Each year the Royal Horticultural Society runs comprehensive trials of popular garden plants to find those that are the best to grow. A three-year trial of sanguisorba came to its conclusion recently, and lots of excellent garden-worthy varieties won the Award of Garden Merit (AGM).
Flowering from mid-summer and well into autumn, sanguisorba really earn their keep. As well as their flowers, which can either be bobbly, fluffy or a bit like catkins, their pinnate foliage is also very attractive, the individual leaves having edges that look as if they’ve been trimmed with giant pinking shears. The flowers come in white, or dark browny-red, and shades of pink and mauve, and depending on the variety, they can be short growing and suitable for the front of borders at 30cm tall, or towering perennials capable of reaching around 2m, ideal for bold prairie schemes or the backs of borders. They like fertile soil and sun or part shade, and are easy to care for – simply cut the dead leaves and stems back once a year, before their new growth emerges each spring.
The Award of Garden Merit judges looked at how long the sanguisorba in the trial flowered, the habit and impact of each plant, the quality and proportion of their flowers, and the quality of the foliage. Weather resistance was also assessed, as was their susceptibility to pests and diseases, and their need for support. Here are some of the AGM-winning sanguisorba, all of which passed the test with flying colours.
Airy and graceful, Sanguisorba ‘All Time High’. Photo: RHS/Nicola Stocken
The Award of Garden Merit judges said Sanguisorba ‘All Time High’ was “upright, graceful and airy with light fresh foliage”. Its dangling, catkin-like flowers in white are held on stems that can
Read more on theenglishgarden.co.uk