Stunning.
5
A beautiful deep pink color, probably the best I have tried. Slightly slower growing than the white variety, however the color is really special so will look brilliant once a decent clump has formed. Great for bees.
D.Glover
Essex
Erica carnea 'Myretoun Ruby'
winter heath
9cm pot
within 3 weeks
- Position: full sun or partial shade
- Soil: preferably well-drained acidic soil, however they will tolerate mildly alkaline soil
- Rate of growth: average
- Flowering period: January to May
- Hardiness: fully hardy
Masses of small, urn-shaped, deep pink flowers, maturing to magenta then crimson smother the plant from January to May and contrast beautifully with the fine, dark green foliage. Low and spreading in habit, it's useful groundcover for sunny, well-drained areas of the garden and looks at home planted in bold drifts with other heathers. Though it prefers acid soil, the plant will tolerate mildly alkaline soil and partial shade. - Garden care: During the growing season water regularly, applying a half-strength application of a balanced liquid fertiliser every four weeks. After the plant has flowered trim with shears or secateurs to remove the dead flowers and encourage bushy growth.
Goes well with
Erica carnea'Myretoun Ruby'
5.0
1
100.0
- Plant advice for 2 new beds please Hello, I need some help to decide which plants to put into two new areas please:- 1: A semi-circle flash bed at the front of the house, size approx 2m x 0.80m and 0.80m deep. I thought about the 3 following options for a small tree/bush in the middle:- a) Magnolia soulangeana, but I was worried about the size that it could grow to and possible problems with roots etc . Will it stay small if the size of the container is used to restrict it? b) Witch Hazel (Hamamelis intermediana 'Diane'). Will it spread too much? I think this is very pretty. c) Corylus avellana 'contorta' Then I also need to think about ground cover plants to help suppress weeds. I am only interested in fully hardy, easy to look after plants, could be with some flowers or coloured leaves. 2:- A thin path between neighbours (approx 2m x 0.40). My idea is to plant bamboo. I would love a modern thin run of bamboo with ground cover. My worry is which bamboos to use. I love the yellow, like Phyllostychys aureocaulis (Golden Grove) but not sure if it is strong enough as it could be exposed to some wind. I bought from you a couple of years ago the Phyllostychys aureosulcata 'Spectabilis' which I planted in pots but it died this year. I see on your website some other bamboos but I don't like them as much as their canes seems less exposed and have a lot more foliage. But possibly these would be a better alternative... ...? For the ground cover I as thinking of Ophiopogen nigrescen. Do you think these plants will be suitable, or have you any other suggestions? Thank you for your help, Galia
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e moran
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Hello Galia, All of the taller shrubs you mentioned for the semi-circular bed will get quite large, but their growth will be restricted (both in height and spread) if they are kept in a pot where their roots are restricted. For groundcover you could opt for any of the following:- Bergenia http://www.crocus.co.uk/search/_/search.bergenia/ Helleborus http://www.crocus.co.uk/search/_/search.helleborus/ Heuchera http://www.crocus.co.uk/search/_/search.heuchera/ Epimedium http://www.crocus.co.uk/search/_/search.epimedium/ Geranium http://www.crocus.co.uk/search/_/search.geranium/ Erica http://www.crocus.co.uk/search/_/search.erica/ As for the bamboos, even the most well behaved one (Fargesia murieliae) will spread to around 1.5m across so you should keep this in mind when planting it in such a confined space. Perhaps a better option would be one of our hedging plants, which can be cut back hard against the wall. Taxus http://www.crocus.co.uk/plants/_/shrubs/trees/hedging/conifer/bigger-trees/best-in-very-large-gardens-parks/taxus-baccata-/classid.6230/ or Ligustrum http://www.crocus.co.uk/plants/_/shrubs/hedging/ligustrum-ovalifolium-/classid.4093/ would be good options. I hope this helps. Helen Plant Doctor
Crocus Helpdesk
- Winter flowering bedding plants for planters and window boxes Hi I need to order 30+ plants for planters and window boxes. They need to flower during the winter and be fairly hardy. Can you recommend 3 or 4 types please. They are to be planted in the school so not too expensive as pupils do have access to the areas! Pansies and Begonias have been suggested but I thought I would ask an expert! All suggestions gratefully received. Darren
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Darren Maeers
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Hello Darren, The best options for winter colour are pansies, polyanthus, bellis and heathers. I hope this helps. Helen Plant Doctor .
Crocus Helpdesk
- When should I plant? I recently received some new plants from Crocus. I've unpacked them, made sure they are moist and they are presently in my garage as its snowing outside. I have Clematis, heather, some Roses and Camellias. The days have been very sunny but the nights frosty, could you please tell me the best time to plant them as I know they shouldn't stay in my garage?
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Tracey May
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As a rule plants grown in containers, such as ours, can be planted at any time of year as long as the soil isn't frozen solid. Also the plants you have mentioned are all hardy so don't need to be kept indoors until you are ready to plant. They should be taken out of the garage as soon as possible and stood outside in a sheltered, sunny spot until the weather warms up.
Crocus
April pruning of trees, shrubs and
climbers
Many shrubs, trees and climbers are showing signs of growth, so it is an ideal time to check them over for winter damage. If you feel they need a little care and attention, here are a few notes to use as a pruning guide. during April.
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