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New plants: Pulsatilla ‘Fairy Dreams’
Rich colouring and fully double flowers make this striking pasque flower a valuable spring addition to sunny borders and containers
The pasque flower (Pulsatilla vulgaris) is a hardy British native
The elegant wild pasque flower, which usually grows wild on limestone soils in full sun, carries large, nodding, five-petalled purple flowers with a mass of golden anthers in the centre. The flowers are held in tight clumps on upright 15-18cm stems in late March or April.
The silky seedheads that follow are a little like those of many clematis and, as they develop, the stems lengthen and the lacy, prettily divided foliage develops.
What’s so special about Pulsatilla ‘Fairy Dreams’?
Garden varieties of pasque flower with blooms in white and various lilac, purple and red tones have been grown for many years. Semi-double varieties with a larger number of narrower petals are sometimes seen, usually under the name ‘Papageno’. However, this new pasque flower is unique – it’s the first to promise fully double, rich dark purple flowers.
Where did ‘Fairy Dreams’ come from?
‘Fairy Dreams’ was discovered on his nursery by Dutch grower Philip van Hilst, who specialises in alpines. He said: “It was discovered as a seedling in 2018. I knew that there is a semi-double Pulsatilla (‘Papageno’) but had never seen double flowering ones like this. It reminded me of a clematis flower,” he said.
“What also struck me was the warm dark purple colour – most Pulsatilla have more dull purple flowers. Lastly, because of the fully double flowers, it blooms for longer than ‘Papageno’.
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Growing pasque flower ‘Fairy Dreams’
‘Fairy Dreams’ thrives in full sun, in fertile but well-drained soil and will grow well anywhere that both its main requirements – sun and good drainage – are met. It’s ideal in raised beds, gravel gardens and large troughs and, like other pasque flowers, makes an impressive specimen in a large terracotta pot.
Best left alone to develop into a prolific clump, ‘Fairy Dreams’ dislikes being split or
Where can I buy ‘Fairy Dreams’?
Pulsatilla ‘Fairy Dreams’ is currently only available from Hayloft Plants, so hurry while stocks last!
