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V
KEY *
Plants with nectar- and/or pollen-rich
flowers for insects. (S) Plants of which seed is either currently available or expected in 2008 (@ £2.70/pack)
Click on plant names in green for photos. All photos are the copyright of Rosemary Castle. Prices include first class postage and packing within the UK as at 1 January 2008.
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VERONICA SPEEDWELLS
Veronica beccabunga var. limosa* - NEW A very unusual variety of brooklime with
racemes of pink, not blue flowers from early summer. From Adrian and Elsa Wood
in Tintern. Vigorous and easy in any soil not too dry or in shallow water.
Veronica chamaedrys*. Germander or Birdseye Speedwell. This plant makes spreading mats of foliage in sun or shade, even dry shade under shrubs. It will also colonise lawns or longer grass. The main flowering is in May/June with sporadic flowers later. The flowers are a good nectar source for solitary bees.
Veronica chamaedrys, dark blue* A germander speedwell with flowers that open the richest, darkest blue of any I’ve seen to date. £4.50
Veronica chamaedrys 'Waterrow'* A
germander speedwell with palest icy grey flowers over typical foliage. Found by
Chris Dent.
Veronica chamaedrys 'Yorkley Wood'* A
lovely form of germander speedwell with lilac-blue flowers - deserves to be more
widely known and grown - perhaps my photos don't do it justice. Found growing in
our lane.
Veronica montana ’Corinne Tremaine’ An
ornamental form of wood speedwell with a broad creamy white margin to the
leaves. Usual pale bluish-lilac
flowers. For ordinary to damper
soils in shade.
Veronica officinalis*. Heath Speedwell. A low growing, creeping and mat-forming plant of heaths and open woods. It bears prolific spikes of small lilac flowers with darker veins in late spring then continues to flower on and off until early autumn. The flowers are a valuable source of nectar and pollen, attracting bees, flies and hoverflies. For well drained soil. We have two very interesting new forms:
Veronica officinalis ‘Cream Crackers'* – NEW A charming and intriguing variegated form of heath speedwell that originated in
our garden as a branch sport of ‘Pathlight’ (see below). At any one
time individual leaves may be green, cream or a mixture of the two – often cream
finely speckled with green or green with creamy edges.
Contrary to what one might expect, the new growth becomes creamier as
spring progresses and by mid- to late May the youngest shoots are mostly pale
cream with little or no green visible. As growth almost grinds to a halt,
spikes of veined, pale lilac-blue flowers arise from these creamy shoots. From summer
to autumn the plant puts out a more balanced assortment of green, cream and
variegated leaves along with sporadic flower spikes. In winter the low
mats of foliage can take on pink or purple shades. It is slower-growing and more compact than typical Veronica
officinalis and looks lovely trailing from a pot in light shade.
The photo shows leaves only and although the plant looked extremely
pretty during its main flowering in June 2008,
I failed to take a decent photo at the right time - must try harder.
£4.50
Veronica officinalis 'Pathlight'* - NEW An unusual and attractive form of heath speedwell in
which the leaves become richly suffused with yellow at certain times of year, especially
spring.
Dainty spikes of lilac flowers with darker veins have their main flush in
May but continue into early autumn. Creeping, mat-forming habit.
It is suitable for well-drained soils in sun or part shade and looks good
trailing from containers. Also worth
trying in the lawn. Found a few
years ago lighting up a grassy path amongst red clover and bird’s foot
trefoil. Comes true from seed.
£4.50
VIOLA VIOLETS/PANSIES
Viola riviniana. Common Dog Violet. A good violet for naturalising under shrubs, in hedgebanks and other shady places. Tolerates dry shade when established. The usual flower colour is pale blue-violet. Plants produce cleistogamous (non-opening, self-pollinating) flowers in summer. The following forms are available:
Viola riviniana, dark pink* (S) A
form of common dog violet with dark pink flowers.
I have a colony of these in a dryish shady spot in the garden and wonder
if they are descendants of Viola riviniana 'Purpurea' which I used to
grow. If so, they have lost both the purple pigment in their leaves and
the blue colour in their flowers.
Viola riviniana, white-flowered* (S) A form of common dog violet with good-sized, pure white flowers. Found as a seedling in a pot here. £4.50
Lastly, not a native plant, but a very good garden plant all the same. I originally acquired this beautiful but unidentified dark viola about fifteen years ago as a swap from the garden of Pygmy Pinetum Nursery. A few years later I gave material to Bob Brown who subsequently named it. The plant produces masses of very dark purple (nearly black) flowers with a small yellow eye, held well above the dark green leaves over a long period from spring to autumn. Although perennial, it is best to take cuttings now and again. The leaves and flowers are edible and good in salads too. £5.00
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