Fast flowers
DERRY WATKINS
Derry is the owner of Special Plants Nursery in Wiltshire, where she grows unusual plants from all over the world.
These first-year flowering perennials will come back in following years, but tend to be short-lived. Most will need replacing (or will replace themselves by self-seeding) every two to three years.
1 Heliopsis helianthoides var. scabra ‘Bleeding Hearts’ This is a new favourite, with glowing burnt-orange to deep-red tinted flowers, very dark stems and purple-bronze leaves. Young plants will need protection from slug damage. 1.2m. USDA 3a-9b† .
2 Scabiosa atropurpurea ‘Black Knight’ Spectacular, big, near-black flowers speckled with tiny white stamens. A tall plant, usually grown for cutting, this will need some support and a few friends around it to hide its rather unattractive legs. 90cm. RHS H4.
3 The pink ragwort has little daisies in the brightest magenta, which dance on branching stems above fine, narrow, shiny foliage. From South Africa, it loves a sunny, dry site, where it will just
