Dry Areas

Developed for florists for use as a cut flower, the super tall stems of Dianthus 'Chabaud Aurora' display the most beautiful range of coral, salmon, blush, pink and cherry flowers. They will provide a continuous harvest of blooms for cutting from the end of April until the end of September.

From late spring through midsummer, the ruffled, sweetly fragrant blooms of Chabaud Carnations are displayed profusely on slender, sturdy stems. Deliciously coloured, and heavenly scented, the creamy white petals of Chabaud 'Benigna' are outlined with the fruitiest of plums and raspberry reds.

Boasting ruffled white petticoat-like blooms on strong stems, Dianthus 'Chabaud Jeanne Dionis' has the fullest of flowers. An ideal cut flower and perfect for wedding work, they will bloom all summer long from an early sowing.

Developed for florists for use as a cut flower, the super tall stems of Dianthus 'Chabaud La France' are topped with blooms in the most delicate shades of seashell pinks to creamy blush. They will provide a continuous harvest of blooms for cutting from the end of April until the end of September.

'Chabaud Magenta' provides armfuls of magenta-violet, frilly double blooms with the spicy fragrance of clove. Pronounced shab-o, they were developed specifically for florists for use as a cut flower. With a heavenly scent, tall stems and an extremely long vase life.

Developed for florists for use as a cut flower. Dianthus Chabaud is a vintage carnation that dates back as early as 1904. Displayed profusely on slender, sturdy stems, the apricot and soft orange blushing petals of Chabaud ‘Orange Sherbet’ are striped with dark raspberry red and coral.

Chabaud carnations are something else being almost more clove scented than cloves themselves. Developed for florists for use as a cut flower. 'Marie Chabaud' provides armfuls of delicate, pale lemon yellow, frilly double blooms, they will provide a continuous harvest of sweetly fragrant blooms for cutting.

Grenadin Carnations have been a favourite of gardeners for generations. With the darkest of purple-red blooms, the spectacular ‘King of the Blacks’ have the appearance of black velvet, the ruffled, sweetly fragrant blooms make a dramatic statement to any cut flower arrangement.

Dianthus deltoides ‘Confetti White’ is a quite exceptional little plant. Growing to just 10cm tall it will spread up to 50cm wide. The pure white blooms appear in abundance, just poking their heads above the deep green foliage. In the early morning dew or after a shower of rain they sparkle like clear white diamonds.

Dianthus ‘Arctic Fire’ is a spectacular first-year-flowering perennial that forms a dense evergreen mat. The clear white blooms are complemented by an attractive, glowing red eye. This quite exceptional little plant will and grow up to 50cm wide, it covers bare spots quickly. Heat tolerant and hardy to minus 35°C.

Dianthus ‘Flashing Light’ is a spectacular first-year-flowering perennial that forms a dense evergreen mat. The real joy of this plant comes in late spring when a large number of flowers are borne in quick succession. Poking their heads above the deep green foliage, they sparkle like ruby-red diamonds.

Dianthus deltoides ‘Microchips’ has glaucous blue-green foliage that from late spring are covered with a seemingly impossibly large number of flowers. In shades of white, pink and rosy-red with crimson rings they give several months of both colour and clove-like scent.

Dianthus pinifolius is a rare and unusual dryland species with a very distinctive look. This intriguing dianthus forms compact mounds of blue-green, grass-like foliage. In late spring to early summer, tall stems emerge from the foliage from which dense heads of dark ruby red flowers erupt.

Dianthus superbus is a garden favourite that ranks highly with many gardeners. The fragrant blooms, in shades from a romantic pale pink to a rich, deep-lilac are so finely cut they resemble frilly pinwheels. Those florists of old who strove for those rounded dianthus flowers must have hated it.

Dianthus superbus 'Spooky' is a hybrid variety that blooms with exquisite long-petaled blooms. Brighter than the species and more highly branched, they have a sweet fragrance that makes them a delightful cut flower.

Who can resist a plant with a last name like this? Peacockii is an extraordinary Echeveria, seldom if ever, offered for sale and quite distinct from all other species. Forming rosettes of iridescent glaucous-blue leaves that can become tipped in red. In summer they bloom with spectacular clusters of flowers.

Echinacea pallida is one of the more rare members of the Echinacea family. They have much longer, ray flowers than those of the more familiar purple coneflower, the plants bloom earlier and continue to bloom sporadically through the autumn months.

Echium vulgare is a valuable native plant and is exotic enough to earn a place in a flower border. The plant is much loved by almost all bee species. If you don’t want plants that honeybees simply visit, but want to select plants that honeybees clearly love, choose Echium for your garden.