There is always so much to choose and love when you walk around the nursery. This month I give you a head start on planning your trip and some inspiration too with what’s catching my eye at Eckards. New, Classic and most popular to get the creative juices going as we move into late spring and summer gardening days lie ahead.

Petrea Blue

I love Petrea in spring. The Sandpaper vine or Petrea as we most commonly know it grows as a climber and can be clipped to shape to be a large ball shrub to small tree like background shrub. The leaves are glossy and rough which is where it gets its sandpaper name from. Flowering through late summer it is quite unrivalled in the landscape. Plant one up against a wall for support or up a tall trellis. They do best in a mostly sun spot and are not fussy on soil and are waterwise and tough.

Silver Angel Wings

Everyone needs a guardian angel. Grow something different. The Angel Wings Senecio with its striking grey leaves that will grow quite large in a sunny spot really makes a statement. This waterwise succulent will stand out in any garden or in a large container on the patio where the “wings” will arch over the sides of a container. Our top tip to grow them is to not overwater them. Like most grey leafed plants they do best staying a bit on the dry side.

Gardena Hand Held Trimmer

The rechargeable battery operated Gardena ComfortCut Trimmer is super handy. With a tiltable blade it gets around all your lawn edges. Where we think it becomes super cool is by switching out the blade and it becomes the perfect topiary trimmer to get the lollipops sorted and for anything that needs regular trimming. Hedging Lavender has never been this easy. The charged Li-lon battery will last up to 80 Minutes before needing to go back in its cradle. Sold as a complete kit it is not only super handy for you but also makes a great gift for the gardener that has everything.

Pot Stand

Tired of pot feet? Plants in containers grow better if the containers drainage holes are not blocked by standing on the ground. Our new Pot Stand from Kirchhoff’s is made from heavy duty plastic and is discrete enough that you won’t notice them under your pots. By using a pot Stand the water with drain better and will also lead to less marking and staining on the patio.

Wax Flowers

Certainly not new but really love Chamelaucium also known as Wax flowers. They originate in Australia but are well suited to our local garden conditions where they add something different as a small shrub and low screener. They have aromatic leaves and soft branches which sway in the wind adding an interesting texture and feel in the garden. They flower all along the stems and cluster on the tips with a waxy finish that gives them their name. The best thing about them is that they make excellent cut flowers lasting for week in the vase.

Wax flowers need a full sun position for best flower displays, although it will take a little shade, it must have well-drained soil. Trim outer branches lightly after flowering to encourage bushy growth, but do not cut into old wood.

Painted Ladies

Often called Painted Ladies or Frilly’s the large Echeveria in our succulent department are really catching my eye. I’ve collected them for many years and we don’t often see such perfect specimens. As a succulent they are water wise but definitely benefit from not drying out too much to keep them looking plump. Plant them in terracotta pots on the patio for a display shelf or even as a table bowl in full sun.