Trends in annuals From Country Life The revival of old varieties In late Victorian times the range of hardy and half hardy annuals in catalogues was astonishing - over 150 different asters, thirty or forty nasturtiums, fifty annual phlox to pick just a few examples. Most have gone, but a few are returning. Striped antirrhinums are again available from most seed companies as are striped French marigolds and bicoloured nemesias, all recently re-introduced Victorian varieties. This year the trend continues with two re-introduced nasturtiums. The bushy 'Empress of India', with its deep scarlet flowers above dark, blue-green leaves, had survived for a hundred years but what of all the other colours with similar dark foliage? DT Brown, who are taking this revival more seriously than anyone, have them back this year as 'Dark Leaved Mixed' with five flower colours all set against the same dark foliage. The dark-leaved nasturtiums had been kept going quietly for years by a European seed company but Thompson & Morgan had to recreate their variegated climbing nasturtiums. In 1911 eight separate colours were available and a mixture was introduced for the first time, they were described as the "Royal Race of Variegated Queens". They had long since vanished so T&M crossed the bushy variegated 'Alaska' with climbing, green-leaved types and eventually came up with a mixture they call 'Jewel of Africa' - an odd name, since nasturtiums come originally from South America. Annual phlox is another plant which was very popular as a bedding plant and a cut flower a hundred years ago but many of the most unusual colours have long since disappeared. 'Tapestry', from Mr Fothergill, is an extraordinary mix of unusual shades, many with contrasting eyes, while DT Brown have brought back 'Leopoldii', a taller, scented, cut-flower type in shades of rose pink with a white eye. Old godetias like 'Schamini Supreme' for cut flowers have come back, the nearest thing to a pink calendula, 'Pink Surprise' has reappeared, and many of the old types of eschscholtzias are also being reintroduced, those with grey leaves like 'Rose Chiffon' are especially pretty. And I was particularly pleased to see many of the lost colours in mesembryanthems rediscovered in 'Harlequin'. From the Spring Gardens Number of Country Life, 1995 Back to Trends in annuals More on Trends in annuals Container plants Colours The future Annual Manual ©copyright 1999 Graham Rice. All Rights Reserved. All Images Digitally Watermarked.