Making an impressive evergreen shrublet, this beautiful plant bears large, soft, velvety leaves, and almost as a bonus, purple flowers smother the plant in early summer. Although it looks tender, it is frost hardy, and either in a very large pot or in the garden it is an arresting sight. ... Learn More

This unique plant often stands pride of place amongst the winter foliage plants, where it shines like a lantern in the garden. As a bonus, purple flowers smother the plant in early summer. Either in a very large pot or in the garden it is an arresting sight. ... Learn More

This unusual Turkish plant has woolly, grey green foliage which is surrounded by pearly pink flowers that make a rustic and ornamental addition to the garden. A lovely tall and slender wild flower, it has blossoms quite similar to "Bryony", whence it takes its name. ... Learn More

From Kashmir comes this tall showy plant with remarkable propeller-like white-centred pink mallow blooms. Strong stems clad in downy ivy-shaped leaves survive without staking throughout the very long flowering season. "A remarkable stately plant" (Graham Stuart Thomas) ... Learn More

This popular shrub is grown for the masses of dark pink, hollyhock-like flowers that smother its branches all summer long from June to September. The deeply lobed, grey-green leaves are attractive too. Extremely long-flowering, this vigorous tree mallow will thrive in a well-drained shrub or mixed border, but needs plenty of space to spread itself out as its puts on tremendous growth in just one season. In cold areas of the country it may be best grown against a warm wall to minimise wind and frost damage. ... Learn More

L. trimestris is an upright annual, to 1.2m tall, with rounded, shallowly-lobed leaves and open funnel-shaped flowers to 10cm across. Flowers appear in mid to late summer in shades of pink or white, often with darker veining of the throat. ... Learn More

A lovely form of L. trimestris producing an almost endless display of bright pink, four inch wide, trumpet-shaped flowers, prominently veined with deep red-purple towards the centre. This AGM winner is dwarf, bushy and well branched, and is covered in flowers from mid-July to September. In addition, the weather resistant stems with long-stalked, palmately lobed leaves, do not need staking. ... Learn More

An absolute gem, this new campanula relative was discovered in an Eastern European botanic garden. Large white-eyed violet-mauve star-flowers smother the foliage. Ideal for rock garden or container. ... Learn More

A fascinating, rare and elusive plant from Japan, which makes a tight spreading carpet consisting of tidy rosettes of serrated leaves. From this arise flower buds which are pink-tinged, and open to golden-eyed white flowers, followed by fluffy seedheads. An utterly hardy specimen, Zone3 in the USA! ... Learn More

Leonotis leonurus, commonly known as wild dagga or lion's tail, is a flowering perennial plant that belongs to the Lamiaceae family. Wild dagga is a robust and erect herbaceous plant with square stems, typical of the mint family. It can grow up to 6 feet (1.8 meters) in height, and its long, tubular flowers cluster at the top of the stems, forming dense whorls. The opposite leaves are lance-shaped and have a slightly toothed margin. The most distinctive feature of Leonotis leonurus is its striking flowers. These tubular flowers, often orange to reddish-orange, resemble the mane of a lion, givi ... Learn More

An aristocratic plant distantly related to the dandelion, but this hardy perennial,non-invasive plant is infinitely more garden-worthy with branching stems that hold sizeable golden heads above rosettes of thick, leathery, deeply-toothed leaves. ... Learn More

This very old, softly-prickly cottage garden plant, between June and August, has hairy flowers which are pale pink to purple, alternating up the stems, with whorls of leaves which are oak-shaped and deeply lobed into three. Motherwort has a long history of use as a herb in traditional medicine in Central Europe, Asia and North America. Midwives used it for a variety of purposes, including uterine tonic and prevention of uterine infection in women, hence the name Motherwort. And finally, in the Victorian 'Language of Flowers' it symbolizes concealed love. ... Learn More

From the Caucasus mountains comes this rare and quite spectacular plant with a remarkable resemblance to an absolutely giant muscari or "grape hyacinth". Several radiating thick, fleshy, pointed leaves rest upon the ground, whilst a stout stem arises, on the top of which numerous buds open into long-stemmed blue flowers. In a large pot or hot dry garden will be impressive, and it will grow bigger annually. ... Learn More

This rare plant makes an unusual Hyacinth type spike of flowers, the lower fertile ones being deep brown bronze, and pale brown with yellow teeth, the upper sterile tassel is purple to violet and even pinkish in some plants. Quite an amazing combination, and although it will do well in a well-drained rockery it will be absolutely spectacular in a pot! ... Learn More

An unusual new herbaceous plant, related to salvias, from Chile, with beautifully fragrant foliage. The deep carmine red flowers appear very late in the year, from July into late autumn. ... Learn More