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Owing to the sudden retirement of a large customer, for whom we did a lot of bespoke work, quite a number of items appear on the availability list in any quantity for the first time (I think).

They include:

Ampelopsis delvaniana – similar to A. brevipedunculata but darker blue berries.

Anisodonta x hypomadara - Larger in all ways than A.capensis with veined cerise flowers.

Buddleja auriculata – leaves felted white underneath, flowers creamy white with orange centres, sweetly fragrant in autumn and winter. I thought this was an oddity in the young plants, but that is when they are supposed to flower. Z8.

Buddleia farreri – large toothed leaves, white below, velvety above. Lilac-pink flowers in spring. Z9.

Buddleja loricata – narrow grey leaves, rolled downwards. White flowers. Very hardy and a good silver.

Ceanothus ‘Tilden Park’ – small glossy green leaves, indigo blue flowers (reminds me of Italian Skies but a deeper blue)

Ceratostigma abyssinicum –more woody than the more common Cerats. Larger flowers of a beautiful deep blue. Z9

Cistus ladanifer Blanche – the varieties of C. ladanifer are confusing, particularly if you remember the nugget of information that all the purple blotching of Cistus derives from this species. And that is because not all the named forms are blotched, and Blanche is one of these. It is semi-double making a very full flower. (C.l. form sulcatus is not blotched while Pat and Paladin are; Paladin has feathered petals). To add to the confusion there is a named variety of the form sulcatus (called Bicolor) which is blotched, but fortunately we don’t grow it.

Cistus Paper Moon – papery white flowers, upright plant, Sport of Peggy Sammons.

Cytisus kewensis Niki – bright yellow flowers rather than the cream of the species.

Euryops pectinatus – grey pinnately leaved shrub with yellow daisy flowers. Very pretty. Z8.

Ficus Adam – no idea what it’s claim to fame is, but have you noticed that pictures of anybody covering themselves with a fig leaf almost invariably show a vine leaf.

Fuchsia mag Variegata – green and white variegation, typical small magellanica flower. Not such a thug as Versicolor.

Jasminum fruticans – scrambling shrub with fragrant yellow flowers.

Jasminum parkerii - (not new but reappearing). Small mound forming species with small yellow flowers with a ridiculously strong scent.

Lonicera albertii – in the same vein as L. syringantha

Lonicera caprifolium – earliest climbing honeysuckle to flower. Cream coloured and fragrant.

Lonicera involucrata – vigorous shrubby species with red and yellow flowers, around now. Needs a chainsaw to prune it.

Lonicera KR 291 – never found out the origin of this one, but is similar to L. alseuosmides.

Olearia nummularifolia – woody species with tiny leaves and white flowers. Said to be fragrant. Compact grower, hardy.

Olearia paniculata – looks more like a large leaved Pittosporum. Never seen it flower, but said to have fragrant dull white flowers in autumn. Ultimately a small tree. Z8

Persicaria Comptons Form - Leaves are interestingly patterned. Herbaceous, but reaches 1m. Same species as ‘Painters Palette’.

Phlomis chrysophylla - The name means yellow leaves – but it is only the pubescence which is yellow and so are the flowers. Z9 (P. fruticosa is Z7).

Phlomis purpurea – isn’t purple in leaf or flower. Foliage similar to P. fruticosa but pink flowers like P. italica. Z8 as is P .italica which is hardy here.

Salvia Christine Yeo - Small purple flowers. Thin stemmed, woody plant 60cm x 60cm. Hardy.

Salvia Crete Stolze - Form of S. officinaliis but you wouldn’t cook with it as it is pungent rather than aromatic. Blue flowers now 30cm high by twice as wide.

Trachelospermum jasminoides Wilsonii - (re-appearing). I thought this was grown for is veined leaves (besides the flowers) but it also has the strange merit, for an evergreen, of turning red in autumn and then greening up again. The veining also comes and goes.

Trachelosspermum jasminoides Waterwheel - Very narrow leaves and that is all I know. Did it come from the (closed) Waterwheel Nursery?

Viburnum opulus ‘Park Harvest’ -I never have known any supposed differences between this and V.o. Aureum.

Vinca difformis Sardoa - The most blue and the biggest form of this underused species. Always in flower to some extent, peaking in the colder months. All the forms are hardy despite the books denying this. (Z9 is not true)

Vitis vinifera Spetchley Red - Shining red autumn colour and presumably fruit too.

Zauschneria californica Ed Carmen - We gave up on this species years ago because we couldn’t overcome its deathwish., but this form is ok. Rather an untidy grower with deep red trumpet flowers.