Columbia Road Market 35

This week at Columbia Rd, I was looking for  some plants to add detail to a border at the edge of the expanse of pebbles in my garden and I discovered this Veronica Gentianiodes Variegata for £3. It has a sprightly arch to each stem, with flourishes of modest creamy white flowers that possess fine blue stripes, and long variegated leaves. My other purchase this morning was this Phlox Subulata Candy Stripes with irresistibly effervescent pink and white striped flowers. It cost £6 for a large specimen from David Williams, who supplied both of today’s discoveries and is always a reliable seller of healthy and vigorous plants. This Veronica and Phlox are perennial varieties that grow close to the ground, and I hope they will spread to form ground cover at the front of the beds, spilling out across the shingle path. In my tiny Spitalfields garden, I need plants that draw the eye closer and both these flowers reward examination with their delicate stripes and intriguing details.