Campanula, Dianthus, Phlox, Potentilla & Salvia

EN Coxhead News

29February

encadmin

Trade Sales of Campanula, Dianthus, Phlox, Potentilla & Salvia.

The advantage of a well organised perennial garden is the non-stop display of different, colourful plants. Most perennials bloom for three to four weeks each year. So, choosing a good selection of plants with staggered flowering times can give you non-stop colour from early spring right through to the autumn.

Five favourite perennials with EN Coxhead trade customers in the early part of the year are: Campanula, Dianthus, Phlox, Potentilla and Salvia.

Campanula

Campanula are native to northern temperate regions, Mediterranean areas and tropical mountains. They feature bell or star-shaped, often blue, flowers which show in in late spring or summer. Campanula are perfect for underplanting of roses and shrubs but may require staking when planted in exposed sites.

Dianthus

Dianthus, also known as “Pinks” belong to a family of plants which includes carnations and are characterised by the spicy fragrance of their blooms. Mainly native to Europe and Asia, Dianthus flowers have five petals, typically with a frilled or pinked margin and are usually pale to dark pink in colour. Dianthus leaves are opposite, simple, mostly linear and often strongly glaucous grey green to blue green.

Phlox

Native to North America, Phlox was perhaps the most prominent plant in perennial gardens from the turn of the century through to the 1940s. Phlox are herbaceous plants most commonly known for making billowing mounds of trumpet-shaped, scented, summer flowers which are typically white, pink, or lavender in colour. Leaves are small, lanceolate, and oppositely arranged below and throughout the flower cluster.

Potentilla

Potentillas or “Cinquefoil” are perennials which give a show of pretty, strawberry-like flowers and leaves from spring through to midsummer. They are perfect for adding colour to a well-drained herbaceous border. Potentilla flowers are also edible and can add a healthy creative touch to fruit or green salads.

Salvia

Salvias great range of colours and forms make them indispensable border plants, while the nectar-rich flowers are magnets for bumblebees and butterflies. Salvia flowers are produced in racemes, or panicles and generally produce a showy display, with flower colours ranging from blue through to red, with white and yellow Salvia less common.

EN Coxhead Campanula, Dianthus, Phlox, Potentilla and Salvia are the perfect base for any non-stop border.