Postage : Seeds only $4 / Plants $20
A mound forming Sage from South Africa, densely clothed in velvety, heavily textured, sage green, vaguely lance shaped leaves. Gentle spikes of white, sometimes pink tinged, hooded, two lipped flowers are endlessly produced all year.
It's soft appearance and subtle charm make an ideal foil and background or otherwise planted with other mediterraneanesque shrubs like Cistus, Phlomis and Nepeta. I suspect the white form would look unusually appropriate by the coast, in the foreground of ocean views.
Sumo-like in soil that is rich and moist (flabby and short lived). Superb in lean sand and unaffected by heat and drought.
Older stems can be removed when new basal shoots emerge for a fresher appearance.
A small, stiff shrub with pale green elliptic leaves and studded throughout the warmer months with small pure white two lipped, tubular flowers.
More tolerant of our damp winters than S. gregii ‘Alba’, which it closely resembles and now supersedes, though attention to drainage is still advised. Very nice with Agave and a few large rocks for a naturally cool garden.
Cut back to where good new growth is seen and as needed.
A rampant groundcover for moist shade. Popular for its round, scalloped, coarsely haired, silver veined leaves and clouds of white butterfly-like flowers borne briefly in spring. Forming a dense colony of plantlets by means of rosy red stolons, particularly nice draping from a hanging basket, which provide a too easy means of propagation and to which it owes its common name.
Tends to desiccate in our low humidity summers but its vigour soon compensates during cooler, humid weather to the point that it may need annual thinning.
Not hardy but unique, lovely and easy to grow, if you can provide it with a choice spot. Maybe as a groundcover between large ferns and cool climate shrubs.
A quiet little performer, slowly carpeting via underground stolons and an ideal groundcover under Roses or other flowering shrubs from whose shelter it will benefit. Soft stems, clothed in alternate pairs of small, dark green, rose tinted, scalloped, ovate leaves, emerge from the soil with the onset of winter rain. By spring the stems have lengthened, now wearing apple green, elliptical leaves, and bear short, one sided spikes of tubular, two lipped, pure white flowers. Dainty and elegant.
Minimal water required during summer dormancy but strictly for light soils.
Tiny little scalloped, softly haired, heart shaped, ground hugging leaves emerge from slowly spreading underground stolons. Pure white, 2cm long, tubular, lipped flowers are produced throughout the warmer months and occasionally through Winter.
Provided good drainage it makes a delightful ground cover among rocks or possibly the cutest pot specimen ever. You could even try planting it with the bright lavender and slightly larger S. indica var. parvifolia.
From Turkey and Eastern Europe comes this surreal, biennial member of the carrot family.
Silvery-blue mounds of lacy foliage throw up fat, branching stems of creamy-white umbels followed by the unavoidable death of the plant but no loss, as providing there is good drainage and a sunny exposed position, a healthy crop of seedlings should appear the following Winter.
Tolerant of dry, stony and poor soils this plant is astounding in scattered drifts with winter bulbs, Catmints, Lambs ears, Anthemis or any other tough low growing plants.
It shouldn't need saying but just in case. Intolerant of shade and much summer moisture.
A true garden treasure from the coastlines of Europe.
From a flat carpet of waxy, blue green, spoon shaped leaves grow impossibly large, fully double, pure white flowers, strongly perfumed with a beautiful sweet musk, weighing down slender stems to hang gracefully or lie face up on the ground.
At it's best with plenty of sun in lean, preferably alkaline, well drained soil where it can drape over walls, across paths or between rocks with the addition of a few small Dianthus for a water efficient rock garden.