Bob Brown delivered an excellent talk at last Saturday’s meeting (7th February), giving the Herts Group the benefit of his lifetime’s experience as a nurseryman. The subject was New Garden-Worthy Plants, and members will have recognised many of the featured plants as new introductions from the past ten years or so. Particular recommendations from Bob included Choisya ‘White Dazzler’, as a shade-tolerant plant which thrives under the tree canopy; Acanthus spinosus ‘Ferguson’s Form’, which is a mildew-resistant, compact, non-seeding variety; Podophyllum ‘Spotty Dotty’ for its vigour and remarkable, albeit short-lived, flowers; Dianthus ‘Memories’, which has all the charm and scent of D. ‘Mrs Sinkins’ but with a sturdier habit and non-stop flowering; and Anisodontea ‘El Rayo’, a shrub which produces a plethora of bell-shaped pink flowers for months on end. With advice on how to prevent rust in Heucheras, a short history of the development of Leucanthemum cultivars, and a mini-masterclass in the hardiness of various varieties of Coronilla, the talk was both fascinating and informative.
Hardy Plant Society Hertfordshire Group 