Try something new

Foreign introductions are always tempting to grow–and so often disappoint– but, writes John Hoyland, the Australian baptisia is proving hardy and happy in a range of conditions here and becoming a new garden stalwart

- John Hoyland

THE desire for things novel and innovative is as strong in the world of gardening as it is in the world of fashion. Garden centres rely on finding new and tempting varieties to keep customers coming back to buy more plants. Even the most humble garden plants have been the subject of breeding programmes aimed at producing bigger, bolder and more colourful blooms.

A couple of decades ago, many gardeners were captivated by the range of coneflowers —Echinacea—that started to emerge onto the market. After being available only as a muddy pink or a dirty white, here were cultivars with orange, yellow, bright red and sparkling white flowers. We all rushed out to acquire these wonderful new plants, but disenchantment quickly set in as we discovered that many of the plants were tempera- mental weaklings that expired after a few seasons. Most gardeners know that tried-andtested varieties—‘good doers’, as nursery- woman Beth Chatto used to call them—are probably best for our gardens, but new temptations can prove irresistible.

Plant breeders have now turned their attention to another unassuming plant—baptisia. As are echinaceas, these are plants of the American prairies, but, unlike their cousins, baptisia are tough, undemanding plants and their robust traits are ensuring that the new hybrids will be long-lasting and not in need of mollycoddling. These are plants that are fast becoming the next generation of good doers.