Perfect perennials

So the grasses are sorted, how are the perennials doing? They’ve all been marshalled together in a site on Ladybrook Nursery so that I can come down on a regular basis to tend them, deadhead, defoliate and generally get them looking their best for arrival at the Tatton show site.

The plants are under the sprinklers when I first arrive so I can’t get near them unless I want a drenching! Most are looking great. Lots of growing has been going on since I was here last. The only ones that are not performing to show garden standard would appear to be the Echinacea ‘White Swan’ so I may have to swap them. Janine, who has been helping me with my choices, is going to see if she can source some that are producing more flowers and growing more uniformly. The Leucanthemum supurbum ‘Silver Princess’ are looking very good but I’m not sure they will be high enough to peep through the grasses.

 

The Achillea are doing really, producing lots of lovely flowers but I don’t want them using up all of their energy too early. I will be snipping off the more mature flower heads that are showing too early so that they can reserve their flower power for the end of July!  The Knautia are also flowering prolifically, although I still haven’t decided whether to use these or the Cosmos atrosanguineus (Chocolate Comos). I’m after a really deep colour to contrast with the soft pastels of the other perennials and I’m now leaning towards the Cosmos as the dark brown will look gorgeous with the grasses, especially the Anemanthele  lessoniana which have a touch of orange in them. So not only does it look yummy, it sounds yummy too!

I’ll be back again next week to check on progress, leaving my plants under the watchful eye of the local Blackbird!