Cut Flowers

There are so many plants which steal the show in a way which is more subtle than just big wonderful blooms. Achillea ‘Moonwalker’ is one such plant. Growing to just 60cm tall, the rich green foliage has a fern-like appearance that is just as much the star as those wonderful golden umbels.

Achillea ‘Cerise Queen’ is a carefree and generously blooming perennial which requires little maintenance to create an explosion of late summer colour. The large, flat-topped clusters of vibrant, pink flowers with tiny white centers are irresistible to butterflies, and also make excellent cut flowers.

Achillea ‘Colorado Mix’ is a compact variety growing to only 60cm (24in) tall at maturity. Flowering in shades of pink, red, yellow, white and apricot, the narrow fern-like foliage will soften your perennial border and the plants are suitable for pots or containers. The flowers are as gorgeous dried as they are fresh.

Achilleas are traditional border flowers valued for their feathery foliage and striking flat, circular heads of flowers ‘F2 Summer Berries’ is a compact variety growing to only 60cm tall at maturity. This beautiful improved mixture includes the richer tones of red, cerise and pink in addition to many pastel shades.

Achillea is a joy to the gardener for its undemanding adaptive nature and its eagerness to perform. ‘Summer Pastels’, with a soft mix of pastel coloured flowers is very easy to grow, flowering in just four months from sowing and producing flowers in abundance from spring to first frosts.

Achillea sibirica var. camtschatica 'Love Parade' is an upright, tufted, perennial yarrow that is native to Siberia. Very different from the common yarrow, with dense clusters of large flat-topped soft pink flowers and glossy, dark green, fern-like leaves, they remain attractive throughout the growing season.

Agapanthus Getty White is a sparkling plant with dense clusters of white flowers on erect stems. It is a sparkling plant and is dazzling against a dark green backdrop. They are terrific as cut flowers and are suited to both formal and modern style arrangements.

The Agapanthus or Blue African Lily is one of the aristocrats of the late summer garden. Requiring only the minimum of care, the exotic combination of graceful foliage and stunning flowers is equally impressive in the border or large planter. This is a lovely plant to grow and they are very easy from seed.

The Agapanthus is one of the aristocrats of the late summer garden. 'Peter Pan Blue' is a fine dwarf hybrid with neat clumps of leaves and large clusters of light- blue flowerheads. The exotic combination of graceful foliage and stunning flowers is equally impressive in the border or container.

It is only within the past decade that a number of new noteworthy members of the genus Agastache have emerged from botanical obscurity. ‘Apricot Sprite’ is an outstanding perennial that provides a sizzling blast of tubular, peachy-apricot flowers. Compact and quick growing, they flower in the first year from seed.

Agastache aurantiaca ‘Tango’ was bred specifically to tolerate wet or humid summers better than other cultivars. Dense flowering spikes of sizzling hot red-orange bloom steadily from about mid-summer and continue deep into autumn. The only problem is that if you are inclined to collect Agastache, they’re very seductive. You start with one, and the next thing you know, you’ve got ten in the flowerbed and are wondering where you can sneak another one in.

Agastache 'Golden Jubilee' has one of the most remarkable leaf colour of any plant. This bright gold-chartreuse beauty offers late season punctuation and purple bottle-brush flowers which are a powerhouse source of nectar and pollen for bees, butterflies and other beneficial insects.

Agastache ‘Arcado Pink’ is a magnificent first year flowering perennial. An extremely floriferous variety with lovely purple-pink flower spikes and fresh green aromatic foliage. This Fleuroselect Novelty Award Winner is both vibrant in colour and stamina. The aromatic leaves are edible, young growth can be sprinkled in salads, used to decorate cakes, to make a tea or floated in drinks. Agastache added to your Pimms lifts it to a higher sphere altogether.

Agastache 'Astello Indigo' is just about the most exciting breakthrough yet and it's got the award to prove it - Europe's coveted Fleuroselect Gold Medal. Compact and quick growing, they flower in the first year from seed with fabulous, upright spikes that are fully covered with deep indigo-blue flowers. The masses of fragrant blooms throughout the summer are ideal for cutting. They produce copious amounts of nectar for bees and butterflies to feast upon.

The latest introduction and additional colour in the series, Agastache ‘Asturo White’ feature spires of scented white flowers with fresh lime green spikes. Extremely long blooming, it will bloom the first year from seed, from mid-summer, right through autumn until first frosts. The plants are ideal for Northern European-type climates, at their best in more temperate conditions. A fabulous addition to beds and containers, for gravel gardens and wildlife borders.

Originally bred by Brian Kabbes and developed in his nursery of ‘perennials and botanical rarities’, Agastache ‘Globetrotter’ has soft, touchable flower spikes that are lilac-pink with carmine-red bracts. Leaves used to decorate cakes, to make a tea or floated in drinks. Added to your Pimms lifts it to a higher sphere altogether. They must have one of the prettiest flowers of all this very pretty family.

Agastache ‘Liquorice White’ has tall spikes of white lipped flowers and like all Agastache produces copious amounts of nectar for bees and butterflies to feast upon. Flowering late in the season, it is a boon for building up bees’ honey reserves before winter and will produce a honey surplus where drifts are grown.

Agastache 'Liquorice Blue' has tall spikes of lavender to rich purpley blue lipped flowers, above toothed dark green arrow shaped foliage. When brushed past or crushed, the foliage emits a sweet liquorice perfume. A wonderful plant for attracting bees and butterflies to the garden.

Alcea ficifolia is reliably perennial and unlike the biennial forms which produce a single spire, they produce many upright stems, resulting in a bushy form. ‘Happy Lights’ is a beautiful strain, a bold blend of white, pink, purple, red, and yellow blooms. If sown early they will bloom in their first year.

Alcea ficifolia is a lesser known perennial hollyhock species native to Siberia, it is a substantially more robust plant than the common hollyhock and unlike the biennial forms which produce a single spire, Alcea ficifolia produce many upright stems emerging from the base, resulting in a bushy form.