THE MODERN MINT BLOG
Now we get to the heart of Dan Pearson’s plant recommendations… and he offers far more perennials than another designer we have written of…
(Do also check out this review of his excellent book ‘Spirit’.)
Perennials
Acanthus mollis latifolius group ‘Rue Ledan’
Actaea cordifolia
Anemone x Hybrida ‘Honorine Jobert’
Angelica edulis
Aralia cordata
Baptisia Alba var. Macrophylla
Brunnera macrophylla ‘Betty Bowring’
Bupleurum longifolium ‘Bronze Beauty’
Cephalaria dipsacoides
Ceratostigma plumbaginoides
Dierama pulcherrimum ‘Blackbird’
Digitalis ferruginea
Disporum longistylum ‘Night Heron’
Epimedium wushanense ‘caramel’
Erigeron karvinskianus
Eryngium agavifolium
Eryngium ebracteatum
Ferula tingitana ‘Cedric Morris’
Foeniculum vulgare ‘Purpureum’
Gaura lindheimeri
Geranium ‘Tiny Monster’
Gillenia trifoliata
Glycyrrhiza yunnanensis
Helleborus x Hybridus Ashwood Hybrids
Hemerocallis ‘Stafford’
Inula magnifica ‘Sonnenstrahl’
Iris lazica
Lathyrus vernus ‘Gracilis’
Molopospermum peloponnesiacum
Paeonia lactiflora ‘White Wings’
Persicaria amplexicaulis ‘Alba’
Persicaria virginiana var. filiformis
Rudbeckia laciniata ‘Herbstsonne’
Salvia nemerosa ‘Caradonna’
Salvia uliginosa ‘Ballon Azul’
Sanguisorba ‘Cangshan Cranberry’
Sedum ‘Jose Aubergine’
Selinum wallichianum
Thalictrum ‘Elin’
Verbena macdougalii ‘Lavender Spires’ (this plant is difficult to find, at least at the time of writing. Not the same but easier to find is a plant we also wrote about here Verbena bonariensis…)
Recommended Reading:
The Well-tended Perennial Garden: Planting and Pruning Techniques
Monty Don British Gardens Episode 4
I hadn’t seen the new Monty Don series ‘Monty Don’s British Gardens’ but I was sent a message one evening to say stick it on – episode 4 especially! On the episode were three gardens I make and clip the topiary in… the photo above is my quizzical boxwood emu… which looks ridiculous out of context of the wider topiary garden it sits in… but hey! Showcases what you can do with boxwood, when given enough time to let it grow! But also on the episode were Waltham Place, one of my favourite gardens and a place I teach topiary …
Topiary Art In Hong Kong, The Henderson
Here are a couple of photos of the topiary work I have been doing in Hong Kong for the Art Garden at the bottom of the brand new skyscraper, The Henderson. The building has been designed by Zaha Hadid Architects and this November 2024 the garden at the base of the structure will be planted up, with lots of topiary originally designed by Gillespies Landscape Architects, grown by Tarzan Nursery in China, and then clipped and refined into shape by…. me. Will update with photos from The Henderson Art Garden when all is completed and the garden is opened, but …
EBTS Boxwood Growers Forum
Through the European Boxwood and Topiary Society I worked with Chris Poole and Sue Mesher, members of the EBTS board, and we set up a Boxwood Growers Forum. This was to discuss how to make sure this wonderful topiary plant stays in the public conscioussness – we know many growers, suppliers and distributors have stopped selling it as the cost of replacing boxwood that has blight, or is nibbled by the boxwood caterpillar, makes it unviable to offer to clients and gardeners. But Boxwood is a phoenix plant, and there are ways to deal with the problems associated with Buxus. …