Shipton Bulbs

John Shipton & Daughters, Y Felin, Henllan Amgoed, Whitland, Carmarthenshire , SA34 0SL
Tel: 01994 240125, Fax: 01994 241180, E mail bluebell@zoo.co.uk * Terms and conditions/Privacy Policy/©Alison Foot 2003  

 

NON-NATIVE PERENNIALS

Delivery Spring or Autumn unless otherwise stated.

Bog Primulas             These need moist soil all the year round to grow successfully.

Primula bulleyana      Collected from its native home in wet mountain valleys in Yunnan China, by the great plant hunter George Forrest, this is one of the easiest bog Primulas to grow. Its soft orange flowers open from red buds and are arranged in their typical candelabra whorls.  It self seeds freely.                  AGM                           Price            5/£8.50

Primula pulveralenta A most elegant candelabra Primula with its rich crimson purple flowers held in whorls on mealy stems.  This flourishes in damp soil in sun or light shade, and will hybridise with P.bulleyana giving rise to some interesting seedlings.     AGM                                                                                                   Price    5/£8.50

Primula florindae       This Himalayan species has clusters of primrose yellow, bell shaped, spicy scented flowers in midsummer. Again it is vigorous and easy to grow in damp too wet soil in an open site.     AGM   Price    5/£8.50

Primula poisonii Grown from seed collected on one of our trips to SW China, this magenta flowered candelabra Primula with a yellow eye starts flowering late June and carries on for several weeks.                     Price    5/£8.50

Primula japonica The first candelabra Primulas to flower in May, our stock comes in a whole range of pinks and reds above wavy foliage and likes the same damp conditions as the other bog Primulas.                             Price            5/£8.50

 

Gunnera magellenica                        The same genus as the giant Gunneras. This makes excellent groundcover, the fan shaped leaves dotted with strawberry like flowers. John collected the original piece of our stock on the remote peninsula Munoz Gamero in Chile on the way to Mount Burney still unclimbed since his father’s ascent in 1973.

Price    5/£7.50

Lysichiton americanus  Yellow Bog Arum  This is a native of Western North America, favouring boggy ground in sun or shade.  The striking yellow arum flowers which appear in spring are quickly taken over by the large glossy fresh green leaves which remain handsome all summer.  The plant has been known as Skunk Cabbbage, due to the smell of the flowers which is thankfully fleeting.      AGM                                                               Price    £2.50 each

Lysichiton camtscatcensis  White Bog Arum           This is the east Asian version of the skunk cabbage growing in bogs in the wilds of North Japan, Sakhalin and points north. Pushing up pure lily white Arum flowers in spring that add a touch of magic to the wet garden followed by the giant statuesque foliage.   AGM               Price    £2.50 each

Ranunculus aconitifolius Fair maids of France      Known in gardens since the 16th Century this is the double flowered form of the spacious plant that adorns the stream sides and moist meadows of Central Europe. Growing to 2’ it produces sprays of delicate white flowers in early summer above the pointed foliage. AGM   Price    5/£8.50

Eupatorium purpureum        This is the American version of our Hemp Agrimony and loves similar damp conditions.  Growing to 6’ it makes a magnificent sight in August when the purple flower heads are covered with butterflies.  Delivery in spring only February/March                                                                       Price    5/£9.50

 

Rodgersia podophylla Native to Japan and Korea this easily establishes itself in moist woodland here.  The large palmate leaves start appearing in late April, and are a striking bronze to begin with, turning to green and the spikes of pink flowers emerge later in the summer.  Despatch late autumn or early spring    AGM

Price    £2.50 each       5/£9.50

Filipendula rubra Venusta    This is a rich pink Meadowsweet, also known as ‘Queen of the Prairies’.  Flowering in summer slightly earlier than our own Meadowsweet, this loves the same damp soil and sun to make a stunning display in summer.  The 5 ft high stems are topped by a cloud of fluffy rose pink flowers, above attractive dark green foliage.  Delivery in spring only Feb/March                AGM                                                               Price            5/£8.50

Hardy Lobelias          These North American natives growing to 2-3ft tall are far removed from trailing bedding lobelias.           Delivery in spring only Feb/March

Lobelia siphilitica       A true perennial here, it flowers for weeks in autumn with a spire of clear blue flowers over a rosette of crinkled green leaves.  As it originates from damp meadows and streamsides it relishes moist soil.  It needs to be split and replanted every few years, but is very hardy                                      Price    5/£5.50            10/£9.50

Lobelia siphilitica alba           This is the white flowered form of L.siphilitica.                                Price    5/£7.50

Lobelia x gerardii Vedrariensis         This hybrid, which occurs in the wild in North America, has rich red-purple flowers. It has inherited the hardiness of one of its parents L.siphilitica, and the flamboyant colour from the other, the red flowered Cardinal flower L.cardinalis.                                                                                              Price            5/£7.50

Lobelia Pink Flamingo          Fine clear pink flowers make this hybrid a welcome addition to our Lobelias, and it has passed the hardiness test here very well.                                                                                      Price    5/£7.50

Lobelia Fan Deep Red          With its strong, branched spike of crimson flowers this is one the best of the Fan series. This group of lobelias are generally less hardy but this one does well outside here in West Wales.               AGM

Price    5/£7.50

Iris

Irises (named after the Rainbow Goddess) are an extremely diverse and widespread genus with species adapted to all kinds of habitats.  Only two are native to the British Isles (see above Stinking Iris p.19 and Yellow Flag Iris p20), and not surprisingly one of these, the Yellow Flag, is adapted to wet conditions.  As well as these two, we also grow some other species and varieties, some for naturalising in water margins and boggy areas, and others for drier conditions. They are all freer flowering in open sites, but will tolerate partial shade. They are suitable for transplanting and despatch in either autumn or spring, i.e. before and after their leaves die back for winter.

Variegated Flag Iris  Iris pseudacorus variegata   The young leaves of this form of  Flag Iris make quite a feature, each having a striking pale yellow stripe. It also grows strongly in wet conditions.                          Price    £3 each.

Iris laevigata  This is the Japanese equivalent to our Flag Iris and loves similarly moist, wet, or even better, waterlogged conditions. It flowers in mid-summer with blue or white flowers.       AGM

Single colour (blue or white) or mixed                                                                                                Price    5/ £8.50

Iris versicolor  A North American counterpart to I. laevigata, this Iris with bluish purple flowers has naturalised widely in Europe as well as some wet areas in Britain.          AGM                                                   Price    5/ £8.50

Iris ensata  mixed (formerly I. kaempferi)  Another Japanese species long hybridised in gardens there, resulting in flowers with a wide range of colours from pink to plum and white.  This is another great bog Iris thriving in waterlogged sun or semi shade.          AGM                                                                                       Price    5/£8.50

Iris sibirica   The species from Central Europe and Asia and used in gardens here for centuries. Slender leaved with beautiful blue-purple flowers in early summer, this is easy to establish in a wide range of conditions but is happiest in moist retentive soil in full sun.            AGM                                                                                       Price    5/£8.50

Iris latifolia  Although oddly called the English Iris, this actually originated in the Pyrenees.  It flowers in late June with wide falls in shades of bluey-purple and white. These bulbous irises establish well in meadow conditions. Bulbs despatched only in the autumn (August-October).      AGM                                       Price    5/£5.50            10/£9.50