Talking Dirty

Our gardens are full of them at this time of year, but the Tulip actually originates in Central Asia. These species Tulips are varied in height, colour, foliage and the ease with which we can grow them at home and so this week on Talking Dirty, Cambridge University Botanic Garden - who hold the National Collection of Species Tulips - are along to share some of their favourites and recommendations for which to grow, and how. Plus stories of their latest adventures in Kyrgyzstan where they've been finding and protecting new varieties.

So join Alan Gray, Thordis and Simon Wallis and Kathryn Bray of the Botanics for a tantalising tour of their collection!

PLANT LIST

Tulipa sprengeri

Tulipa tschimghanica

Tulipa toktogulica

Tulipa greigii

Tulipa cretica

Tulipa 'Negrita'

Tulip bakerii 'Lilac Wonder'

Euphorbia characias subsp. wulfenii

Tulipa acuminata syn. Tulipa cornuta

Tulipa montana

Tulipa heweri

Tulipa biflora

Tulipa turkestanica

Tulipa regelii

Tulipa tarda

Tulipa saxatilis

Tulipa linifolia

Tulipa undulatifolia syn Tulipa eichleri

Tulipa clusiana

Tulipa clusiana 'Peppermint Stick'

Tulip clusiana var. chrysantha

Tulipa aucheriana

Tulipa sylvestris

Tulipa orphanidea

Tulipa kaufmanniana

Tulipa fosteriana

Tulipa praestans 'Shogun'

Tulipa 'Apeldoorn'

Tulipa 'Ballerina'

Tulipa 'Heart's Delight'

Trollius lilacinus

Iris acutiloba

Tulipa clusiana 'Lady Jane'

With a spring in our step we bring you the March Special of our Talking Dirty series on the garden at East Ruston Old Vicarage. From the Magnolias Alan Gray wakes to see out of his bedroom window, to the Tulips he's been spending a pretty penny on, here are some of the highlights from the garden this month.

PLANT LIST

Magnolia 'Caerhays Belle'

Magnolia 'Genie'

Magnolia × soulangeana

Rosa 'Rambling Rector'

Rosa filipes 'Kiftsgate' 

Rosa 'Mme. Alfred Carrière' 

Rosa 'A Shropshire Lad'

Dahlia 'Hollyhill Serenity'

Narcissus 'Jetfire'

Narcissus 'Rijnveld's Early Sensation'

Tulipa sprengeri

Tulipa orphanidea 'Flava'

Narcissus 'Turncoat'

Narcissus 'First Born'

Narcissus 'Actaea'

Hedychium 'Tara'

Narcissus 'Articol'

Narcissus 'Rataplan'

Narcissus 'Mrs Langtry'

Tropaeolum majus 'Gleam Salmon'

Tropaeolum tuberosum var. lineomaculatum 'Ken Aslet'

Syringa vulgaris 'Princess Sturdza'

Time for Part Two of our latest episode with Talking Dirty favourite Val Bourne. The award-winning garden writer has alredy shared some of her favourite Prunus varieties. This week it's all about spring plants like Pulmonarias and Violets, plus a bit of rose inspiration...and Trillium chat to boot!

PLANT LIST

Pulmonaria 'Shrimps on the Barbie'

Pulmonaria saccharata 'Leopard'

Pulmonaria rubra

Pulmonaria 'Diana Clare'

Viola odorata 'Christie's Wedding'

Viola odorata 'Baroness Alice de Rothschild'

Viola odorata 'Sulphurea'

Helleborus argutifolius

Narcissus 'St Patricks Day'

Narcissus 'Golden Echo'

Narcissus 'Winter Waltz'

Narcissus 'Beryl'

Narcissus 'Beryl's Little Sister'

Tropaeolum hookerianum

Tropaeolum ciliatum

Trillium grandiflorum f. roseum

Trillium kurabayashii

Rosa 'The Generous Gardener'

Rosa 'Mrs. Honey Dyson'

Rosa 'Rosy Cushion'

Rosa x odorata 'Crimson Bengal'

Rosa 'Pompon de Paris'

Rosa 'You're Beautiful'

This week one of our Talking Dirty favourites is back! Val Bourne is an award-winning garden writer and grows all manner of treasures in her 1/3 acre Cotswolds plot. This week - in part one of her latest appearance - she shares some of her favourites Prunus and the Scilla you must grow, plus those to avoid! And as usual her coversation with Alan Gray (East Ruston Old Vicarage) and Thordis meanders via a host of plants from Geums to Ferns.

Next week Roses, Trilliums and Violets...plus FLOMO*

*FLOMO = FLoral/plant-based fear Of Missing Out

PLANT LIST

Geum 'Totally Tangerine'

Geum 'Prinses Juliana'

Amsonia

Helenium 'Sahin's Early Flowerer'

Geum 'Bell Bank'

Geum 'Mai Tai'

Echinacea purpurea 'Magnus'

Echinacea purpurea 'White Swan'

Galanthus plicatus 'E.A. Bowles'

Succisella inflexa 'Frosted Pearls'

Galanthus 'Marjorie Brown'

Hamamelis

Prunus mume 'Beni-chidori'

Prunus 'Kursar'

Prunus 'Okame'

Prunus incisa 'Kojo-no-mai'

Prunus 'Tai-haku'

Prunus 'Chocolate Ice'

Scilla siberica

Scilla bifolia

Scilla bithynica

Allium triquetrum

Tulipa saxatilis (Bakeri Group) 'Lilac Wonder'

Adiantum

Anemonoides nemorosa

Polypodium

This week Alan and Thordis are excited to bring you a joyful special focussing on Hepaticas with their chief cheerleader, John Massey of Ashwood Nurseries. His book, 'My World of Hepaticas' (with Tomoo Mabuchi), is a veritable treasure trove of information (and downright divine photographs!)

In this episode of Talking Dirty, we meander through the different species (including which should tolerate a garden situation) and discuss everything from botany to John's anecdotes from years tracking them down in the wild. And of course, we detour via several other plants as well. It wouldn't be Talking Dirty if we didn't do that!

PLANT LIST

Galanthus 'Veronica Cross'

Galanthus 'Wasp'

Hepatica japonica var. nipponica f. candida

Hepatica transsilvanica

Hepatica japonica var. nipponica f. magna

Hepatica japonica var. pubescens

Hepatica japonica var. nipponica f. magna

Hepatica americana

Hepatica americana var. acuta (syn H. acutiloba)

Hepatica americana var. acuta x H. nobilis

Trillium nivale

Daphne laureola subsp. philippi

Hamamelis

Cyclamen coum

Miscanthus

Pennisetum

Lewisia cotyledon 'Harold Judd'

Hepatica 'Millstream Merlin'

Helleborus (Rodney Davey Marbled Group) 'Anna's Red'

Helleborus × ericsmithii

Hepatica maxima

Sorbus 'Olympic Flame'

Hepatica insularis

Hydrangea serrata

Hepatica x schlyteri (H. nobilis 'Stained Glass’ x H. maxima)

Macodes petola

Hepatica nobilis 'Stained Glass'

Hepatica 'Louise Koehler'

Anemonella thalictroides f. rosea 'Oscar Schoaf'

Hepatica japonica 'Mori'

Shortia

Hepatica 'Millstream Pink'

Prunus 'Kursar'

Polypodium

In the latest of our series looking at Alan's garden - East Ruston Old Vicarage - month-by-month, we're focussing on some fab February plants. From the Edgeworthia hardly any one can grow to Alan's latest purchases and plans for the shade planting around his north-facing front door. This is an episode packed with plants and plans!

PLANT LIST

Edgeworthia chrysantha

Edgeworthia chrysantha 'Red Dragon'

Galanthus 'Alan Gray'

Polystichum setiferum ‘Green Lace’

Eranthis hyemalis 'Dooze'

Galanthus elwesii 'Daphne's Scissors'

Tulipa sprengeri

Tulipa orphanidea 'Flava'

Galanthus plicatus 'EA Bowles'

Galanthus elwesii 'Claud Biddulph'

Galanthus 'Fieldgate Forte'

Galanthus nivalis 'Anglesey Abbey'

Galanthus woronowii

Delphinium 'Alice Artindale'

Prunus mume 'Beni-chidori'

Camellia × williamsii 'Saint Ewe'

Dahlia 'Brown Sugar'

Dahlia 'Creme De Cassis'

Tithonia rotundifolia

Orlaya grandiflora

Daphne bholua 'Mary Rose'

Acer 'Red Flamingo'

Acer japonicum 'Aconitifolium'

Narcissus 'St Patrick's Day'

Buxus sempervirens 'Aurea Pendula'

Phillyrea

Griselinia

Brugmansia

Daphne odora 'Aureomarginata'

Daphne odora 'Rebecca'

Galanthus 'Trumps'

Galanthus 'Cowhouse Green'

Galanthus 'Trumpolute'

Galanthus 'Princess Bennie'

Cotoneaster horizontalis

Tim Fuller of Norfolk nursery The Plantsman's Preference returns with beautiful flowers, fab foliage and serious FLOMO*!

*FLOMO = FLoral/plant-based fear Of Missing Out

PLANT LIST

Buxus sempervirens 'Elegantissima'

Cornus sanguinea 'Winter Beauty'

Buxus sempervirens 'Aurea Pendula'

Gaultheria mucronata syn. Pernettya mucronata

Ilex aquifolium 'East Ruston Gold'

Vinca minor

Vinca minor 'Azurea Flore Pleno'

Vinca minor 'Multiplex'

Vinca minor 'Blue and Gold'

Vinca minor 'Aureovariegata'

Vinca difformis Greystone form

Vinca major

Vinca difformis subsp. sardoa

Cyclamen cilicium

Ipheion 'Rygel'

Ipheion uniflorum 'Dusky Pink'

Ipheion uniflorum ssp. tandiliense

Iris unguicularis

Geranium libani

Geranium peloponnesiacum

Lamium galeobdolon

Lamium galeobdolon 'Kirkcudbright Dwarf'

Setaria palmifolia

Saxifraga stolonifera 'Nezu Jinja'

Saxifraga stolonifera 'Hsitou Silver'

Euonymus myrianthus (ogisu 93309)

Hydrangea aspera subsp. strigosa

This week Tim Fuller of Norfolk nursery The Plantsman's Preference stuns with some inspiring Ivies, plus Primulas, Snowdrops and more!

PLANT LIST

Salvia nemorosa

Salvia nemorosa 'Caradonna'

Galanthus nivalis 'Alan's Treat'

Galanthus 'Mother Goose'

Galanthus 'Treasure Island'

Galanthus plicatus 'Golden Fleece'

Galanthus 'Wandlebury Ring'

Galanthus 'Günter Waldorf'

Galanthus gracilis

Muscari filiforme

Arum italicum subsp. italicum 'Marmoratum'

Arum italicum subsp. italicum 'Tiny'

Arum pictum 'Primrose Warburg'

Arum italicum subsp. neglectum 'Monksilver'

Arum 'Curtis Giant'

Pulmonaria mollis

Pulmonaria 'Shrimps on the Barbie'

Pulmonaria 'Diana Clare'

Pulmonaria rubra

Primula 'Lady Greer'

Primula 'David Valentine'

Primula 'Garnet Cowichan'

Hedera helix 'Ceridwen'

Hedera helix 'Heise'

Hedera helix 'Kaleidoscope'

Narcissus 'Candlepower'

Hedera helix 'Buttercup'

Hedera rhombea 'Variegata'

Euonymus fortunei

Hedera helix 'Goldfinch'

Hedera rhombea 'Variegata'

Hedera hibernica

This week Alan Gray (East Ruston Old Vicarage) and Thordis chat to Anya Lautenbach AKA Anya, The Garden Fairy. A passionate propagator, Anya is famous for making her garden from seeds and cuttings, and sharing her propagation tips with her million followers on social media. And now those skills are being captured in her new book 'The Money-Saving Gardener'.

From the healing power of gardening to the plant which has her captivated at the moment, this is a feel-good look at the power of plants.

PLANT LIST

Meconopsis betonicifolia (syn. Meconopsis baileyi)

Myosotidium hortensia

Zaluzianskya ovata

Dianthus caryophyllus 'Chomley Ferran'

Nicotiana alata

Daphne bholua

Sarcococca confusa

Xerochrysum bracteatum

Tiarella 'Spring Symphony'

Aristolochia macrophylla

Hosta 'Empress Wu'

Hosta 'Wu-La-La' 

Dahlia 'Night Silence'

Jasminum sambac

Tolmiea menziesii

It's Happy New Year from Alan Gray and Thordis as they continue their series looking at Alan's garden, East Ruston Old Vicarage, month-by-month. From the Camellias lighting up winter to the Ferns catching their fancy and some seasonal FLOMO*

*FLOMO = FLoral/plant-based fear Of Missing Out

PLANT LIST

Haworthia limifolia f. variegata

Echeveria peacockii

Camellia

Forsythia

Eucalyptus

Woodwardia fimbriata

Soleirolia soleirolii (syn. Helxine soleirolii)

Viola hederacea

Dahlia 'Café au Lait'

Dryopteris affinis 'Cristata' (The King)

Adiantum

Abutilon vitifolium

Polystichum setiferum 'Pulcherrimum Bevis'

Galanthus 'Lord Kitchener'

Jasminum nudiflorum

Camellia sasanqua

Camellia japonica

Camellia 'Sugar Dream'

Eccremocarpus scaber

Galanthus 'Princess Bennie'

Galanthus 'Mother Goose'

Rosa 'Senateur Lafollette'