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Key for symbols
new in 2010	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
papaver	polygonatum
parahebe	POLYSTICHUM
pennisetum	potentilla
penstemon	PRATIA
perovskia	primula
phlox	pterocephalus
PHYSOCARPUS	pulmonaria
platycodon	pulsatilla

PAEONIA

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

PAPAVER

MIYABEANUM ‘PACINO’
A dwarf poppy with sulphur yellow flowers, in May and June. Short-lived but should self-seed in gravel. 15 cm

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.

The Mead Nursery - Papaver orientale 'Allegro'

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

The Mead Nursery - Papaver orentale 'Beauty of Livermere'

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

The Mead Nursery - Papaver orientale 'Patty's Plum'

ORIENTALE ‘PATTY’S PLUM’
Plum coloured poppy, with dark centre, in midsummer. Each individual flower is not very long lasting but they are very showy and produce a succession during the early summer. 90 cm

The Mead Nursery - Papaver orientale 'Raspberry Queen'

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

The Mead Nursery - Papaver pilosum ssp. spicatum

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

CATARRACTAE ‘PORLOCK’
Slightly trailing stems of glossy green leaves with pretty, lavender-blue flowers and a distinctive eye, from April to June. 15 cm

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

‘SNOW CLOUDS’
Same as P. ‘Porlock’ but with white flowers and a deep pink eye. 15 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

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'
Maroon tinted foliage forms a basal rosette, with stems of palest lilac-blue flowers in midsummer. 1 m

‘EVELYN’
Small, pretty tubular-shaped, rose-pink flowers with paler pink insides, for weeks in summer. Hardy 65 cm

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. We only have this available during the spring. 45 cm

The Mead Nursery - Penstemon heterophyllus

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

HETEROPHYLLUS ‘HEAVENLY BLUE’
Tallish spikes of blue flowers flushed with pink from July to October. 70 cm

The Mead Nursery - PENSTEMON HETEROPHYLLUS JEANETTE

HETEROPHYLLUS ‘JEANETTE’
Tubular white flowers for weeks in summer. Seems very hardy. Not such a strong grower as some, but 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

The Mead Nursery - PENSTEMON HIRSUTUS VAR. PYGMAEUS

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

‘LILLIPUT’
Compact stems of rosy-red tubular flowers from June to October. 40 cm

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

The Mead Nursery - Penstemon pinifolius 'Mersea Yellow'

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

The Mead Nursery - Penstemon 'Port Wine'

'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

The Mead Nursery - PENSTEMON SOUR GRAPES

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

The Mead Nursery - Pentemon 'White Bedder'

‘WHITE BEDDER’(syn. P. ‘SNOW STORM’)
Tubular, white flowers flushed pink in bud, for weeks in summer. Hardy in most gardens. 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.

ADSURGENS ‘WAGON WHEEL’
Masses of candy pink flowers with decoratively spiralled petals, with white undersides, from May to June. 10 cm

The Mead Nursery - Phlox bifida 'Petticoat'

BIFIDA ‘PETTICOAT’
Pink flowers with darker markings, in spring. Prefers slightly more neutral soil. 10 cm

The Mead Nursery - PHLOX BIFIDA RALPH HAYWOOD

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

The Mead Nursery - Phlox carolina 'Bill Baker'

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

The Mead Nursery - PHLOX DOUGLASII CRACKERJACK

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

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

The Mead Nursery - Phlox douglasii 'Zeigeurnerblut'

DOUGLASII ‘ZEIGEURNERBLUT’
A compact plant with near blood-red flowers in spring.
5 cm

The Mead Nursery - Phlox hodii 'Ice Mountain'

HOODII ‘ICE MOUNTAIN’
A compact cushion of leaves with a mass of small white flowers in spring. 4 cm

The Mead Nursery - Phlox subulata 'Lilacina'

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

The Mead Nursery - Phlox subulata 'Purple Beauty'

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

The Mead Nursery - Phlox subulata 'Scarlet Flame'

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

The Mead Nursery - Phlox subulata 'Tamaongalei'

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

The Mead Nursery - Phlox subulata 'White Delight'

SUBULATA ‘WHITE DELIGHT’
Low growing trailing mound. White flowers during spring. 7.5 cm

PHYSOCARPUS

OPULIFOLIUS ‘DIABOLO’
An easy to grow deciduous shrub with striking purple foliage on reddish young stems in spring. Rounded heads of white flowers in early summer. Sun or dappled shade. (PBR) 2.5 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

CAERULEUM ‘BRISE D’ANJOU’
Upright Jacob’s Ladder with creamy variegated foliage and small violet blue flowers in April-May. It benefits from fairly rich, moist soil. (PBR) 40 cm

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

‘NORTHERN LIGHTS’
Upright stems of large blue, scented flowers for weeks, from early summer. 50 cm

REPTANS ‘STAIRWAY TO HEAVEN’
Pink tinged, creamy white variegated foliage with lavender blue flowers form April to May. (PBR) 40 cm

The Mead Nursery - Polemonium reptans 'Virginia White'

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

The Mead Nursery - POTENTILLA x HOPWOODIANA

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. Ready in May. (We will only have a few this year) 30 cm

The Mead Nursery - Potentilla 'Miss Willmott'

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

The Mead Nursery - Potentilla nitida 'Rubra'

NITIDA ‘RUBRA’
A ground-hugging silver leaved plant, with rich pink flowers in summer. Needs quite a lot of sun to flower well. Prefers well-drained soil. 0 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

PRATIA

PEDUNCULATA ‘COUNTY PARK’
Ground-hugging carpet of green leaves, covered in dark blue flowers in summer. Benefits from moist humus-rich soil. If happy can be a bit invasive. 1 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

The Mead Nursery - Primula auricula 'Matthew Yates'

AURICULA ‘MATTHEW YATES’
Very dark purple, almost black double flowers, most unusual. 10 cm

The Mead Nursery - Primula 'Elizabeth Killelay'

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

The Mead Nursery - Primula Gold-Laced group

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

JAPONICA ‘APPLE BLOSSOM’
A candelabra primula with soft pink flowers in summer. Prefers moisture retentive soil. 50 cm

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

The Mead Nursery - Primula x pubescens 'Christine'

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

The Mead Nursery - Primula x pubescens 'Harlow Carr'

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

The Mead Nursery - Primula veris 'Katy McSparron'

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

The Mead Nursery - Pulmonaria 'Blue Ensign'

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

The Mead Nursery - Pulmonaria 'Diana Clare'

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

The Mead Nursery - Pulmonaria 'Lewis Palmer'

‘LEWIS PALMER’
Dark blue flowers held proud over dark green leaves with silvery spots, from late winter to 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

The Mead Nursery - Pulsatilla vulgaris 'Alba'

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

The Mead Nursery - Pulsatilla vulgaris rubra

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

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