Pulmonarias make excellent ground cover plants for shady areas, or fillers between shrubs and trees. However, as Pu/monaria rubra is one of the first plants to flower after Christmas, it may merit being planted at the front of a border, perhaps with small bulbs. The 'Redstart' variety is a clump forming, velvet leafed evergreen with unspotted, matt, bright green, diamond shaped leaves, up to 24 inches long. The funnel shaped, half inch, coral red flowers are borne in terminal cymes on stems up to sixteen inches long and appear over a long period. For best results, grow this pulmonaria in any humus rich, fertile, moist, but not waterlogged, soil and divide it every three to five years.
Propagation: Divide after flowering or in autumn. Take root cuttings in midwinter. |
Sometimes a plant is bewitching, and this enchanting hellebore is certainly no exception. As its parents are H. argutifolius and H. lividus, it has the distinction of being a born aristocrat with pretty leaves and flowers. Its leaves, from four to eleven inches long, are pleasingly marked with pinkish purple and cream veining, and are carried on pale purple leaf stalks. The charming, one to two inch flowers are creamy green suffused with pinkish purple strands, and appear as many flowered cymes from late winter to mid-spring. This hellebore grows to about twelve inches, with a similar spread, and should be grown in neutral or alkaline, humus rich, moist, but not waterlogged, soil. It is a good idea to protect it from strong cold winds.
Propagation: Divide after flowering. |
The 2,000 species of spurge around the world can be annuals, biennials, evergreen or semi-evergreen perennials and, typically, their flowers don't have petals and sepals. This one is a semi-succulent, evergreen perennial from south east Europe and Turkey, whose semi-prostrate stems are clothed in spirals of attractive rounded, blue grey two to four inch leaves. The rich, greenish yellow flowers appear in spring. It is a perfect plant for a rock garden or a dry tropical garden, and can be grown in rock outcrops or between stones on the edge of a terrace. It needs well drained, light soil in full sun.
Propagation: Sow seed as soon as ripe at 56°F to 68°F. Root complete stems or sections of stems in spring. |
