Wisley Vanilla Tender Nemesia Plants

Nemesia 'Wisley Vanilla'. 2-Litre Potted Plants

Vanilla refers here to the strong scent of this compact, upright, plump little deciduous perennial with almost pure white flowers and some pale pink shading.

Browse our other nemesias, all of our annual bedding plants, or our perennials.

Features:

• Mostly white flowers with a good scent
• Long flowering period, May/early June to September
• Deciduous perennial
• Frost tender
• Pot-grown delivery: Year round
• Compact, upright habit
• To 30 x 30 cm
• Wildlife friendly

Growing 'Wisley Vanilla' Nemesias

Nemesias need full sun and well-drained soil. They should be fine outside in warm frost-free locations, especially in the microclimate next to a house or sunny wall. In colder areas, they should be brought into shelter overwinter.

Drought-tolerant when well established, they will nonetheless flower for longer if watered regularly in dry weather; don't overdo it though, as they are prone to root rot.

When your plants get growing, pinch off the growing tip of the new shoots to make them bush out nicely, and deadhead regularly to encourage more flowers, which should see you through the summer. If you need to tidy them in future years, trim them lightly in March or April.

In Your Garden Design

Resembling a tiny pansy, there is enough colour in the multitude of flowers for this lovely little plant to hold its own in a pot by itself; plant it near where you sit, so the the scent can waft over you in the evening. But why not grow it along with geraniums, verbena, dahlias or soft tufty Stipa tenuissima to really create a really eye-catching display.

These nemesia are used prolifically at the well-know RHS Wisley garden in Surrey, where over the years they have been dotted all around the garden thanks to their versatility. They have particularly enjoyed using it en masse in bedding largely so that their scent can be carried around the garden. Gardeners at Wisley often comment on how many visitors mention their scent. So copy their example and plant in large groups if you have space especially near areas where you sit. They compliment other scented plants such as Lonicera (honeysuckle) and Dianthus (pinks).

Did You Know?

Introduced by the world-famous Sussex breeder Martine Tellwright in 2004 to celebrate the centenary of the Royal Horticultural Society.