Growing amongst dry rocks and scree in the high Andes of Chile and Argentina at between 800-2700m, this lovely sub-shrubby alpine makes compact rosettes of leathery, hairy leaves and several thin, branching stems carrying delicate, deep yellow to orange pouches. ... Learn More

Native to Chile and Argentina, this lovely alpine forms low, compact rosettes of hairy leaves from which arise wiry stems each bearing a pair of inflated golden pouch flowers marked with tiny red spots. It performs well in moist but well-drained soil, especially a rock garden alpine trough, or gravel scree. ... Learn More

Inflated, pendent pouches, speckled red inside, hand from dividing thin stems, which arise from rosettes of pointed leaves, an unusual feature for this genus. Calceolaria falklandica is native not only to the Falklands but also to the Andes Mountains of Chile down to Patagonia. The genus name means "small shoe." ... Learn More

Probably new to cultivation, this lovely Chilean species will thrive best in a moist, shady corner, maybe in a deep pot or even a shady bed, as in the wild it inhabits wet stream edges and damp ravines. The broad leaves open into basal rosettes of emerald green, from which arise long thin stems topped with lemon-yellow balloon-like blooms. It blooms very quickly from seed and can even be grown as an annual. ... Learn More

Calceolaria integrifolia is a small, tender, bushy, evergreen sub-shrub with oblong, veiny, matt-green leaves with hairy undersides and with clusters of bright yellow, pouch-like flowers. This native of Argentina and Chile blooms from late spring through to early autumn. ... Learn More

Superb in a rock garden, this true-seeding, ground-hugging, hybrid plant (C. plantaginea x C. polyrrhiza) is highly sought by collectors of rock garden plants. The bright yellow flowers are large in size, with purple spots on the pouch. It has no woody stems and being a hybrid of two species that are native to very cold parts of South America, can thus take severe cold. ... Learn More

This very rapid-growing plant is ideal for a burst of colour when all else has failed. A sturdy mass of thin branches carries thousands of small, bright yellow pouches. It absolutely thrives in a hot Mexican-like spot! ... Learn More

These rare dwarf woody sub shrubs grow at altitude in the South American Andes, right down to Patagonia where they descend nearly to sea level. With showy massed bunches of sizeable, lemon-coloured, slightly flattened inflated pouch-flowers on strong graceful stems, they are easily grown in any rich, well drained soil in a sunny spot throughout the year. They appreciate and deserve shelter from excessive winter wetness, and therefore are even better in the rock garden, or even as a pot plant! ... Learn More

This is the true wild form of this lovely, ancient cottage garden flower. A fast growing annual or biennial, it has aromatic leaves and heads of vivid-orange daisy-like flowers which are borne in long and seemingly everlasting succession in the summer and autumn until the first hard frosts. The daisy-like flowers are excellent for cutting and can also be added to salads as an edible flower. They can even be used as a substitute for saffron when colouring rice dishes, and also can be made into tea. Finally, they are very bee-friendly! ... Learn More

This is the very rare, white flowered form of our normally yellow native marsh marigold, which luxuriates in damp boggy soil or even as a marginal plant in a pond, but will also do well in ordinary, moist garden soil. Its golden-eyed, ivory-white blooms open in spring just before the glossy leaves are fully unfurled. A second flush of bloom is very often produced in early autumn. ... Learn More

Imagine an enormous, strong-stemmed, fragrant bluebell with dense, erect spikes of six-petalled, star-shaped violet flowers. This large, bone-hardy, reliably perennial lily relative, flowers in early summer with the very occasional plant giving pure white, green-eyed flowers. ... Learn More

The pure white form of the more commonly seen blue one resembles an absolutely giant, fragrant bluebell. A large, bone-hardy, reliably perennial lily relative, it has dense, erect spikes of six-petalled, star-shaped white flowers. An easy and valuable hardy treasure. ... Learn More

This is a cream form of the more commonly seen blue one. Resembling an absolutely giant, fragrant bluebell, it has dense, erect spikes of six-petalled, star-shaped cream flowers. A large, bone-hardy, reliably perennial lily relative. ... Learn More

Sacajawea is a variegated-leaf-edged form of C.leichlinii alba, the name honouring a native American Indian woman who acted as an interpreter to the explorers Lewis and Clark. Their expedition crossed America east to west (and back, for the first time) in 1805. They found "quamash " bulbs to eat once they had crossed the Rocky Mountains, but we positively DO NOT recommend doing this now. These seeds may produce variable seedlings. ... Learn More

In early spring this bulbous perennial pushes up narrow leaves, glaucous above, and tall, strong, bare stems carrying spires of creamy starry flowers which take up little space among other rounded plants or shrubs. It seeds freely making glorious swathes in time. ... Learn More