#writtledesign
Plant of the Day
Tuesday 17 May 2022
Late spring is a great time for tree blossom and Malus transitoria (cut-leaf crabapple) was decked in single white flowers. In the autumn the display is created by tiny yellow fruits and the deeply-lobed leaves which also turn yellow.
Jill Raggett
Plant of the Day
Monday 16 May 2022
In the meadows at Great Dixter, Sussex, the Anacamptis morio (green-veined orchid, green-winged orchid, crake feet, fool orchid, goose and goslings) were flowering. This orchid is highly variable in flower colour and grows in short, unimproved grassland on chalky soils.
Jill Raggett
Plant of the Day
Sunday 15 May 2022
The small tree species Crataegus laevigata ‘Crimson Cloud’ (flowering hawthorn) is covered in single, pinkish-red flowers with white centers. There are so many blooms it is hard to see the new glossy green, deeply lobed leaves that in autumn will turn shades of yellow and bronze with some red haws (fruit). This is a tough tree and popular with a variety of wildlife including pollinators and birds.
Jill Raggett
Plant of the Day
Saturday 14 May 2022
This amazing Paeonia cultivar was purchased from a market stall. It has grown and flowered wonderfully in the garden despite exposure to some cold winds which are not ideal for a tree peony.
Jill Raggett
Plant of the Day
Friday 13 May 2022
Running through this bed at Great Dixter, Sussex, was Papaver dubiumsubsp.lecoqii ‘Albiflorum’ (Beth’s poppy) that was just starting to flower. This delicate poppy is an annual that will self-sow in a sunny, well drained site.
Jill Raggett
Plant of the Day
Thursday 12 May 2022
In this dry garden the Triteleia ixioides ‘Starlight’ (triplet lily) is flowering between the evergreen orange-bronze leaves of Libertia peregrinans 'Gold Leaf’ (wandering Chilean iris). The flowers of this cultivar of the cormous perennial Triteleia are cream with a pale purple stripe down the centre of each petal.
Jill Raggett
Plant of the Day
Wednesday 11 May 2022
ThesePaeonia ludlowii (Ludlow’s tree peony, Tibetan peony) were grown from seed about 12 years ago and are covered with flowers every spring. This shrub has an open, upright habit and is easy to prune if it becomes too wide or tall. It responds by producing new stems from the base.
Jill Raggett
Plant of the Day
Tuesday 10 May 2022
Lovely container full of rich coloured Tulipa cultivars (tulips). Tulipa ‘Dordogne’ has goblet shaped flowers with a rose colour changing to orange. Tulipa ‘Barbados’ has exotic deep red flowers with frilly edged petals.
Jill Raggett
Plant of the Day
Monday 9 May 2022
This graceful, spreading Rosa xanthina ‘Canary Bird’ (shrub rose) has been trained to cover this wall. With dainty, fern-like foliage this rose has grown well in this shady space and the flowers were buzzing with early pollinators on this once a year flowering cultivar.
Jill Raggett
Plant of the Day
Friday 6 May 2022
In a car park I saw this exotic looking Paeonia cultivar (tree peony) was flowering. These are long lived shrubs that need a sheltered and sunny position. I hope some other visitors to this shopping complex noticed these wonderful flowers.
Jill Raggett
Plant of the Day
Thursday 5 May 2022
Tolerant of dry shade the herbaceous plant Saruma henryi (upright wild ginger) is ideal for the base of a hedge. This chinese perennial has heart-shaped leaves with three-petalled flowers at the shoot tips followed by ornamental seed-heads.
Jill Raggett
Plant of the Day
Wednesday 4 May 2022
Recently in London I spotted this white cloud of Clematis montanavar.grandiflora (white anemone clematis) flowers. This is a vigorous large deciduous climber and will clamber over adjacent shrubs and trees attaching by means of a twisted petiole (leaf stalk).
Jill Raggett
Plant of the Day
Tuesday 3 May 2022
A wonderful self-seeder between other plants is Meconopsis cambrica (Welsh poppy) with bright yellow flowers and Meconopsis cambricavar.aurantiaca providing a splash of orange. This biennial or short-lived perennial has a tap-root with light green, pinnately lobed leaves. They are easy to grow in situ from seed sprinkled on the soil.
Jill Raggett
Plant of the Day
Monday 2 May 2022
The arching branches of Ceanothus ‘Concha’ (Californian lilac) appear over this wall in London with a tsunami of flowers. This evergreen shrub has a dense habit and will thrive in a warm sheltered garden. The flowers are excellent for attracting bees, butterflies and other pollinators.
Jill Raggett
Plant of the Day
Sunday 1 May 2022
Yellow seems a common colour for spring and the flowers of Caltha polypetala (giant marsh marigold, kingcup) are particularly radiant. This herbaceous perennial thrives in a permanently damp soil and here is growing on the edge of a pond.
Jill Raggett
Plant of the Day
Saturday 30 April 2022
The tall, blue flower stalks of the bulbous perennials Camassia leichtlinii ‘Caerulea’ are forming vertical features in this small meadow surrounded by a lower layer of yellow flowered Primula veris (cowslip). They combine to provide a rich source of pollen and nectar for early pollinators.
Jill Raggett
Plant of the Day
Friday 29 April 2022
The handsome square stems of Lamium orvala (balm-leaved red deadnettle, balm-leaved archangel, dragon flower, Hungary deadnettle) carry pairs of dark, pointed, strongly-veined leaves, beneath each pair is a whorl of pink flowers. This herbaceous perennial fits in with a range of other spring flowering plants, here associated with Myosotis sylvatica (forget-me-not) and Paeonia dauricasubsp.mlokosewitschii (Molly the witch).
Jill Raggett
Plant of the Day
Thursday 28 April 2022
Ideal for growing in a border or a container is the herbaceous perennial Geranium maculatum ‘Espresso’ (spotted cranesbill) which has distinctive bronze-coloured foliage. At this time of year the pale purplish-pink flowers contrast with the leaves.
Jill Raggett
Plant of the Day
Wednesday 27 April 2022
Near Dunkeld Cathedral, Scotland, there is a Larix (larch) tree, which is the last remaining survivor of a group of five, introduced into Scotland in 1738. The Duke of Atholl brought the seedling trees over from the Austrian Tyrol and planted them on his estate. The trees became famous as the seed source for the large scale plantings carried out by the Dukes of Atholl on the hillsides around Dunkeld during the 18th and 19th centuries.
Jill Raggett.
Plant of the Day
Tuesday 26 April 2022
Growing in the grassy mounds and cliffs of Orkney were clumps of Silene dioica (red campion, red catchfly). This short-lived perennial or biennial plant has downy stems and deep pink flowers.
Jill Raggett
Plant of the Day
Monday 25 April 2022
Today, another herbaceous plant suitable for weaving along the front of a shaded border is Omphalodes cappadocica ‘Cherry Ingram’ (Cappadocian navelwort). This large flowered selection is named after the authority on Japanese flowering cherries Collingwood “Cherry” Ingram.
Jill Raggett
Plant of the Day
Sunday 24 April 2022
In a moist but well-drained soil Brunnera macrophylla ‘Jack Frost’ (Siberian bugloss) makes a ideal plant for the front of a border. The large, heart-shaped silver leaves are edged and veined with green, and there are sprays of small blue flowers in spring.
Jill Raggett
Plant of the Day
Saturday 23 April 2022
In my friend’s kitchen the houseplant Sedum burrito (donkey’s tail, troll necklace) was thriving in the bright sunshine. This evergreen succulent has trailing stems covered with overlapping, plump, blue-green leaves. Star-shaped flowers in pink or red can appear at the tips of the stems in summer.
Jill Raggett
Plant of the Day
Friday 22 April 2022
The rich dark red foliage of Dianellatasmanica ‘Blaze’ (Tasman flax-lily) was shining in the spring sunshine. The foliage colour darkens as the weather cools and slowly turns to a green shade with some dark coloured flushes over the warmer months. This rhizomatous evergreen perennial has sprays of small, starry blue flowers followed by long-lasting blue berries.
Jill Raggett
Plant of the Day
Thursday 21 April 2022
The pink flower buds of Tasmannia lanceolata (mountain pepper, Australian pepper, pepper tree, Tasmanian pepper) have yet to release the fragrance of the flowers. This is a dense, evergreen shrub with an upright habit, the young foliage has a copper-tint but the older foliage is dark green. Both the bark and leaves have a strong scent of cinnamon.
Jill Raggett
Plant of the Day
Wednesday 20 April 2022
Under a Carpinus betulus (hornbeam) hedge the Viola riviniana (dog-violet, wood violet) is thriving. This mat-forming rhizomatous perennial grows in moist but well–drained soil but will tolerate drought once established.
Jill Raggett
Plant of the Day
Tuesday 19 April 2022
Three native primroses to Britain are out in flower Primula vulgaris (common primrose) (first image) on sunny banks and verges, Primula veris (cowslip) (second image) in meadows and Primula elatior (oxlip) (third image) in woodlands.
Jill Raggett
Plant of the Day
Monday 18 April 2022
The distinctive flowers of Muscari latifolium (broad-leaved grape hyacinth) consist of dense racemes of deep blue-black flowers topped by a crown of pale sterile flowers. This deciduous bulbous perennial has a single leaf to each bulb and is summer dormant.
Jill Raggett
Plant of the Day
Sunday 17 April 2022
Seemingly too exotic for this time of year the Primula denticulata (drumstick primula, tooth-leaved primrose) are flowering. This herbaceous perennial produces dense rounded heads of white, pale or deep purple flowers with a yellow eye.
Jill Raggett
Plant of the Day
Saturday 16 April 2022
The vigorous, deciduous shrub Chaenomeles speciosa ‘Moerloosei’ (Japanese quince, flowering quince) is ideal for fan training on a fence and the bare twigs are smothered in flowers before the glossy, dark green leaves appear. This is a later flowering cultivar with white flowers flushed with dark pink, from March to May. The flowers are often followed by aromatic, greenish-yellow fruit that can be eaten when cooked.
Jill Raggett
Plant of the Day
Friday 15 April 2022
In this woodland walk Ribes sanguineum (flowering currant) has naturalised and was being visited by the early bumblebees. This deciduous shrub has lobed, aromatic leaves and an upright growth habit. It can be grown as an informal, flowering hedge.
Jill Raggett
Plant of the Day
Thursday 14 April 2022
ThisRibes sanguineum ‘Ubric’ (flowering currant, ‘White Icicle’) is a vigorous deciduous shrub which can reach up to 2m. It has pendent racemes of tubular white flowers while the species has pink coloured blooms, both can be followed by bloomy, blue-black fruit.
Jill Raggett
Plant of the Day
Wednesday 13 April 2022
The delicate flowers of Fritillaria meleagrisvar.unicolorsubvar.alba (white flowered snake’s head fritillary) are flowering in this garden meadow. This is the white flowered form of the bulbous perennial Fritillaria meleagris which usually has bell-shaped purple flowers, the tepals tessellated with a checkerboard pattern.
Jill Raggett
Plant of the Day
Tuesday 12 April 2022
Creating a purple waterfall of flowers is Aubrieta×cultorum, this mound-forming, compact evergreen perennial is perfect for a raised bed. There are a range of cultivars with colours from pale to deep purple. Ideal conditions are a well-drained soil in full sun but plants can tolerate light shade.
Jill Raggett
Plant of the Day
Sunday 10 April 2022
In a small community garden at Dunkeld, Scotland, the colourful Corydalis solidasubsp.solida ‘Beth Evans’ was producing a display of sugar-pink flowers. This tuberous perennial produces fern-like foliage that will die back by the end of spring.
Jill Raggett
Plant of the Day
Saturday 9 April 2022
The beautiful flowers of the herbaceous perennial Ipheion ‘Alberto Castillo’ (starflower) are ideal for edging a path and provide an early spring display. These plants will be summer dormant and are tolerant of partial shade.
Jill Raggett
Plant of the Day
Friday 8 April 2022
The spreading deciduous shrub Chaenomeles speciosa ‘Nivalis’ (Japanese quince) has a habit that creates a tangle of growth, with spiny branches. Here it has been trained along a fence and manages to thrive in the shade of other shrubs. The line of white flowers shine out through the stems of other deciduous shrubs.
Jill Raggett
