I’m not quite sure if it’s me or if other gardeners have had problems with certain of the smaller to medium sized euphorbia cultivars? I’ve tried quite a number, amongst which were ‘Humpty Dumpty’, ‘Blackbird’, ‘Redwing’, and ‘Silver Swan’, but over a relatively short period they failed. E ‘Portuguese Velvet’ was just one of these – who wouldn’t be able to resist those downy, silver grey leaves? However, two decades on, it is the only one that has produced descendants, and although similar, they are clearly not identical to the original but are nonetheless very welcome!
Last week the Hardy Plant Society Seed List dropped through our letter box and what a list it is: probably the most interesting and certainly the best value for money that you’ll find anywhere, although there are no illustrations so you have to do your own homework. Why I mention it, is because in the notes at the beginning, there is a paragraph called ‘Coming true from seed’ in which it states the not so well-known fact that seeds from cultivars will not be identical to the parent and that is why I have named mine as ‘ex—’.
There are so few hours of daylight in December, but I have noticed that those evergreen sub-shrubs with silvery or grey foliage look particularly good at this time of the year: whether covered in frost, dewdrops or raindrops, they stand out. Of note I would mention Ruta graveolens, common sage, teucrium fruticans, santolinas and some lavenders.
NB Louise has published a beautifully produced book of her plant profiles – A Plant for Each Week of the Year. It costs £9.99 and is for sale in our online shop here.
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