I have mentioned before the developments made in diascias and nemesias in recent decades so it is appropriate to mention a new nemesia that should find its way onto some garden centre benches this year. Like many of the best, and earliest ground-breaking cultivars, this one comes from Penhow Nursery in Wales, though marketed by PlantHaven (photo copyright PlantHaven). Jimmy Jones started breeding these plants more than 30 years ago and the developments have been mighty impressive. These shrubby perennials, that will flower all summer, from spring to autumn, are sometimes hardy enough to survive winter outside, though it is best not to rely on this. The early cultivars had small flowers, mostly in blue and mauve shades and brought fragrance to our gardens but gradually the colour range has started to incorporate the colours we used to associate with annual nemesias and the latest do not set seed, meaning they flower continually rather than in flushes which used to be the norm.

This beauty is Nemesia Penhow (R) Sunglow TM ‘Yellow Bicolor’ and has bright gold lower petals and plum purple upper petals which make a really bold show. It is said to be the first yellow bicolour with such bright colouring and will grow to 15cm high and wide. If it does stop blooming it can be cut back and should bounce back with more flowers after a month or so, depending on the time of year.

Sunday Puzzler solution

How did you get on yesterday? Here is the answer.

The plants were:

Ipheion (though this is more properly tristagma now)

Salvia

Schizanthus

Schizostylis (though this should be hesperantha now – sorry about these name changes)

Iris

Nigella

Tropaeolum

Sorbus

Rehmannia

Ulex

Heliotropium

So those give you I S S S I N T S R U H G

Rearrange those and you get Sissinghurst

jimmy jones, Nemesia Penhow (R) Sunglow TM 'Yellow Bicolor', penhow nursery