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2 - Top ten plants
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Latin name:Alchemilla mollis
Common name: Lady’s mantle
Type of plant: Herbaceous perennial
Soil preference: Moist, but well drained
Hardiness: Very
Flower colour: Lime green
Height and spread: 60cm x 75cm (2ft x 2 1/2ft)
Description: Apple-green, fan-shaped leaves with a froth of foamy lime-green flowers in summer.
Design tipsIt makes good ground cover under shrubs and larger perennials and is a useful foil for bright colours.
Lady's mantle, Alchemilla mollis
Latin name:Helleborus x hybridus
Common name: Hellebore
Type of plant: Evergreen perennial
Soil preference: Humus rich Hardiness: Hardy
Flower colour:
Pink, mauve, blue-purple, green, white
Height and spread: 45cm x 45cm (18in x 18in)
Description: Small, bushy, upright, spring-flowering evergreen with attractive foliage.
Design tips:Good for giving perennial beds year-round backbone, and for adding spring colour between shrubs
Hellebore, Helleborus_x_hybridus.jpt
Latin name:Clematis ‘Etoile Rose’
Common name: Clematis
Type of plant: Deciduous climber
Soil preference: Fertile
Hardiness: Hardy
Flower colour: Violet
Height and spread: 3.5m x 90cm (11 1/2 ft x 3ft) Description: Scrambling climber with elongated bell-shaped flowers in late summer and autumn.
Design tips:Grow on trellis over outbuildings or pergolas, or up through a small tree or large shrub.
Clematis 'Etoile Rose'
Latin name: Hemerocallis
Common name: Daylily
Type of plant: Herbaceous perennial
Soil preference: No soil preference
Hardiness: Hardy
Flower colour: Mainly yellow, orange or tawny shades
Height and spread: 7.5cm x 7.5cm (3in x 3in)
Description: Clumps of strap-shaped foliage with stems of large trumpet, lily-like blooms in summer.
Day lily, Hemerocallis
Latin name: Dryopteris affinis
Common name: Hardy ferns
Type of plant: Evergreen and herbaceous perennial
Soil preference: Moist, humus-rich and shady
Hardiness: Hardy
Flower colour: n/a
Height and spread: Varies
Description: Frilly, lacy, ladder-like, or feathery, frond-shaped foliage.
Design tips:Good ‘fillers’ for cool, damp, shady corners.
Hardy fern, Dryopteris affinis
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2. Blank canvas garden

Introduction
Top ten plants
Placing a patio
Placing a pergola
Making the design work

Highlights
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