Order bare-root perennials before 31 October and you're still in time for autumn delivery
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| Agapanthus 'Black Buddhist'
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'Mr Fothergill's offers autumn delivery on packed bare-rooted plants if you order before 31 October'
Autumn is a good time to buy perennial plants in the dormant season and to get hardy ones in the ground while the soil still has a reservoir of warmth from the summer.
Buy bare roots early next year...
You could buy container-grown perennials at garden centres, or take the cheaper option and order bare-rooted plants from a specialist nursery. Some Dutch wholesale growers clean up bare-rooted plants as, if they want to export them to America, they can't have any soil on them – which is specialist process. We also get these cleaned-up bare roots in packs which sell, typically, in Woolworths or supermarkets in the new year or early spring.
...or order now for autumn delivery
Mr Fothergill's offers autumn delivery on acked bare-rooted plants if you order before 31 October. Tom Stimpson, the company's plant buyer says 'This will give plants more time to establish naturally, as opposed to holding in store and dispatching early spring. Our plants will be 'dug' to order really, so apart from the transit time, will be fresh'.
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| Echinacea 'Alaska'
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New perennials to try
Examples of the plants available include brand-new, white
Brunnera 'Mr Morse'. It has silvery leaves with green veins, like a white version of the popular blue-flowered 'Jack Frost'.
Brunnera makes excellent ground cover for shady positions. One bare-root plant costs £7.95.
There is also a new agapanthus, which tends to be more compact than some of the floppy, older varieties. Agapanthus 'Black Buddhist' grows to 30cm (12in) and gets its name from its black stems. Three bare-root plants cost £11.95.
And look out for the white-flowered coneflower, Echinacea 'Alaska', which is useful for late-summer border interest.
* For more on perennials see Related Articles at the bottom of this page.
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denotes Subscriber-only content | Thursday 21 August 2008 | Help | Glossary 
