Hello to new salvias and goodbye to retired roses

Recent introductions and results from re-trialling keep plant sales benches filled with bright,healthy stock.

Ina move to continue to only sell thebest qualityplants to the next generation of gardeners, David AustinRoseshas takenthe decision to ‘retire’ some cultivars now superseded by healthier andmore robustvarieties. The decisions, it says, were notmade lightly and arebased on resultsfromits regular re-trialling programme. While these plants may continue to do well in some places, the changing environment with its evolving pests, diseases andweather patterns meansalternative varieties arebetter suited and display superior performance.

Paul Constantine, Marketing Manager says the decisions arenot based on sales figures and in some cases may lead to alossofrevenue “Decisions areled by quality,” he says. Retired varieties will be kept as partofthe heritage of David Austin Roses and continue to be used within its breeding programme based on the attributes in which theyexcel, for example fragrance.

The David Austin Roses website suggests helpful alternatives should customers request varieties that areno longer available. These arenot ‘direct replacements’but arebased on how theyperform in ‘Best For’ situations which link to David Austin Roses point of sale, websiteand garden centre trade brochures.

Retired Alternatives

Munstead Wood

Lady Emma Hamilton

DarceyBussell

Gabriel Oak or Thomas aBecket

Dame Judi Dench, Lady Gardener,Roald Dahl

Gabriel Oak or Thomas aBecket

Plants for Perennial

Four growers havejoinedforcestosupplyaselection of plants to garden centres which will supportthe work of Perennial. This charity helps people working or who havepreviously been employedinhorticulture.

Ready for ordering nowunder the banner ‘Plants for Perennial’ aretwo newsalvias introduced at the HTA Plant Showlast year and grownbyWyevale Nurseries. Salvia gregii ‘Cuello Pink’and Salvia gregii ‘Cuello White’ will be ready for consumers to buyinmid-June and as theyboth reach aheightof70-80cm, areperfect for planting in containers or borders. Theyare available in taupe kerbsiderecyclable pots and branded with a Plants for Perennial linked picturelabel

Also partofthe promotion areDianthus ‘Pink Celebration’ from AllensmoreNurseries; Nemesia ‘Peaches and Cream’ from The BransfordWebbs Plant Company; and Clematis ‘PrinceGeorge’ from NewLeaf Plants.