The Rutland Group of the Hardy Plant Society were entertained last Tuesday by well-known nurseryman Bob Brown, who founded Cotswold Garden Flowers Nursery. He gave a live demonstration entitled ‘A Bucketful of Stuff’. He had chosen plants with a view to extending the season longer.

He first started off by stating Cistus was a waste of time due to its’ very short flowering time and extolled the merits of Abelia with its’ long flowering period and pinky-beige sepals lasting into the winter. The golden evergreen variety gives even more extended interest. Coronillas give winter interest and ‘Lauren Stevenson’ with its’ bluey foliage can survive to -26degrees. Verbascum ‘Christo Yellow Lightning’ is a stunning perennial and can be propagated from root cuttings. Helianthus is a stable autumn flowerer and salicifolius is worth growing for its’ bottle brush type foliage and yellow flowers, with a chocolaty smell.

Salvias provide autumn colour and ‘Royal Bumble’ is a good reliable one as well as ‘Cerro Potosi’ and these two can survive most winters. Campsis will flower better if trained laterally. Roses providing interest are ‘The Fairy’ and glauca, the latter providing interesting foliage and hips. Kniphofia rooperi gives good autumn colour and ‘Little Maid; provides a contrast. Pulmonaria longifolia has interesting foliage until Christmas. Later Holly clipped short can provide a feature in the border. Bob gave a lecture with so many ideas to work on and full of spirit and interest.