[Good guy]

Sue Deacon asked, on a different thread, about the plants I bought last week at Johnstown Garden Centre.
This is what I bought:
Euphorbia characias Wulfenii, Astrantia Florence,
Campanula globata Alba, Anemone x hybrida Honorine, Achillea The Pearl, Anemone multifeda, Acanthus Mollis.
The euphorbia I used to have before, when I started this garden - in those days I didn't realise how important it is to divide perennials to renew them and I lost it. Much the same story with the achillea. One of the things that I find annoying about garden centres is that they so often only stock what is in fashion, but of course the marketing people control that. Our local garden centres, good as they are, can't afford to keep stuff they are unlikely to sell, they are too small to absorb the cost of keeping stock.
My plan is to pot most of these on and keep them in a bit of shelter. If they do well, I'll be able to divide them before I plant them out in the summer.

[Greengage]

Nice selection there, I would be careful with the Acanthus, I have it and it comes up everywhere i the bed but where i want it to stay, can be a bit spiky on top, I love Astrianta and Anenome Honerine Jobert I think its called is a lovely long lasting flower once it settles down.

[Good guy]

Greengage: Yes, you're right, I missed the 'Jobert'. I really like acanthus (have done since studying O Level History of Art - Corinthian columns) but I've never seen it on sale. I tried taking an offshoot from one I found in a garden in Mayo last year but I don't think I got a big enough piece of root with it. Anyway, I think it's dead; a pity because I'm usually good at that stuff. What soil conditions is yours in? I have Astrantia already, a plain creamy one but I don't know the variety as I liberated it from an old garden gone wild.
Sue, thanks for the tip about the garden centre. I might make a detour sometime, on the way to or from Holyhead. My next trip to England is to near Harrogate to see my grownup son and grandchildren, at Easter. I'll be going to Harlow Carr, which I've not been to, yet. Mostly, we fly to Britain but this time I'm driving, so I'll probably be able to squeeze a few plants in!

[Greengage]

I have it in Loamy soil well fed, As for the Astrianta i like tha,t had it but dissappeared from my garden (White one) and I was mixing it up with Trysertis formosa now thats a nice delicate plant also know as toad lily.

[Good guy]

The Astrantia self seeds for me. It's growing in shady semi shade and doesn't seem to mind that the soil is quite sticky, not at all well drained. The acanthus I saw doing so well in Mayo was in loamy soil, too. Toad lily I don't have, as yet, anyway. Having just had a look at T formosana, it's gorgeous, I can see why you grow it!