Love is in the air

With love featuring so prominently with Valentine’s Day approaching, our focus is plants with a loving name; and there are many to choose from!

The first is a beautiful shrub that looks gorgeous in a coloured container, called Hebe Valentino. Hebe 'Valentino' has deep pink flowers in late spring and summer with deep green foliage turning to burgundy in winter. The second is a deciduous shrub called Hibiscus Red Heart or more commonly Rose Mallow Red Heart. 'Red Heart' has an upright habit, with lobed dark green leaves. The single flowers in late summer can stretch to 10cm in width and are pure white with conspicuous deep red centres.

The remainder of our suggestions are the typically associated flower of love, the rose!

There are four hybrid tea varieties that should be noted; ‘Lovely Lady’, ‘My Valentine’, ‘Simply the Best’ and ‘With All My Love’. Hybrid Tea varieties have shapely large single blooms on a stem which makes them ideal for cutting. ‘Lovely Lady’ has rosy pink blooms and is fragrant, ‘My Valentine’ is lightly scented with glowing red blooms throughout the summer, it is a taller than Lovely Lady, growing over 90cm (3ft)tall. ‘Simply the Best’ was Rose of The Year in 2002 and is unusual with its burnt orange flowers and lovely perfume whilst ‘With All My Love’ has rich salmon vermillion flower with a hint of orange and a slight fragrance, both are stunning.

For those of you who prefer a floribunda type rose (one with large clusters of flowers from June to November ideal for flower beds) try Rose Valentine Heart with lilac pink flowers with a hint of deep scarlet and a sweet scent.

Finally if you are all in a muddle and don’t know which to choose try the climbing rose ‘Love Knot’ with crimson flowers from top to bottom!

All these plants make fantastic Valentine’s gifts and unlike cut flowers they will grow and flower year after year – like love!  All the varieties listed in this article are grown by St Bridget Nurseries and are available to buy in both our Exeter garden centres one in Old Rydon Lane and the other on the Sidmouth Road at Clyst St Mary.