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.
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