Gentle Shepherd

Name - The name of the hybridizer and date of introduction.

Season of flowering -
Early usually starts mid-late June.
Mid Season is late June with main flowering through July.
Late season is late July and into August.
Please note flowering period can be affected by positioning and seasonality factors. By selecting varieties with different flowering periods you will get the longest period of bloom.

Bloom size - The bloom size is measured across the face of the bloom when open flat. It can vary a little according to age of the plant, etc.

Height - This is an approximate height of the flower stems. The foliage is usually lower.

Foliage type -
Dormant means the leaves dies down completely in the winter.
Semi Evergreen varieties maintain some foliage over-winter.
Evergreen varieties may maintain all foliage over the winter. The foliage state can be influenced by the severity or otherwise of the winter period.
It is often said that dormant varieties are the absolute hardiest but all offered varieties have been extensively trialled here and all are hardy.

Ploidy - In layman's terms ploidy is the number of chromosomes a variety has. Older varieties are nearly all diploids but modern day breeding techniques resulted in improved tetraploid varieties with three chromosomes. It is difficult to distinguish between them in general plant appearance, although diploids do have ever so slightly narrower foliage. As far as the blooms are concerned tetraploids have flowers with thicker, heavier substance and fuller form and are the very pinnacle of perfection and grandeur. Diploids are not so heavily textured and can be more graceful in appearance. They also tend to open earlier in the day even when it is colder. Diploids will usually grow and increase more quickly.

Parentage - The varieties that were crossed and hybridized to create the variety.