First Year Flowering

Heliopsis are stalwarts of the garden. They are long-lived, low maintenance and not fussy about their surroundings. ‘Summer Sun’, with an extra layer of golden-yellow petals, will bloom the first year from seed. The long stiff stems are perfect for cutting and seldom need staking, and in tame flower beds, they practically raise themselves.

Heliopsis ‘Summer Nights' is a special selection made by Dale Hendricks of North Creek Nurseries, USA. Introduced in 2004 it produces a profusion of single blooms in early to mid-summer, with rich, deep golden-yellow petals and deep mahogany centres. The foliage is red-tinted and the stems are tinted dark burgundy.

Heliopsis is a great plant for the busy home gardener. ‘New Hybrids' is a selection of the newest forms, they will bloom the first year from seed with a profusion of blooms in shades in lemon, golden yellow and orange-yellow. The plants will produce arm loads of flowers all summer long and never once ask for decent soil or proper care.

Helenium hoopesii is considered by some to be the most valuable of the species. It blooms with bright golden yellow disk florets that each form a kind of rounded knob that transforms the flower from your typical two-dimensional daisy into something much more interesting and sculptural.

If there's one plant that can inject a little razzle-dazzle into the border during gloomy late summers it is Helenium. From late July 'Helena' blooms with masses of vibrant blooms in a spectrum of rich colours from gold to mahogany red. Perfect for the back of the border and wonderful for cutting.

Heleniums are much under-rated garden plants. They are a mainstay of the summer and autumn border but are so often overlooked. They are hardy, colourful, easy to grow, tolerate difficult growing conditions, provide months of colour, are attractive to insects and unaffected by most pests and diseases.

Festuca amethystina has the most striking combination of silvery-blue, tufted blades of foliage, with drooping, dark violet-tinged flower stems that will rise above the foliage in the first year if sown early enough. It is a gem for containers or a rock garden.

Erysimum 'Golden Shot' is a perennial cultivar of our familiar wallflower, with narrow, dark green leaves and golden-yellow clusters of fragrant flowers.Very easy to grow, with a long flowering period which starts in early spring they will flower right through till late summer.

Dianthus superbus is a robust plant that is tough, very easy to grow and almost maintenance free. Hardy, drought resistant, it is also one of the few dianthus that will tolerate continual moisture. Flowering in spring, the pure white blooms emit an unforgettable fragrance both night and day.

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.

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 plumarius ‘Spring Beauty’ bloom with large, informally semi-double and voluptuously double blooms. The petals usually toothed or fringed, sometimes smooth-edged or are held atop slim stems, singly or in loose clusters. Perfect for use as a cut flower for romantic bouquets, in a small jug or vase, the flowers will pour forth their fragrance indoors for as long as a week.

Dianthus plumarius have lent their charm to European cottage gardens since the Middle Ages. ‘Single Flowered Mix’ bloom with elegant single flowered blooms that are enthusiastically produced in succession from late spring to late summer. They would be eye-catching even if they didn't lure you in by the nose first, their sweet floral scent is absolutely irresistible.

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 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 ‘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 ‘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 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 carthusianorum provides a splash of bright magenta from June until September, producing a succession of slender stems topped with a cluster of fragrant flowers. Perfect for giving an airy feel to borders, it looks great when planted amongst ornamental grasses, in gravel gardens or in more ‘wild’ effect gardens and meadows.