The Mead Nursery - Plant list P

A-Z of plants

Opening times

Special events

How to get here

Home

Click on the A - Z list to go to other pages of our plant list

A | B | C | D | E | F | G | H | I | J | K | L | M | N | O | P | Q | R | S | T | U | V | WXYZ

Key for symbols
new in 2009	grass	shade
liked by bees	likes boggy areas	semi-shade
ready in July	likes troughs	happy anywhere
bulb	sun

Plant list for this page Click on a genus to go straight to that position on the page

paeonia	polemonium
PANICUM	polygonatum
papaver	POLYSTICHUM
parahebe	potentilla
pennisetum	primula
penstemon	pterocephalus
perovskia	pulmonaria
phlox	pulsatilla
platycodon

PAEONIA

DELAVAYI var. delavayi lutea
Yellow tree paeony. An upright, deciduous shrub with attractive, deeply cut dark green leaves, produces single, cup-shaped, yellow flowers in early summer. 2.2 m

The Mead Nursery - Paeonia mlokosewitschii

MLOKOSEWITSCHII
Paeony, Molly the Witch. A very choice paeony with wonderful leaves, produces single bowl-shaped, pale lemon-yellow flowers, for a very brief spell in early summer, but once seen it bewitches you! Will take a couple of years to flower. 50 cm

PANICUM

VIRGATUM ‘CLOUD NINE’
Strong growing, upright blue-green grass which flowers in late summer. Seems slow to clump up. Prefers well-drained soil. 1.8 m

PAPAVER

ORIENTALE VARIETIES A must for the herbaceous border. Make sure you decide where you want it, before you plant–it propagates by root cuttings. Each individual flower is not very long lasting but they are very showy and produce a succession during the early summer. They do like a sunny situation and even do well in our heavy clay soil. After flowering the plant goes dormant so we inter-plant with annual Cosmos which seems to be very effective.

ORIENTALE ‘ALLEGRO’
Bright orange-scarlet flowers in midsummer, with bold black central blotches. 60 cm

orientale (goliath group)
'beauty of livermere'
Large blood red flowers, with dark central blotches to the petals, in midsummer. Sells on sight once our display plant blooms on nursery, as very upstanding, a 'sock it in the eye' type of flower. 90 cm

The Mead Nursery - Papaver Orientale 'Mrs Perry'

ORIENTALE ‘MRS PERRY’
Pale pink flowers with black central blotches. 75 cm

ORIENTALE ‘RASPBERRY QUEEN’
Shocking pink flowers, with thick black markings in the centre. A very striking oriental poppy, not easily missed! 1 m

PILOSUM ssp. SPICATUM
Grey-green, slightly hairy leaves, with spikes of pretty crinkled apricot flowers on erect stems, from late spring to early summer. Goes dormant for some weeks in summer. 50 cm

PARAHEBE

PERFOLIATA
Rather unusual-looking plant with broad glaucous leaves similar to a Eucalyptus. Makes a low mound. Terminal spikes of blue flowers in late summer. We cut the old leaves down to the ground in spring so we can enjoy the new ones better. 30 cm

PENNISETUM

ALOPECUROIDES ‘HAMELN’
Brown hairy caterpillar flowers in August and September. 50 cm

The Mead Nursery - Pennisetum alopecuroides 'Red Head'

ALOPECUROIDES 'RED HEAD'
Forms green tussocks of foliage, with reddish-pink fluffy flowers, like hairy caterpillars from mid to late summer. 60 cm

GLAUCUM 'PURPLE MAJESTY'
Every now and then we get seduced by an annual, but they have to be really something special, like this! This purple grassy leaved Pear Millet is very distinctive with upright stems of purple flowers similar in shape to a bulrush. 1.5 m

PENSTEMON

The larger Penstemons can be treated like a hardy fuchsia and cut to 15 cm above the ground in April (they will then provide a long display of flowers from mid to late summer). As a general guide, the narrower leaved Penstemons are the hardiest. The smaller ones just need a light trim in the autumn after flowering to help keep their shape, and very well-drained soil.

digitalis 'husker red'
Another plant that we cannot grow enough of. Maroon tinted foliage forms a basal rosette, with stems of palest lilac-blue flowers in midsummer. 1 m

FIREBIRD’ (syn. P. ‘SCHOENHOLZERI’)
Largish pinky crimson tubular flowers, with white in the throat, for months from July. Very hardy. s 75 cm

‘GARNET’
(syn. P. ‘ANDENKEN AN FRIEDRICH HAHN’)
I’ll stick with the English name although the German one would make a good tongue twister. Garnet red flowers in summer. Very hardy. 75 cm

GLABER
A smaller Penstemon with lilac-blue flowers and pinky buds in early summer. Very hardy. 45 cm

HETEROPHYLLUS
Lilac-blue tubular flowers for weeks in summer. Seems very hardy. 60 cm

HETEROPHYLLUS ‘JEANETTE’
Tubular white flowers for weeks in summer. Seems very hardy. 60 cm

The Mead Nursery - Penstemon 'Hidcote Pink'

‘HIDCOTE PINK’
Pink tubular flowers for months in summer and early autumn. Seems pretty hardy. 60 cm

HIRSUTUS var. PYGMAEUS
A mound of purple tinted foliage, with lilac-mauve flowers and a white throat, in midsummer. Prefers well drained soil. 10 cm

PINIFOLIUS
A dwarf shrub of pinnate leaves with tubular orangey-red flowers from early summer onwards. 25 cm

PINIFOLIUS ‘MERSEA YELLOW’
Lemon-yellow flowered form of the above. 25 cm

'PORT WINE'
Tubular maroon flowers, with paler insides, for weeks, from midsummer. Hardy in most gardens, but seems more susceptible to eelworm than some. 75 cm

PROCERUS ‘ROY DAVIDSON’
Low mat of dark foliage. Heads of dark pink buds opening to paler pink flowers in summer. Hardy. 10 cm

‘SOUR GRAPES’
Large tubular-shaped, pretty greyish blue flowers, suffused purple and green, from midsummer. 60 cm

PEROVSKIA

ATRIPLICIFOLIA
Grey felty leaves grow up the white coated stems. Many branching terminal spikes of blue flowers that sort of glisten as they are coated in fine hairs, in late summer. Likes well-drained soil. 1 m

PHLOX

Most of the phlox we grow apart from are good for the rockery. They form low, often trailing mounds of needle-like leaves, covered in flowers in early spring. They do not seem to thrive in too dry a situation and the Phlox bifida types do well in partial shade. If cut back slightly after flowering it keeps them from getting too woody.

BIFIDA ‘PETTICOAT’
Pink flowers with darker markings, in spring. 10 cm

BIFIDA ‘RALPH HAYWOOD’
A low mound of pale blue flowers in early spring, prefers slightly more neutral soils. 10 cm

CAESPITOSA
Very tight mound of needle-like foliage, with palest lilac flowers in spring. Likes fairly well-drained soil. 4 cm

CAROLINA 'BILL BAKER'
Deep pink flowers, on slightly lax stems, in early summer. Mildew resistant. 60 cm

DOUGLASII ‘CRACKERJACK’
A compact phlox, making a tight mound of dark green needle-like leaves with red flowers in spring. Ready in May. 5 cm

The Mead Nursery - Phlox douglasii 'Waterloo'

DOUGLASII 'WATERLOO'
Forms a tight mound of narrow dark green leaves and intense crimson-red flowers. Prefers well-drained soil. 5 cm

The Mead Nursery - Phlox maculata 'Natascha'

MACULATA 'NATASCHA'
An attractive border phlox with upright stems of pink and white striped flowers in summer. Prefers not too dry a situation. 75 cm

NIVALIS ‘JILL ALEXANDER’
Large rich pink flowers in spring. 7.5 cm

SUBULATA ‘LILACINA’
(syn. P. SUB. ‘G. F. WILSON’)
Flowers are pale, ice-blue, in spring. 7.5 cm

SUBULATA 'PURPLE BEAUTY'
Low growing mound covered in purple flowers in spring. 7.5 cm

SUBULATA ‘SCARLET FLAME’
Dark pink, almost red flowers in spring. 7.5 cm

SUBULATA ‘TAMAONGALEI’
White flowers with pink lines radiating out of each petal
during the spring. 7.5 cm

pimpinella

The Mead Nursery - Pimpnella major 'Rosea'

MAJOR 'ROSEA'
Very similar to a pink flowered cow parsley, but with slightly less divided leaves. Dusky pink flowers on upright stems in May and June. 90 cm

PLATYCODON

GRANDIFLORUS
‘Balloon flower’. Grown from seed so flowers are various shades of blue. When in bud they look just like a hot air balloon; fun and showy. Flowers in July and August. Late to emerge in spring. 45 cm

POLEMONIUM

‘BLUE PEARL’
Compact but slightly sprawling habit, with open blue flowers for months from spring. 25 cm

‘LAMBROOK MAUVE’
Sprawling stems of lilac-mauve flowers on and off throughout summer. 45 cm

REPTANS ‘VIRGINIA WHITE’
Slightly tinted stems and large white flowers, in early summer. 30 cm

The Mead Nursery Polemonium yezoense var. hidakanum 'Purple Rain'

YEZOENSE var. HIDAKANUM ‘PURPLE RAIN’
Large violet flowers in midsummer, on upright tinted stems, with dark purple foliage especially early in the season. The foliage colours better if grown in the sun, but grows well in sun or shade. Ours are grown from seed but we select the darkest leaved forms. 50 cm

POLYGONATUM

X HYBRIDUM
‘Solomon’s Seal’. Hanging, cream flowers under arching stems in May. Valuable plant for shade.
Harmful if eaten. 80 cm

POLYSTICHUM

SETIFERUM ‘PULCHERRIMUM BEVIS’
An evergreen fern with lacy arching fronds. 1 m

POTENTILLA

We only grow the herbaceous varieties – all have strawberry-like leaves, some hairy, some not, with flowers of various colours. Most are long flowering during late spring and summer.

CRANTZII
A low dense mound of green leaves with a mass of golden yellow flowers throughout late spring and summer. 7.5 cm

X HOPWOODIANA
A very pretty but difficult coloured flower to describe, palest pinky-apricot with white, darker pink on outer edge, with deep red eye for months in summer, on trailing stems. (We will only have a few this year) 30 cm

NEPALENSIS ‘MISS WILLMOTT’
Large rich pink flowers with darker centre from mid to late summer, on sprawly stems. 45 cm

RUPESTRIS
Red tinted, branching stems of clear white flowers with small yellow eye from May to July. 45 cm

X TONGUEI
Peachy-apricot flowers with a deep carmine-red eye in summer, on sprawling stems. Very popular. 12 cm

PRIMULA

Most Primulas thrive in a moisture-retentive soil in sun or semi-shade. They benefit from being divided every two or three years.

auricula 'marie crousse'
Double, dark purple flowers in spring. 10 cm

‘ELIZABETH KILLELAY’
A double gold-laced primula, with maroon flowers and golden edges to the petals, in spring. (PBR protected) 15 cm

GOLD-LACED GROUP
A striking Primula with several flowers coming off a single stem. Maroon with yellow centres and a distinctive golden rim to the edge of the petals, in late winter and early spring. 15 cm

‘LILAC’
Correct name not known. Like a lilac primrose: flowers for months from late winter onwards. 10 cm

PROLIFERA (syn. P. HELADOXA)
Whorls of bright yellow, scented primula flowers in summer. Prefers moisture retentive soil. 80 cm

X PUBESCENS ‘CHRISTINE’
Auricula-like foliage. Maroon flowers at odd times during the year! 5 cm

x pubescens 'harlow carr'
Auricula-like foliage with soft ivory-white flowers that age a palest lilac-cream, in spring. 5 cm

VERIS
‘Cowslip’. Naturalises well in short grass. Yellow flowers in April and May. 15 cm

veris 'katy mcsparron'
Double flowered form of the wild cowslip. Clusters of double yellow flowers in spring. 20 cm

VULGARIS
Wild primrose, grown from seed. Needs no description. 10 cm

PTEROCEPHALUS

PERENNIS (syn. P. PARNASSI)
Pale green felty foliage with round heads of pretty pink scabious-like flowers in summer. Makes a large carpet. 10 cm

PULMONARIA

Otherwise known as ‘Lungwort’. They like a moist soil in sun or shade. After flowering, they can be cut right back to promote fresh new leaves, which provide useful groundcover. They flower in late winter to early spring.

'ANGELA'S SILVER SEEDLING'
A wonderful silver foliage Pulmonaria. Named after Angela Whinfield from Snape Cottage. Well worth a visit to her lovely garden and you could buy some invaluable Snape Stakes at the same time! 30 cm

BLUE ENSIGN’
A good blue form, with plain green leaves. 25 cm

'BONNIE'
Self-seeded on the nursery and named after our old dog we used to have. Purple-mauve flowers from late winter to spring over fairly plain, dark green leaves. 30 cm

'diana clare'
Good all silver foliage, with large violet-blue flowers in late winter, early spring. 25 cm

'opal' (syn. p. 'ocupol')
Green foliage with silver markings, and beautiful pale blue flowers from late winter and early spring. 25 cm

PULSATILLA

All Pulsatillas are harmful if eaten.

VULGARIS
‘ Pasque flower’. Purple, slightly nodding heads of flowers in March and April, followed by fluffy seed heads in June. 15 cm

VULGARIS ‘ALBA’
White, slightly nodding heads of flowers in March and April. Followed by fluffy seed heads in June. 15 cm

VULGARIS var. RUBRA
Red ‘Pasque flower’. Red, slightly nodding heads of flowers in March and April; form beautiful fluffy seed heads in June. 15 cm

back | top | home | terms & conditions | glossary of plant terms