Whenever I see a new true-blue flower for the first time I fall more and more for this shade, so this was a very welcome sight after ten days away from the garden centre where I work.
Native to Tibet and Western China, the showy Chinese gentian, or autumn gentian, is a gorgeous alpine plant perfect for a semi-shaded, moist but well-draining spot. The fine moss-like foliage is semi-evergreen and forms a dense mat, making it an efficient groundcover when enough plants are spaced out to occupy the given area. Like most other member of the genus, it prefers lime-free soils, from neutral to acidic.
I’m already running out of space in the very narrow perennial border I’m planting up at the allotment to make the bugs happy, but could I give up on the opportunity to add an autumn-flowering species to give me a splash of blue in this period of the year?! Not in this life, it’s coming home with me.
Spitfire Alice A Gra 
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