Milan Havlis - gardening

Bear’s breeches is a unique perennial with large, architectural leaves. They are deep green and extremely glossy. Strong plants make long, erect stems with pinkish flowers at the end of summer. It is evergreen in milder parts of Europe. Acanthus is popular in the Mediterranean where ...

Black Buddhist is another fantastic variety of African blue lily. It is a perennial which produces umbels of sky blue to deep blue funnel-shaped flowers. Its outstanding feature are deep blue, almost black stalks on which the flowers appear. The sturdy stems gain the same colour ...

African blue lily is one of the most attractive summer plants. This perennial is from southern Africa where less hardy species are grown. Bluestorm®, however, is a variety from Australia, bred by Anthony Tesselaar and offers extremely long flowering period. Bluestorm® ...

Ernest Wilson is a selection found in Korea in early 1900´s. It grew in a colder zone which predestined it to be ideal for testing in colder climates of the USA as well as Europe later on. Exotic looking flowers are pink, hairy spheres with yellowish centres, 3-5 cm large and with ...

A spectacular new variety of silk tree comes from Japan and is called Summer Chocolate®. It was discovered in 1990 as a seedling in a controlled planting of Albizia julibrissin in 1990. It was patented in the USA under PP 13,822 in 2003. It is considered a rarity for lovers ...

Ombrella® belongs to the hardy group. It was a chance selection from France which was observed and cultivated, and later on patented under the name Boubri. It differs from the species by darker leaves and deeply coloured flowers. Exotic looking flowers are pinky-red, hairy spheres with ...

Aralia’s bi-pinnate leaves are up to 1 meter long, compound of 3-5 cm long, mid green, ovate leaflets, pale or silvery green on the reverse. The leaves grow horizontally from a single stem (usually), making nearly flat layers of foliage. They fall down early in the season but before the ...

Variegata is an attractive version of angelica tree with creamy-white variegated leaf margins. Its bi-pinnate leaves are up to 1 meter long, compound of 3-5 cm long, ovate leaflets, pale or silvery green on the reverse. The leaves grow horizontally from a single stem (usually ...

Among the most spectacular conifers this monkey puzzle tree is the hardiest. The scale-like leaves are dark green, sharp-pointed. This species is said to be 60 million years old. It dislikes atmospheric pollution and hot and dry soil. It does surprisingly well in our climate, too, if you provide ...

Monkey puzzle tree is a conifer that originates from Chile but we have a special selection for you which comes from Italy and is hardier and more reliable in our continental climate. It is called Robusta Gheri and is the only one that survived winter of 1985 in Tuscany when t ...

A few years ago I visited an interesting nursery in Belgium and after we made business my eye rested upon a small shrub with tiny, deep green leaves. It looked rather attractive even in February but the nursery owner expressed his doubts about its hardiness in the Czech Republic. So I said I would g ...

One of the hardiest figs for our climate (zone 6) is named Brown Turkey. As the name suggests the fruit is brownish-red or blackish-purple, relatively large and sweet. They do not require pollination. Immature fruit and branches contain sap which can be an eye and lip-irritant. ...

Another hardy fig that can grow and even fruit in our climate (zone 6) is called Bornholm’s Diamond (Bornholms Diamant). Its name and characteristics were derived from a Swedish variety called Bornholm bred on on island of the same name. This one is more tolerant of damp w ...

Gardenia is a well-known indoor plant with fantastic fragrance. However, in 1990´s a few breeders came with selections that were supposed to grow happily outdoors, too. Among those Kleim’s Hardy was one of the first truly successful attempts. Kleim’s Hardy is a s ...

Giant gunnera is probably the biggest herbaceous perennial in the world, apart from banana trees. This exotic looking plant is called dinosaur’s food and comes from the Andes (Chile, Costa Rica, Columbia) where it can grow 3 m tall. Its leaves work like funnels, directing all rainwa ...

Little Carmine, same as Scarlet, is a Czech variety with compact habit and smaller size – it grows only about 60 cm tall. Flowers are carmine red, up to 20 cm across, very attractive. The plant makes more and more flowering stems every year. Deadheading spent flowers will ...

Luna Blush® is a very attractive Luna® range variety derived from Luna White but in this case the petals are really blushing, showing pink shades. The flowers are large, 20 cm and have a small burgundy red eye. It is a compact, dense growing perennial with sturdy stems and bush ...

Luna Red® bears large, deep red flowers, 20 cm across. It is a compact, dense growing perennial with sturdy stems and bushy growth. Deadheading spent flowers will encourage setting new flower buds. Leaves are smooth or nearly glossy above, and slightly hairy underneath, deep gre ...

Luna White® is a variety from the Luna® range, with large, 20 cm across flowers of pure white colour with a small burgundy red eye. It is a compact, dense growing perennial with sturdy stems and bushy growth. Deadheading spent flowers will encourage setting new flower buds. ...

Swamp mallow has been a sought after plant over the past couple of years and its popularity is rising as new varieties keep coming in the market. Variety name Mauvelous is a play on words, combining mauve and marvellous, both of which are true as descriptions of its flowers. ...

Rosana bears very attractive multi-coloured flowers. They are white with pink blushes at the marging and a conspicuous red eye in the middle. Flowers are 20-23 cm across and the plant grows about 1m tall. Deadheading spent flowers will encourage setting new flower buds. Leaves are s ...

Swamp mallow has been a sought after plant over the past couple of years and its popularity is rising as new varieties keep coming in the market. Scarlet is a Czech selection with deep red flowers of enormous size: 20-23 cm wide. Fat buds are deep red, too. Deadheading spent ...

Swamp mallow and its hybrids have been sought after plants for the past few years now. They are perennials with sturdy stems that have large, tropically looking flowers. Fireball is a unique variety with large, about 15-25 cm across, clear red flowers from midsummer until early ...

Swamp mallow and its hybrids have been sought after plants for the past few years now. They are perennials with sturdy stems that have large, tropically looking flowers. Kopper King is a variety with large, dinner-plate-size flowers that can be anything from 20 up to 30 cm acros ...

Swamp mallow and its hybrids have been sought after plants for the past few years now. They are perennials with sturdy stems that have large, tropically looking flowers. Oak Red is a new variety with deep red, extra large flower. They are up to 20 cm across and appear from midsu ...

If you like flowers of Mauvelos® variety of swamp mellow this plant is very similar, unpatented. Its flowers are bright red with a conspicuous burgundy red eye in the middle, very large: 20-23 cm across and the plant grows about 1m tall. Deadheading spent flowers will encourage set ...

Very large flowers are synonym for this swamp mallow variety. Its name is Volcano and bears white flowers with red eye, 20-24 cm across. Stems grow about 1m tall and produce abundant quantity of flowers every year in late summer. Deadheading spent flowers will encourage setting ...

Coquito palm is another of very few hardy palms suitable for milder parts of Europe. And this is the only one with pinnate leaves similar to date palm (phoenix canariensis). It grows considerably slowly and forms a thick trunk that looks like pineapple when young. Feather-like leaves are more than 1 ...

Natchez is another hardy hybrid of crape myrtle. It has profusion of white flowers from mid summer. Deciduous leaves are 3-4 cm long, elliptic to obovate, very glossy, mid green in summer, turning red and orange in autumn. Older plants reveal cinnamon red flaking-off bark. Natch ...

This evergreen pearl among flowering trees is one of the hardiest southern magnolias ever selected. It was named after a lady from New Jersey, USA, who grew magnolias in her garden. One bad winter nearly all of them died. Only this one survived -30°C. So she decided to make cuttings and later on had ...

A very hardy variety of southern magnolia from the USA. Exmouth, which is in leaf all year, blooms already as a young tree with gorgeous creamy white blossoms upto 30 cm wide. The new growths as well as leaf and flower buds are hairy which is supposed to increase its hardiness. And that is rated do ...

How strange to combine ‘grandi’ and ‘little’ in one name. Well, in case of this gorgeousness we do not care a bit. This selection is a special variety with reduced size of everything: overall size, leaves and flowers. On the other hand there is much more of everything. The gl ...

Maryland is a unique variety of bull bay magnolia. It has large, about 25 cm wide creamy white flowers with a lovely perfume which spreads wide mainly in the evening. They come out from early until mid-summer. Flower buds are large, at the ends of new shoots. Maryland is extr ...

This cultivar of evergreen magnolia was born in a Canadian province British Columbia in 1930. Since then it has shown extreme frost tolerance and many Czech enthusiasts rate this variety the most reliable as regards the leaves which are seldom burnt by frost. Its name is Victoria

Goliath is bushier than the species. As you can tell by its name, something is going to be extraordinary here. True: the flowers are extremely large, often 30 cm wide, strongly fragrant and appear on the plant continuously from June, throughout the summer, until the last warm and sunny ...

This variety received its name after a French governor in Canada in 18 century, and has been in cultivation in France for more than 150 years. It is very popular in Britain, too, where it is considered fully hardy. And Italy, namely Tuscany, would most definitely lose its most spectacular symbol wit ...

Japanese banana is a popular perennial that can create a tropical atmosphere even in colder countries of Europe. It forms a false trunk with large, up to 1m long, fresh green, deciduous leaves. The crown looks very much like a palm canopy which is why Japanese banana is loved by gardeners who ...

Another striking feature of exotic-like gardens in our climate (zone 6) are leaves of banana trees. This selection “Sakhaline” is fully hardy and was named by the largest Russian island in the North Pacific, where its origin is. Though this island is in the same climatic zone as for exam ...

The hardiest palm tree in the world has identity crisis. This, on the other hand, does not stop us from trying this exotic beauty in our climate. Originally from the Himalayas, it is used to long periods of frost, and sometimes snow. It likes clay soil but the constitution must be permeable. If the ...

This wagnerianus subspecies is a miniature version of the hardiest palm tree in the world – Chusan palm. It has quite stiff, deep green frond leaves with shorter stems that withstand wind better than its parent. Originally from the Himalayas, it is used to long periods of ...