Lesson 4
Ornamentals on the edge
Certain garden-worthy plants hover on the edge of cultivation because they're unfashionable, slow, or simply forgotten. Old-fashioned pinks (Dianthus) like Mrs Sinkins (1868, white, intensely fragrant, sprawling habit) or Brympton Red (1770s, deep crimson, clove-scented, very hardy) are tougher and longer-lived than modern florist carnations. They want alkaline or neutral soil, sharp drainage, and full sun. Plant 25 cm apart in spring; deadhead after the main June flush; take cuttings in July by pulling 'pipings' (non-flowering shoots) from the base.
Heritage sweet peas are less vigorous than modern Spencers but their scent is incomparably richer. Painted Lady (1737, pink and white bicolour, short vines to 120 cm) is the oldest surviving cultivar. Matucana (1699, maroon and violet, powerfully fragrant, climbs to 180 cm) is the most ancient in general cultivation. Both need autumn sowing in deep pots (root trainers or toilet-roll tubes work well), overwintering in a cold frame, and planting out in March 15 cm apart against supports. Pinch out the growing tip when plants reach 10 cm to encourage side shoots.
Cottage-garden perennials like Paeonia officinalis 'Rubra Plena' (double crimson, grown since 1500s, flowers May, herbaceous, spreads slowly, resents disturbance) and Thalictrum aquilegiifolium (meadow rue, native to Europe, fluffy mauve flowers June, shade-tolerant, self-seeds modestly) are sold by a shrinking number of nurseries. Grow them from seed (peony needs 90 days cold stratification; thalictrum germinates easily in spring at 15°C) or buy one plant, let it settle for three years, then divide in early autumn. Record the exact name, provenance and supplier in a notebook — these details become invaluable when you propagate.
Numbers that matter
- Old-fashioned pinks live 5–8 years; take fresh cuttings every third summer
- Heritage sweet peas set seed freely; collect pods when dry and brown, store cool and dry
- Peony divisions need at least 3 eyes (buds) to flower reliably within 2 years
- Sow heritage sweet peas 2.5 cm deep, 3 seeds per 9 cm pot, late September–October
Quick reference: propagation methods
- Pinks — pipings (cuttings) in July, root in gritty compost in 3 weeks
- Sweet peas — seed in autumn; soak 12 hours, chip hard seed coats, sow deep
- Herbaceous peonies — division in September, plant 2.5 cm deep, mulch lightly
- Thalictrum — seed in spring, or divide mature clumps in autumn every 4–5 years
Photograph your rare plants in flower with a label in the frame — you'll thank yourself when you're dividing them five years later and can't remember which is which.