Sun loving rock roses

Rock roses or Helianthemums have always been favourites of ours. We love them because they thrive in our sandy, sunny beds and look just wonderful when the sun comes out through June and July. The yellow form is one of our native plants and that would explain a lot.

Helianthemums grow fast and have a great mat-forming habit that excludes weeds. What more can you ask? Well to top it all they really put on a great show.

A couple of years ago we; well Donald really; decided we needed a new wall in the car park area and once neatly finished, we discussed what to grow there. Of course we could plant a new rockery but knowing all too well how difficult it can be to keep up with weeding we came around to a Helianthemum wall. It is a great success as you see.

My favourites are the vivid orange colours such as Henfield Brilliant and the rich yellows, like Sterntaler, but there are days when the clear pink of Rhodanthe Carneum. Or the modest double pink flowers of Annabel attract the eye.

There was a range of Helianthemum named for some of Scotland’s highest mountains, the Bens. Hence we have Ben Macdhui and Ben Mhor and Ben Ledi etc. You can collect them after you climb them.

Two other Scots specials are Broughty Beacon and Broughty Sunrise, both named for an area of Dundee and they really do have the bright flickering colours of the ends of the day as they would be seen along the Firth of Tay.

Maybe the manufacturers of Irn-Bru should sponsor a new variety as that particular orange would look very well as a rock rose colour.

Poppies

Winter woodland garden walk