Roscoea purpurea ‘Wisley Amethyst’

£ 9.50

 

Tubers are now available to Pre-order (click here for more information about pre-ordering). Orders will be despatched from 4th March 2024.

Handsome white and purple orchid-like flowers appear from June and to August.  Height 30-40cm. Grown at Wisley and propagated by us in celebration of the bicentenary Royal Horticultural Society. Supplied as flowering-sized tubers during March and April. 

Only 1 left in stock

SKU: ROSTB10 Category:
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Description

Roscoea purpurea ‘Wisley Amethyst’ has beautiful orchid-like creamy white and purple flowers which appear from June through to August, and grows to a height of up to 40 cm. It was originally collected by plant hunter Frank Kingdon-Ward in 1938, and grown at Wisley and propagated in celebration of the bicentenary of the Royal Horticultural Society.

Roscoea are robust, herbaceous perennials in the ginger family.  They are suitable for the front of borders, in a rock garden or grown in a container.  With orchid-like flowers in the summer they can be found in colours ranging from white and cream through pinks, brick reds and purples.  They have tuberous, fleshy roots (similar in appearance to dahlia) that become dormant in late autumn, with strap shaped leaves from April onwards.  Some appearing above ground as late as June in the case of Roscoea ‘Red Gurkha’.  They are hardy throughout the British Isles. 

Roscoea grow well in light, dappled shade.  They grow in any moist, free draining soil.  They are frost hardy in the garden when planted at the right depth (10-15cm below surface).  They can also be grown successfully in pots and containers where some frost protection is recommended during severe frosts. 

We send out flowering-sized tubers (similar to dahlia) Water well after planting and as the plant establishes.  Ensure that they don’t suffer from drought in the summer or waterlogging in the winter. 

To find out more about planting your Roscoea purpurea ‘Wisley Amethyst’ tuber please see our Roscoea Planting Advice page. 

Our selection of Roscoea includes four with the prefix ‘Harvington‘.  These are a set of distinctive plants bred by Hugh Nunn in the Vale of Evesham and selected for their beauty, vigour and garden worthiness.  Several have been awarded the Royal Horticultural Society’s Award of Garden Merit (AGM) in recognition of these characteristics.

They have also featured in the RHS publication ‘The Garden’ (January 2016). 

https://www.rhs.org.uk/about-the-rhs/publications/the-garden