The Calke Abbey Collection
Calke Abbey is a Grade I listed country house near Ticknall, Derbyshire, England, in the care of the charitable National Trust.
The site was an Augustinian priory from the 12th century until its dissolution by Henry VIII.
I love a mix of good old fashioned garden favourites and wildflowers for a lengthy display throughout the summer
Heloise Brooke, Head Gardener Calke Abbey
California Poppy Orange King
Eschscholzia californica
Traditional rich orange Californian poppy which produces a stunning display all summer. Ideal for broadcast sowing into large drifts and freely self-seeds for a long lasting display.
Eschscholzia californica, the California poppy, golden poppy, California sunlight or cup of gold, is a species of flowering plant in the family Papaveraceae, native to the United States and Mexico. It is cultivated as an ornamental plant flowering in summer (spring in southern Australia), with showy cup-shaped flowers in brilliant shades of red, orange and yellow (occasionally pink and white). It is also used as food or a garnish. It became the official state flower of California in 1903.
Its native habitat includes California and extends to Oregon, Washington, Nevada, Arizona, New Mexico, Sonora and northwest Baja California. The Antelope Valley California Poppy Reserve is located in northern Los Angeles County. At the peak of the blooming season, orange flowers seem to cover all 1,745 acres (706 ha) of the reserve.
Eschscholzia californica was the first named species of the genus Eschscholzia, named by the German botanist Adelbert von Chamisso after the Baltic German botanist Johann Friedrich von Eschscholtz, his friend and colleague on Otto von Kotzebue’s scientific expedition to California and the greater Pacific circa 1810 aboard the Russian ship Rurik.
Foxglove Excelsior Mixed
Digitalis purpurea
A traditional cottage garden flower favourite. Tall elegant spires of trumpet shaped flowers in a wide colour range, including many shades of purples. Attracts bees and butterflies with its lightly sweet fragrance.
Common foxglove 'Excelsior Group' (Digitalis purpurea 'Excelsior Group') is derived from the common foxglove (Digitalis purpurea) and is a very popular background cultivar in gardens due to its height. It is relatively difficult to tell apart from the ordinary foxglove. Common foxglove 'Excelsior Group' produces white, pink, purple, and yellow flowers that align horizontally around the spike.
Due to the presence of the cardiac glycoside digitoxin, the leaves, flowers and seeds of this plant are all poisonous to humans and some animals and can be fatal if ingested.
Nigella 'Miss Jekyll'
Nigella damascena
Nigella damascena is a lovely old cottage garden flower, a favourite for scattering wherever there’s a gap in the flower border. Nigella damascena ‘Miss Jekyll’ bears masses of sky-blue flowers on upright stems, in contrast with ferny foliage, for up to eight weeks. Both the flowers and foliage are useful in flower arranging, and its seedheads work well in dried flower arrangements. For best results grow Nigella damascena ‘Miss Jekyll’ in fertile, well-drained soil in full sun. Plants will self-seed readily. In windy gardens, support the stems with twiggy sticks.
Named for Gertrude Jekyll, one of the most influential garden designers of the 20th century. Gertrude Jekyll, 29 November 1843 – 8 December 1932, was a British horticulturist, garden designer, craftswoman, photographer, writer and artist. She created over 400 gardens in the United Kingdom, Europe and the United States, and wrote over 1000 articles for magazines such as Country Life and William Robinson's The Garden.
Jekyll has been described as "a premier influence in garden design" by British and American gardening enthusiasts. She is remembered for her outstanding designs and subtle, painterly approach to the arrangement of the gardens she created, particularly her "hardy flower borders"
Visit our full collection of National Trust seeds, inspired by Calke Abbey, including
AQUILEGIA Barlow Mixed
CALIFORNIA POPPY Orange King
CANTERBURY BELLS Cup & Saucer Mixed
CORNFLOWER Black Ball
FOXGLOVE Excelsior Mixed
LAVENDER Hidcote
LUPIN Russell Hybrids Mixed
NASTURTIUM Climbing Mixed
NIGELLA Miss Jekyll
SWEET PEA Old Spice Mixed