Good plant #165 - Laburnum × Watereri 'Vossii'

This Laburnum seems to have the longest drooping flowers of all Laburnums. It's also a smallish bushy tree that works well as a specimen and trained in groups to form amazing arched walkways (like the famous one at Bodnant gardens).

It thrives in full sun and well-drained soil.

This tree is propagated by grafting.


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Good plant #164 - Carpinus Betulus ‘Pendula’

This is a majestic, deciduous and weeping hornbeam tree. It has catkins in spring, winged-seed cases and yellow leaves in autumn. It's a slow grower and can be trimmed to umbrella-like shapes. It can grow to a hefty size.

It prefers some sun and almost any soil, except very wet soil.

This can be propagated by grafting.

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Good plant #163 - Anchusa Azurea 'Loddon Royalist'

This hardy herbaceous perennial flowers in late spring/ early summer, when many plants have finished flowering and others are yet to start.

If you chop it back after flowering, you sometimes get a second flush of flowers late in the season.

It will cope with almost any soil and sunlight.

You can take young basal or root cuttings in spring to propagate.


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Good plant #162 - Cercis Siliquastrum

This deciduous, bushy and small tree performs well throughout the seasons.  It has pink flowers, followed by bronzey foliage in spring.  Its heart-shaped leaves turn green for the summer; then yellow in autumn.  It has purple-ish seed pods in autumn too.

It will grow in almost any soil provided it is in a sunny or part shady spot.

You can propagate from seed.

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Good plant #161 - Alyssum Montanum 'Tekara'

This is an evergreen and spreading/ trailing perennial alyssum that flowers in spring. It's worth giving it a light trim after flower to tidy it up.

It likes a sunny spot and thrives in well-drained soil. It will do well in a well-drained pot on a patio and will cascade nicely over the edge.

You can propagate by taking cuttings in summer.

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Good plant #160 - Anaphalis Triplinervis

This is a spreading and low-growing herbaceous perennial that is great for the front of a summer and autumn flowering border.

It likes free draining soil and prefers full sun but will tolerate a little shade.

You can divide it in spring and it will spread itself by seed too.

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Beautiful garden

A wet-ish garden following a trill. Lovely.

Good plant #159 - Prunus 'Shirotae'

Who can ignore a cherry tree in full blossom? I like most of them but this spreading type is one of my favourites. This deciduous tree also has orangey/red leaves in autumn.

It prefers a sunny spot and will thrive in any soil provided it has goodish drainage.

You can take cuttings in late summer.

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Good plant #158 - Prunus x Subhirtella 'Pendula Rubra'

Who can ignore a cherry tree in full blossom? I like most of them but this weeping variety is a favourite. This deciduous tree also has yellowy leaves in autumn.

It prefers a sunny spot and will thrive in any soil provided it has good drainage.

You can take cuttings in late summer.

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Good plant #157 - Sedum Kamptschatium

I saw this beautiful sedum (could be Ellacombianum) strolling through Dartmouth in spring 2012, growing down a wall. It cascades very compactly with bauble-like clusters of flowers.

It thrives in full sun and well-drained soil. It will do much better in neutral and alkaline soils, which in Manchester usually means adding a bit of lime to the soil or using a mushroom compost.

You can divide this in spring or do cuttings in summer.


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Good plant #156 - Berberis Darwinii

This is a very popular, evergreen and spring-flowering shrub. It is quite often used for defensive planting because it of its dense prickly foliage. It can also be used as a hedge. Blue-ish coloured berries (inedible) follow flowering.

It doesn't need pruning other than trimming unwanted stems after flowering.

It will grow almost anywhere in any soil.

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Good plant #155 - Rhus Typhina

This popular, deciduous and architectural tree is mainly grown for its attractive autumn leaves and large ornamental (inedible) fruit (on the female tree).

This tree produces suckers which should be removed.

It prefers moist well-drained soil and will do the best autumn leaf show in full sun.

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Good plant #154 - Ribes Sanguineum

This is a vigorous and rapidly spreading deciduous shrub. I came across an incredible specimen of this ornamental currant in Dorset whilst staying there in early April 2012.  It has masses of flowers in March and April (followed by inedible berries) and very pungent leaves.

This plant will thrive almost anywhere and in any soil and will produce more flowers if you completely remove congested, weak, old and unwanted stems after flowering is finished. Strong stems produce more flowers.


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Which compost should I buy?

This subject is a  highly contentious one. Which? Gardening carries out surveys and publishes its findings, resulting in much debate.


My advice (for most plants) is use any compost that has a mix of:


1. loam (soil)
2. organic matter (peat or something else)
3. sand (or grit)
4. fertilizer (a mix of nitrogen, phosphates, potash and trace elements) 


This type of compost is usually called a soil-based compost - expensive does not always mean better.


I make my own mixes, roughly following the John Innes' (see picture) mixing ratios and using:


- bags of topsoil (and/ or soil from the garden)
- bags of peat free compost
- bags of horticultural grade sand and/ or grit
- general purpose fertliser granules


If in doubt or a hurry, just ask for and buy a soil-based compost and your plants will usually thank you for it.

Good plant #153 - Hosta 'Empress Wu'

This is an absolutely enormous hosta if you let it reach its full potential.  The leaves can grow to well over a foot long.  The plant itself can grow to 5ft tall and wide in five years or so.

As well as being huge, its leathery leaves are less prone to slug damage. I reckon it would make a mighty specimen in very big pot. It looks great mixed in with yellowy foliage like Milium Effusum 'Aureum'.

This hosta will do best in a shady-ish and sheltered site and must have moist, fertile and well-drained soil to reach its full potential.

You can divide this plant in spring when the shoots just appear through the spoil.


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Good plant #152 - Elaeagnus x Ebbingei

This is a big evergreen shrub with densely packed silvery leaves. A few plants can be shaped to form a low maintenance hedge, provide screening.  One plant could even be used for large topiary.

It's grown for its leaves but will flower if left to do so. However, I always trim this to shape (using secateurs) in late spring and late summer to maintain a very compact shape; this results in no flowers. You can prune once only if you like.

This variety prefers full sun and fertile soil.

Cuttings can be taken in autumn.

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Good plant #151 - Phlomis Fruticosa

This evergreen, silvery-green leafed and compact Jerusalem Sage is perfect for a dry sunny spot. It's drought resistant too.

It prefers well-drained and fertile soil and needs full sun.

You can propagate this in many ways, including division in Spring.

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Good plant #150 - Photinia x Fraseri 'Red Robin'

This is a very popular evergreen shrub because the new leaf buds and leaves are such a bright red colour and the older leaves are very dark glossy green.

You should only trim lightly in autumn as required. It can be used as a hedge that should be trimmed once per year in autumn.

It thrives best in fertile soil and sunny spots.

You can take cuttings in late summer.

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Good plant #149 - Ipheion 'Alberto Castillo'

This is a tremendous early spring flowering bulb and seems to be rare in cultivation.

I came across a massive swathe of it following the edge of a 20ft path to the mother-in-law's front door a few years ago. Masses of flowers and grass-like leaves. It survived even the very cold winters of 2010/2011.

The bulbs need to be planted quite deeply; 3 to 4 inches. It lends itself to pots. However, the pots should be moved indoors in very severe and persistent winter conditions.

It likes sunny spots and must have free draining soil.

Clumps can be lifted and divided in summer.

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Good plant #148 - Heucherella 'Golden Zebra'

What an incredible evergreen perennial!  It's picture speaks volumes.  You'll not be surprised that this plant is not usually grown for its flowers ; )

It prefers part-shady sites and fertile, moist and well-drained soil.

You can divide in spring.


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