Perennials - help please

I am currently growing some perennials from RHS seeds - but do not have a clue what am getting. Any help would be very welcome. I am not so much looking for what they are - to a certain extent books and google can tell me that. I am really wondering if they are really nice plants to have or just space fillers. Books won't tell me that.

The plants are Silene Doica, Silene Mexicana, Campanula Takesimana, Hesperis Matronalis and Agastache Rugosa.

 

Agastache is gorgeous - well worth growing nice leaf, aromatic, nice flower, and the bees love it.
Silene too - though I am unfamiliar with the varieties is well worth garden room.

Hespris I have not grown, but most campanula's are worth garden space, but sadly again the species I am not familiar with.

 

I've got a campanula though not sure if it's the same one, but it's gorgeous! Lovely little bells and a nice clumping, ground cover. Can't wait for it to grow some more so I can divide it and get more again.

 

Hi Peter - All the plants you have are lovely & very good for well drained soil in sun. Most of them are short lived perennials or biennials, so you will have to propagate eventually (some may self seed if happy notably Hesperis & Silene dioica
Silene dioica info here http://davesgarden.com/pf/go/1066/index.html (its the wild red campion - I have the white form, both are lovely, easy & reliable, though can get a bit "sprawly"
Silene mexicana here
http://davesgarden.com/pf/go/55743/index.html
This is a more "refined" version of the red campion, more floriferous & compact
Agastache rugosa here - http://davesgarden.com/pf/go/665/index.html
Anise hyssop or Korean mint - aromatic foliage & blue mint like flowers, also easy, & quite bushy - lovely!
Campanula takesimana has long thick petalled creamy pink flowers with maroon mottling, not one of my faves, but novel!
Hesperis matronalis (sweet rocket) is a biennial & has the most fantastic scent on late spring early summer flowers (purple or white) & grows to about 90cm - it is one of my fave plants & will self seed if happy. info here
http://davesgarden.com/pf/go/81/index.html

[ 20. July 2005, 07:54 PM: Message edited by: Bayleaf ]

 

Many thanks to you all for your help. Bayleaf that DavesGarden site is very helpful. It is easy to find out facts (true or otherwise) from books and the internet, but opinions are more useful and more difficult to obtain.

My next problem is where do I plant my seedlings, my garden is full and my patio is covered in pots - but that's another problem!

 

PeterS I agree with them all, but when they come up, where are you going the plant them ? ..lol as for sowing, get some deep boxes put in a sheltered spot and put some wire mesh over it in case of Cats....they love newly dug soil..lol

 

And sow thinly...then you can leave them in there, till transplanting or bring indoors in a shed over winter. Don't forget to label them, not like me.....ohhhh I will remember when they come up...... out of 40 + diff. type seeds lol 2-3 months later.

[ 21. July 2005, 03:43 PM: Message edited by: Ladybird ]

 

Talking about Cat, someome must have dumpted a lovely jetblack cat onto me. Saw her last 3 days, comes in to join my cats for food, when I'm not there.. I already got my 3 girls, 1 with kittens and one due any day, and was Newcomer was starving, and heavily pregnant too. Luckily this new Cat decided to take up yet another shed, where I keep some spare bales of hay, so she is bedded down there now.
--------
Ladybird

 

Hi Ladybird
Aw baby furry mouse-catchers! They obviously know they are on to a good thing in you! :D
There's a legend that says stray cats that take up with you are the descendents of cats which belonged to someone who loved you.
All my cats have walked in & made themselves at home. My lovely longhaired tortie did this almost 20 years ago, (sadly she died last year), My current fat cat did this 3 years ago,(she was pregnant at the time, but sadly lost her babies - she was only a baby herself really at the time). We have another one, male this time - but very skinny & always starving,sniffing around at the mo' - unfortunately he is un-neutered & I've found out that he does have a "sort of" owner (though beats me, why anyone would have a cat unfed,unloved & un-neutered). Gawd knows what will happen to him in winter (I suspect he may be losing some furry round things & moving in with us - but I have to check if we are able to do this, re him being owned-ish, very, very -ish)Do you (or anyone) know anything about the law re this?

 

Bayleaf, thanks I didn't realise that hespris was sweet rocket (dames violet)a strewing herb as a recall - one of my favourites, or at least the white one is - and silene is campion duh, I really must try and remember the botanical names - but very few stay in the little grey cells, the common name do.

[ 21. July 2005, 08:54 PM: Message edited by: Fran ]