Royal Horticultural Society - Hardy's launch two new varieties at RHS Chelsea Flower Show

Hardy’s Cottage Garden Plants will launch two brand new plants at the Chelsea Flower Show 2008. Gaura lindheimeri ‘Rosyjane’ and Campanula ‘Jenny’. Both of these varieties have been produced from Hardy’s own breeding stock.

Campanula ‘Jenny’ was found at the nursery in spring 2006 and has beautiful large cup shaped white flowers with a distinct blue central eye. It is a very free flowering perennial of the Carpatica strain and grows to about 25cm x 30cm, is a Good clump forming plant that flowers throughout the summer in a sunny site in reasonable soil. This Campanula can be used as a front edging plant or in containers mixed with grasses. The plant has been named after the wife of Hardy’s propagator after losing her long fight against cancer.

Gaura ‘Rosyjane’ is the first plant to be named after Rosemary Hardy and appropriately is one of Hardy’s own selection. The petals have a lovely picotee effect, pink edges with white centre. The two tone petals are the first of this type This is a classic Gaura in that it grows to 75cm x 45cm and is of the Siskiyou strain. Ideal conditions for this plant are full sun and good free draining soil. A brilliant plant for the herbaceous border, amongst Campanulas, Grasses, Verbenas.

Trollius x cultorum ‘Alabaster’ - ideal for the bog garden or stream edge; Centaurea montana ‘Carnea’ – bears large, circular flowers in soft pink; Salvia nemorosa ‘Caradonna’ - glowing purple stems loaded with violet-purple flowers; Geum ‘Red Wings’ - this brilliant orange-scarlet will delight visitors to your late spring and early summer garden; Ranunculus ‘aconitifolius’- a single white buttercup - and Rob Hardy’s personal tip for plant of the show; Geum ‘Bell Bank’ – produces clump of toothy leaves above which in summer rise slender, branching, dusky stems.

Hardy’s are also providing the herbaceous perennials for a growing number of show gardens, including the George Harrison Life to Life Garden by Yvonne Innis and the QVC garden designed by Ian Dexter of Scenic Blue.