A lovely plant discovered on the Alpine Garden Society M.E.S.E. 1999 Expedition. Whorls of violet bracts and flowers on branching stems which carry fragrant leaves. ... Learn More

Spikes of pinkish white flowers stand above rosettes of soft grey foliage at the base, which can spread to form good ground cover and also make an excellent foil for neighbouring plants. This elegant clary will do best in dappled shade. Flower spikes are displayed from July to August and are best removed after flowering to prolong the display and to keep the plant strong. Does best in warm well-drained soil! ... Learn More

This stunning herbaceous perennial has sky blue flowers on tall, showy, branched spikes with large, wavy, grey-green leaves. In the wild it is found in northern Africa, Morocco, Tunisia, Algeria, and south-western Spain, usually between 500-1200 meters. ... Learn More

Deeply-veined, thick, beetroot-like leaves produce spires set with whorls of royal purple-lipped, soft, creamy yellow flowers. An exotic, almost tender looking plant, which is in fact completely hardy, making it a superb specimen for the front or middle of any choice border. ... Learn More

Several small stems grow almost horizontally from the roots before bearing upright inflorescences which carry apple-green, hairy leaves and creamy white flowers which are sometimes tipped with a yellow lip. It grows in western Greece, parts of Turkey and Iraq, and Iran, usually between 2000-6500 feet elevation and is frost hardy but desires a dryish sheltered spot in winter. ... Learn More

Multiple, strong dividing stems, with a self-supporting growth habit, carry simple, fragrant, broad leaves, with candelabra-fashion arrays of protruding, snow-white flowers opening along their lengths. One of the sources of the essential oil, Linalool, this plant, one of the aromatic medicinal plants, grows in the E. Mediterranean to Afghanistan, and on the mountains of Israel. It is used in Jordanian folk medicine for the treatment of microbial infections, malaria, inflammation and even to disinfect homes after sickness. ... Learn More

Fiery red flowers are displayed along the length of long mid-green stems with an interesting square cross-section, and emerge from a profusion of attractive, smallish, almost triangular, deeply veined, perfumed foliage. This attractive perennial will make a fine display shining out from the mid- to rear sections of your border, or as a fine specimen plant in a large container. In a hot dry spot, once established it is almost indestructible, flowering away when most others have shrivelled. And even if it is cut back by a hard winter it invariably re-shoots the following spring. ... Learn More

Enormous hairy basal leaves form a base for an immense display of white-tongued vivid purple-blue flowers on long, strong branching stems. This spectacular plant is bone hardy, long-lived and makes a stupendous display all summer long! ... Learn More

This reliable, robust, fragrant Himalayan plant has strong square stems holding large spreading panicles of purple-splashed, yellow hooded flowers, an unusual colour for salvias. Both the leaves and the flowers have a distinct minty-lavender perfume and are slightly sticky, hence the name. ... Learn More

Another hardy, but tender-looking salvia. Large deep purple and white flowers on stout sticky stems held well above the foliage in spring and summer. "One of the best border salvias." (William Robinson) Sorry, few seeds collected. ... Learn More

The bright green foliage of this famous Central American plant, native to central and southern Mexico and Guatemala, compliments the mauve spikes of flowers that appear in July and August. The seeds are a highly nutritious food source and contain high amounts of omega-3,6 and 9, and are harvested for use in health recipes and drinks, and were in fact once the third most produced staple food there, until it was condemned by the European invaders in the 1500s and was almost wiped out altogether. The leaves and stems are also popular in sandwiches, soups, salads and stews. The local name Chia comes from the Nahuatl language and means oily. Aztec warriors used Chia as a very high energy source on their conquests and in fact it is still a traditional food of both the Tarahumara and Chumash peoples of Chiuahua, in the south western part of Mexico. ... Learn More

Violet flowers bloom out of violet bracts from April until June on this lovely perennial native to Mediterranean woodlands and shrub lands, and which can be found growing in the mountains of Israel and which produces a seven-flowered flower stalk that the traditional candle stick was supposedly fashioned after, Biblical scholars claiming that Salvia judaica was the model for the temple lamp stand described in Exodus. ... Learn More

A noteworthy, small and compact sage with beautiful feathery foliage, and a profusion of plume-like flower spikes made up of unusual upside-down, violet-blue flowers in late spring. Native to the high mountains in the southern regions of the former Yugoslavia, Bulgaria, and Albania, this rare sage is eye-catching in and out of bloom. ... Learn More

Delicate white or pale lavender flowers appear in late spring and early summer, making a sophisticated contrast against the rosettes of shiny, dark red leaves whose colour intensifies in autumn. This fabulous ornamental sage will easily hold its own near the front of your border, as a specimen plant in a cottage garden or dotted about an informal gravel garden. ... Learn More

This white-woolly perennial herb, commonly found in the Kashmir valley, bears pale blue, nearly white flowers, which are are borne in spikes arranged in separated whorls, forming a branched cluster. It is hardy to Zone 7 although it may be evergreeen in warmer climes. ... Learn More