Everyone has favourite plants so I set myself the task of listing my top 50 plants and ended up with a top 100! So here they are, plants I would always have in my garden, from trees and shrubs right down to bulbs. I could add more but for the reader it might become sleep fodder. Some in the list are an entire genus because I couldn't pick just one species or variety, some are that one special that I must have. Most of them you will notice are also tough, good doers and often have more than one feature that will increase interest in the garden. I have grown all of them successfully in my exposed Scottish gardens. In winter the Eucomis and Pelargoniums always go in the heated greenhouse and the auricula Primulas into the cold greenhouse but everything else is year round tough, colourful and well worth trying in your own garden.
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| Trees, shrubs and conifers Betula - Amelanchier lamarkii - Blueberries Salix gracilistyla 'Melanostachys' - Euonymus alatus 'Compactus' - Ilex 'Blue Princcess' Fagus sylvatica 'Purpurea' - Abies koreana - Corylus maxima 'Purpurea' |
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| Trees, shrubs and conifers Cercidiphylum - Viburnum bodnatense 'Dawn' Parottia persica - Liquidamber styracifolia |
Abies koreana Amelanchier lamarkii
Betula Blueberries
Cercidiphylum Corylus maxima 'Purpurea'
Euonymus alatus 'Compactus' Fagus sylvatica 'Purpurea'
Hebe buchananii 'Minor' Ilex x meserveae 'Blue Princcess'
Liquidamber styracifolia Nothofagus antartica
Parottia persica Rosa 'Blanc Double de Coubert'
Salix gracilistyla 'Melanostachys' Sarcoccoca hookeriana var humilis
Viburnum bodnatense 'Dawn'
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| Bulbs Muscari 'Dark Eyes' - Fritillaria meleagris - Narcissus 'Ice Follies' Lilium 'Black beauty' - Allium sikkimense - Tulips Eucomis bicolor - Snowdrops - Colchicum 'Waterlilly' |
Allium sikkimense Colchicum 'Waterlilly'
Eucomis bicolor Fritillaria meleagris
Lilium 'Black beauty' Muscari 'Dark Eyes'
Narcissus 'Ice Follies' Snowdrops
Tulips
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| Grasses Carex - Luzula nivea - Molinia Melica nutans - Stipa gigantea - Miscanthus sinensis 'Cosmopolitan' |
Carex Hakonechloa macra
Helictotrichon sempervirens Luzula nivea
Melica nutans Miscanthus sinensis 'Cosmopolitan'
Molinia Stipa gigantea
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| Perennials Veronica gentionoides - Chaerophyllum rosea - Digitalis purpurea 'Sutton's Apricot' Acaena - Aquilegia 'William Guinness' - Lunaria redivia Francoa sonchifolia - Cyclamen hederifolium - Euphorbia myrsinites |
Acaena Actaea simplex 'Brunette'
Aquilegia 'William Guinness' Aruncus dioicus
Astrantia Bergenia 'Claire Maxine'
Brunnera macrophylla 'Langtrees' Cardamine
Cephalaria gigantea Chaerophyllum rosea
Corydalis flexuosa 'China Blue' Crepis incana
Cyclamen hederifolium Dalmera peltata
Daucus carota Dianthus
Digitalis purpurea 'Sutton's Apricot' Dipsacus fullonum
Echinacea Echinops bannaticus 'Blue Globe'
Epimedium Eryngium x zabelli 'Jos Eijking'
Erysimum 'Apricot Twist' Euphorbia myrsinites
Francoa sonchifolia Geranium phaeum 'Album'
Geum 'Pink Frills' Hellebores
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| Perennials Papaver - Actaea simplex 'Brunette' - Dalmera peltata Bergenia 'Claire Maxine' - Omphaloides cappadocica 'Cherry Ingram' - Dipsacus fullonum Sanguinaria canadensis 'Plena' - Tiarella - Saxifrage ‘Spotted Dog’ |
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| Perennials Valeriana phu 'Aurea' - Sedum - Dianthus Cardamine - Eryngium x zabelli 'Jos Eijking' - Thalictrum Sanguisorbas - Pelergoniums - Epimedium |
Hosta 'praying Hands' Lamium maculatum 'Beacon Silver'
Leucanthemum vulgare Lunaria redivia
Monarda Omphaloides cappadocica 'Cherry Ingram'
Ourisia alpine Papaver
Pelergoniums Primula auricula
Pulmonarias Ranunculus 'Brazen Hussy'
Sanguisorbas Sanguinaria canadensis 'Plena'
Saxifrage ‘Spotted Dog’ Sedum
Stachys lanata 'Silver Carpet' Thalictrum 'Elin'
Tiarella Trifolium 'Red Feathers'
Valeriana phu 'Aurea' Verbascum thapsus
Veronica gentionoides Veronicastrum
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| Ferns, Herbs, annuals and Climbers Salvia officinalis 'Purpurescens' - Matteuccia struthiopteris - Clematis montana 'wilsonii' Osmunda regalis - Nigella - Mentha suaveolens 'Variegata' Primula auricula - Polypodium - Hedera hibernica 'Rona' |
Climbers
Clematis montana 'wilsonii'
Clematis viticella Purpurea Plena Elegans
Hedera hibernica 'Rona'
Ferns
Dryopteris erythrosora
Gymnocarpium dryopteris
Matteuccia struthiopteris
Osmunda regalis
Polypodium
Herbs
Melissa officinalis
Mentha suaveolens 'Variegata'
Origanum 'Country Cream'
Salvia officinalis 'Purpurescens'
Annuals
Nigella
Hopefully this list has given you some inspiration for your garden and some of your favourites are in this list too.
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| Perennials Leucanthemum vulgare - Cephalaria gigantea - Aruncus dioicus Echinops bannaticus 'Blue Globe' - Daucus carota - Monarda Stachys lanata 'Silver Carpet' - Hellebores - Pulmonarias |
Hopefully this list has given you some inspiration for your garden and some of your favourites are in this list too.
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What a wonderful list and beautiful photos, which have made me long for summer. I am not sure I could have stopped at 100 - you are very restrained! A few here that are unfamiliar to me, and plenty of old favourites of mine. I am surprised you didn't mention those magnificent Aconitum...
ReplyDeleteThanks Jo, like you I could have gone on and on and those Aconitums would have made it in a longer list, these are my absolute favs I wouldn't be without, hopefully most of them will make it into the nursery gardens and for sale too
DeleteThis is a great selection, beautifully presented. I tried to do something similar a few months ago - I think it was just perennials - but I got stuck around 90 as I had too many left I liked roughly equally. It's not an easy task for a garden dreamer! I like the way you've been able to choose a mix of plants that would look great together. I suspect mine would have been too flower-heavy.
ReplyDeleteHi! Thank you, it wasn't easy to get it down to 100, I originally thought 50 but had too many favs lol.
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