only has this wildflower been used as a herbal remedy for thousands of years but dye can be extracted from it and the dried flower spikes can be made… |
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