Half Hardy & Summer Patio plants [5] from Shrubland Nurseries in Suffolk

Half Hardy and Summer Patio

Bring a taste of the exotic to your garden with half-hardy plants. If you can provide some winter protection it is amazing how many more interesting and plants you can grow, to the envy of your friends and family. You can grow these plants in pots and enjoy them in the garden between June and September when there is no risk of frost (UK). All they need is a greenhouse, porch or conservatory over winter kept above freezing.

Many plants will relish a spell outdoors, the local birds can get at any pests, and the sun and wind helps to strengthen the plants. September is a good time to start thinking about bringing plants undercover, as the nights will be rapidly getting longer and colder, and excess moisture can build up. Some plants will be happy tucked up against the house wall, with a bit of fleece to hand for very cold nights.

We only show you the plants we hope to have for sale in 2024, if not available now they will progressively become so through the spring.

Pink Wild Pear, Wedding Flower

A small deciduous shrub from Africa, with clusters of pretty pink flowers in summer. Will grow and flower well in a large tub. Tolerates light frost.

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Dregea sinensis

£6.50

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Chinese Dregea.

Twining climber, relative of the Hoya, with clusters of white, honey-scented flowers in summer. Hardy against a warm, sunny wall.

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Drimiopsis maculata

£6.50

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Little White Soldiers, African False Hosta

A curious little bulbous plant with fleshy, spotted, hosta-like leaves and spikles of small white flowers in April to May.

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Drosanthemum floribundum

£6.50

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A low-growing spreading/ trailing succulent with small grey leaves, smothered in vivid pink flowers in late spring to early summer. For a mild, sunny garden, ideally on a rockery or bank in full sun & very well drained soil. Otherwise a sunny greenhouse.

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Dyckia floribunda (chaguar)

£6.50

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Bought as chaguar but probably floribunda. A fine, very prickly suckering plant, with grey, arching toothed leaves in a neat rosette, from which appear spikes of orange flowers. Well-drained soil. Min. -5 deg C. or possibly lower.

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Echeveria 'Antaris'

£8.50

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A large Echeveria with rosettes of fleshy red tinged leaves.

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Echeveria 'Black Prince'

£6.50

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A hybrid with very dark leaves, offsets freely to make spreading clumps.

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Echeveria gibbiflora 'Metallica'

£5.00

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A beautiful cultivar with large pink/purple wavy leaves.

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Echeveria hookeri

£6.50

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Name uncertain. Syn. Pachyphytum hookeri

Slowly spreading rosettes of thick blue-grey leaves with delicate white markings, making an attractive plant in a shallow bowl.

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Echium candicans

£7.00

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Pride of Madeira

A large half-hardy shrub with 30cm long spikes of electric blue flowers in early summer. Should survive outside in mild areas in well drained soil. Short lived, but replacement plants can be grown from seed.

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Elettaria cardamomum

£7.50

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Cardamom

This is the plant which the true Cardamom pods come from. The leaves are very aromatic too and exude the fragrance of cardamom when bruised. It makes an attractive houseplant or specimen for a conservatory in its own right.

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Epiphyllum 'German Empress'

£7.00

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Syn 'Deutsche Kaiserin'. Reported to be a more robust form of Disocactus (Nopalxochia) phyllanthoides. On mature plants masses of pink flowers, up to 10 cm long, appear on long trailing stems in spring and summer.

Image believed to be correct

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Erythrina crista-galli

£6.50

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Cockspur Coral Tree

A small tree in its native South America, here it makes a shrub to around ten feet with prickly stems from which hang racemes of red flowers in summer. Needs a sheltered spot away from hard frosts.

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