Understanding the effective use of soft landscaping elements (2) Flashcards
Name 10 herbaceous perennials suitable for planting in a variety of garden situations
State details of decorative merits, height and spread and site requirements; describe a situation where each could be used effectively
- Acanthis spinosus
- Verbena bonariensis
- Alchemilla mollis
- Papaver Oriental ‘Picot’’
- Achillea millefolium ‘Terracotta’
- Ajuga reptans
- Anenome x hybrida
- Helleborus x hybridus
- Pachysandra terminalis
- Persicaria affinis
Acanthus spinosus
Decorative merit: Large, deeply lobed and spine-tipped, dark glossy green leaves / erect spikes of two-lipped white flowers with spiny purplish bracts (late spring and summer)
Height and spread: 1-1.5m / 0.5-1m
Site requirements: not clay / well-drained / full sun, partial shade / any exposure
Situation: Architectural in cottage and informal garden / mediterranean / low maintenance / cut flowers
Verbena bonariensis
Decorative merit: Sparse oblong leaves on branching stems / numerous branched clusters of small, usually 5-petalled, salver-shaped purple flowers (summer and autumn)
Height and spread: 1.5-2.5m / 0.1-0.5m
Site requirements: Any soil / moist but well drained / full sun / any exposure
Situation: Plant for pollinators / cottage / gravel garden / borders and beds
Alchemilla mollis
Decorative merits: Clumps of softly hairy, light green leaves with scalloped and toothed edges / small, bright yellow flowers are borne in large sprays just above the foliage
Height and spread: 0.1-0.5 / 0.1-0.5m
Site requirements: Any soil / moist but well drained / full shade to full sun / any exposure
Situation: Gravel garden / underplanting of roses and shrubs / garden edging
Papaver Oriental ‘Picotée’
Decorative merits: Bowl-shaped 4-petalled white flowers (late spring, early summer), the petals rather variably edged with light pinkish-orange
Height and spread: 0.5-1m / 0.5-1m
Site requirements: Any soil / well-drained / full sun / sheltered
Situation: Cottage / borders / city
Achillea millefolium ‘Terracotta’
Decorative merits: Clumps of feathery grey-green leaves / flat sprays of deep yellow, daisy-like flowers which fade to cream
Height and spread: 1-1.5m / 0.1-0.5m
Site requirements: Not Loam / moist but well-drained / full sun / exposed
Situation: Cottage / wildlife garden (butterflies) / prairie planting
Ajuga reptans
Decorative merits: Forms a wide mate of dark green obovate leaves / Erect, short spikes of whorled, 2-lipped, dark blue flowers (spring and summer)
Height and spread: 0.1-0.5m / 0.5-1m
Site requirements: Any soil / moist but well-drained, poorly drained / partial shade / sheltered
Situation: Groundcover for shade / banks and slopes / wildflower meadow / low maintenance / cottage
Anenomex hybrida
Decorative merits: Palmately lobed, mid-green leaves with three oval leaflets / Branched stems bear sprays of semi-double, pale pink 5-petalled flowers (later summer, mid-autumn)
Height and spread: 1-1.5m / 1.5-2.5m
Site requirements: Any soil / moist but well-drained / full sun, partial shade / any exposure
Situation: Cottage and informal garden / autumn interest and colour / low maintance / border
Helleborous x hybrida
Decorative merits: Divided, glossy dark green leaves / branched stems bearing loose clusters of bowl-shaped flowers (winter and spring) in a range of colours, pink, green, yellow and purple, sometimes spotted within
Height and spread: 0.1-0.5m / 0.1-0.5m
Site requirements: Not sand / not acid / moist but well-drained / full sun, partial shade / sheltered
Situation: Good early plant for pollinators / rock garden / underplanting of roses and shrubs / borders
Pachysandra terminalis
Decorative merits: Forms a wide mat of toothed, glossy green leaves to 10cm long / Stubby spikes of small white flowers (early summer)
Height and spread: 0.1-0.5m / 1-1.5
Site requirements: Any soil / moist but well-drained / full shade, partial shade / any exposure
Situation: Ground cover in a shady area / coastal / borders / city
Persicaria affinis
Decorative merit: Elliptic to lance-shaped dark green leaves, which turn red-bronze in autumn / Long spikes of flowers (summer to winter) which open bright reddish pink and fade to pale pink, then to brown during winter
Height and spread: 0.1-0.5m / 0.5-1m
Site requirements: Any soil / moist but well-drained / full sahde, partial shade / any exposure
Situation: Excellent as ground cover for a shady area / banks and slopes / underplanting of roses and shrubs / borders / cottage
Name 10 Alpine or Rock garden plants suitable for planting in a variety of garden situations
State details of their decorative merits, height and spread and site requirements; describe a situation where each could be used effectively
- Dianthus alpinus
- Iberis sempervirens
- Omphalodes verna
- Saxifraga ‘Monarch’
- Campanula poscharskyana
- Sempervivum ‘Reinhard
- Lithodora diffusa ‘Heavenly Blue’
- Euphorbia myrsinites
- Erigeron karvinskianus
- Pulsatilla vulgaris
Dianthus alpinus
Decorative merits: Mat-forming / dark green, narrow foliage / Solitary, pale-spotted, deep pink flowers 4cm wide (summer), on stalks 2-10cm tall
Height and spread: ≤10cm / 0-0.1m
Site requirements: Not clay / not acid / well-drained / full sun / any exposure
Situation: Gravel and rock garden / cottage / borders
Iberis sempervirens - alpine
Decorative merits: Spreading / narrow, dark green leaves / racemes of pure white flowers (spring and summer) in dense heads first fattish, then becoming rounded
Height and spread: 0.1-0.5m / 0.1-0.5m
Site requirements: Not clay / not acid / moist but well-drained / full sun / any exposure
Situation: Coastal / container / rock and gravel / cottage
Omphalodes verna - rock
Decorative merits: Mat-forming / simple, oval leaves / sprays of white-eyed, bright blue flowers (spring)
Height and spread: 0.1-0.5m / 0.1-.5m
Site requirements: Not clay / moist but well-drained / partial shade / any exposure
Situation: Rock and gravel / ground cover / cottage
Saxifraga ‘Monarch’ - alpine
Decorative merits: Mat-forming / rosettes of green-grey oblong leaves upto 5.5cm long / stems upto 50cm tall bear fragrant white flowers (summer) spotted with red at the base of each petal
Height and spread: 0.1-0.5m / 0.1-0.5m
Site requirements: Not clay / not acid / well-drained / full sun, partial shade / exposed
Situation: Rock and gravel garden / containers
Campanula poscharskyana - alpine
Decorative merits: Low mound of rounded leaves / spread stems bearing star-shaped light violet-blue flowers (summer and early autumn)
Height and spread: ≤10cm / 0.1-0.5m
Site requirements: Any soil / moist but well-drained / full sun, partial shade / exposed
Situation: rock and gravel / container / ground cover / banks and slopes
Sempervirens ‘Reinhard’ - alpine
Decorative merits: Evergreen rosettes of fleshy, green leaves tipped with dark red / bears pink flowers on stalks (summer)
Height and spread: 0.1-0.5m / 0.1-0.5m
Site requirements: Not Clay and chalk / well-drained / full sun / any exposure
Situation: Cottage / rock and gravel / container / city
Lithodora diffusa ‘Heavenly Blue’ - alpine
Decorative merits: Prostrate evergreen shrub / small, hairy leaves / abundant, vivid deep blue flowers (spring and summer)
Height and spread: 0.1-0.5m / 0.1-0.5m
Site requirements: Not chalk and clay / not alkaline / well-drained / full sun / any exposure
Situation: gravel and rock / container
Euphorbia myrsinites - alpine
Decorative merits: Trailing leafy stems / leaves slightly fleshy, bright glaucus green / yellow-green flowers (spring) in terminal clusters
Height and spread: ≤10cm / 0.1-0.5m
Site requirements: Not clay / well-drained / full sun / sheltered
Situation: Coastal / rock and gravel / cottage / garden edging
Erigeron karvinskianus
Decorative merits: forms wide mats / narrow hairy leaves / daisy-type flowerheads, opens as white but soon turns pinkish-purple
Height and spread: 0.1-0.5m / 0.5-1m
Site requirements: Not clay / well-drained / full sun / sheltered
Situation: rock and gravel / cottage / garden edging / coastal
Pulsatilla vulgaris - alpine
Decorative mertis: forms clumps finely dissected basal leaves which are silky when young / Erect or nodding violet flowers (spring) followed by silky fruiting heads (autumn)
Digitalis purpurea
Decorative merits: Rosettes of soft hairy, oval, simple leaves / tall, one-sided spires of pendant, tubular bright rosy-purple flowers (summer), which are spotted within
Height and spread: 1.5-2.5m / 0.1-0.5m
Site requirements: Any soil / moist but well-drained, well-drained / full sun, partial shade / any exposure
Situation: Cottage / borders / underplants of roses and shrubs / wildflower meadow
Angelica sylvestris
Decorative merits: Rigid purple stems / light green, highly divided leaves / rounded umbels of tiny white or pink flowers (late summer, early autumn)
Height and spread: 1.5-2.5m / 0.5-1m
Site requirements: Not sand and chalk / moist but well-drained, well-drained / full sun / any exposure
Dipsacus fullonum
Decorative merits: Bright green foliage which are prickly on lower mid-ribs / Tiny blue flowers (summer, autumn, winter) from projecting stiff bristly calyx spines
Height and spread: 1.5-2.5m / 0.5-1m
Site requirements: Any soil / moist but well-drained, well-drained / full sun, partial shade / exposed
Situation: Architectural /wildife garden / low maintenance / cottage / borders / cut flowers
Dianthus barbutus
Decorative merits: Prostrate rosettes of wide, lanceolate green leaves / and stiff, erect stems, thickened at nodes / Bears many flowers on terminal flattened heads
Height and spread: 0.1-0.5m / 0.1-0.5m
Site requirements: Not chalk and clay / not acid / well-drained / full sun / sheltered
Situation: Cottage / pollinators / cut flowers / borders and beds
Erysimum cheiri
Decorative merits: Narrow, dark-green foliage / Dense racemes of 4-petalled, sweetly scented, bright yellow-orange flowers (spring) produced on short spikes
Height and spread: 0.1-0.5m / 0.1 - 0.5m
Site requirements: Not clay / not acid / well-drained / full sun / any exposure
Situation: Patio and container / pollinators / cottage / borders
