Cleome Violet Queen – sumptuous is the best word I can find to describe the purple blooms. These airy loose balls of flowers, 12-15cm across, are fragrant, loved by bees and followed by seed pods. These become a seed source for birds late on in the year. Long lasting and statuesque and with careful picking fab in a display. Flowers June to September.
Height to 120cm.
Annual.
Price for 100 seeds
SOW: between March and May in pots or modules of seed compost, lightly cover with perlite or vermiculite & put them where the daytime temperatures will be warm such as coldframe, greenhouse or windowsill. Germination: about 2 weeks.
GROW: after germination grow on with protection, potting up if necessary before eventually planting after all frost risk has passed. Space plants about 20-25cm apart in a sunny and well drained position
ENJOY: these look lovely with verbena, amazing with sunflowers and pretty good with everything else (bees and butterflies love them). Careful picking (there is a spine at the base of each leaf) will give you a lovely cut flower.
