White, purple and lavender sweetly-perfumed flowers are followed by small fruits on this slender, tendriled climbing plant which has unlobed, three pointed leaves resembling the leaves of an Alder tree. It is native to montane rainforests and cloud forests of the Andes mainly in Colombia and Ecuador between 1700 to 3200 m. and therefore, coming from altitude, does well in temperate conditions which are neither too hot in summer or too cold in winter. This plant will provide nectar and pollen for bees, butterflies and the many other types of pollinating insects. ... Learn More

Beautiful, tubular, deep pink-red flowers flare open on strong, superfast-growing stems, which can reach up to 20m in height, and are clad with trilobed leaves. Later appear the large, round, fleshy, sweet and aromatic yellowish fruits. This rare and vigorous evergreen climber comes from cool, high elevation Andean cloud forests in southwestern Colombia and in Ecuador between 2200 and 3600 m. It is therefore well adapted to cool conditions, and will grow in many warm temperate climates, although in frosty weather leaves and shoots will be cut back, but will regrow from the base in spring. Because of its origins high in the Andes it is resistant to lower temperatures, even down to -5°C. It is also a magnet for numerous birds, bees, and butterflies, and is botanically a member of the rare Tacosnia group of Passifloras. ... Learn More

This vigorous climber has deeply 3-lobed leaves, climbing tendrils, and purple-centred frilly white flowers, followed by a heavy crop of purple, edible fruit. It is native to Paraguay, Brazil and parts of Argentina and although it is half hardy, it may be killed off down to the ground in hard winters, but reliably re-grows from the roots next spring. ... Learn More

Strong vines carry large, attractive, greenish-white flowers, which produce absolutely huge, almost spherical, orange to yellow fruits. The fascinating outer shell is slippery and hard like an egg-shell, and has soft padding on the interior to protect the easily-chewed black seeds which are surrounded by sweet, aromatic, transparent pulp, rather reminiscent of pineapple. These fruits are best eaten like a hard-boiled egg by cutting off a piece of the hard shell and scooping out the tasty flesh, which contains vitamins A, C, and K, phosphorus, iron, and calcium. It is native to the Andes Mountains between Bolivia, Venezuela and Colombia, growing as far south as northern Argentina and as far north as Mexico. Outside of its native range it grows in the tropical mountains of Africa and Australia, and is now common in local markets of Papua New Guinea. ... Learn More

From Colombia and Ecuador comes this rare and seemingly newly-discovered, profusely-flowering Passiflora, which opens saucer-shaped, strawberry-red flowers, white at the bases, with short blue and white coronas, and prominent yellow anthers. Whilst red-flowered ones have been available for a long time, this combination is unique. This evergreen to semi-evergreen vine dies back to the ground in colder areas, but will return reliably if well mulched or planted in a sunny location. The fruit is fragrant, smelling like a cross between the purple passion fruit and banana passion fruit, and may be edible, although it can be toxic when unripe. It has been suggested that P. manicata fruit may be hallucinogenic and it is known in Ecuador as ‘diablito’ because of its hallucinogenic properties. Other sources suggest that the fruit is edible, and probably eating unripe fruit (dangerous with any Passiflora) is the problem. The gorgeous flowers will attract butterflies, bees, and other pollinating insects, as well as hummingbirds in warmer climes, because the flowers produce copious amounts of nectar. Although this variety grows in nature high in the mountains of Peru, between 1500-2500mtrs, and shows cool temperature tolerance, it can also be grown indoors as well as outdoors. In the house it can flower all the year round, but in the garden, patio or balcony, it flowers until late autumn. ... Learn More

Resembling a straight banana with rounded ends, this passion fruit prefers a cooler and less humid environment than others, when it will produce dozens of large, bright yellow fruits which usually hang, hidden, deep within the foliage of the plant, the vines sometimes having the tendency to fall down to the ground with the great weight of the fruit. These are ripe when they are easily pulled from the vine, the interior being a deep, dark orange. Unlike the more common passifloras, this is quite sweet, and when very ripe can be eaten out of hand. It is native to the Andes, and is found wild in Venezuela, Columbia, Peru, and Bolivia at high altitudes up to 5400 to 10,500 feet. In warmer climes the bright pink flowers, which bloom continuously throughout the year, attract hummingbirds, as well as being a favourite food of the butterflies. ... Learn More

One of the most beautiful of the passion flowers, this beauty opens its large, fragrant flowers with deep red petals and a centre crown that contains five rows of numerous white and purple rays. Large leaves hang from stems that are quadrangular in cross section, hence its botanical name. It produces the most enormous fruits of all of the passion fruits, which grow very rapidly, and may weigh up to 4 kg (9 lb) turning to medium yellow when mature. For best fruiting, flowers should be hand pollinated. The ripe fruit is eaten fresh or used in drinks whilst unripe, green fruit is eaten as a vegetable. It is quite hardy, surviving temperatures down to 1°C (35°F) for short periods of time. In warm areas it can be cultivated in home gardens, or it can even be kept as a greenhouse or indoor container plant, and grown in a sunny south-facing window. ... Learn More

This rare and most attractive semi-dwarf plant from the mountains of Japan, produces wide flat plates of bright yellow flowers in early summer which will brighten up a dark corner. Easy to grow, completely hardy and very long-lived. ... Learn More

This truly spectacular tree is another of the Paulownia group, and is the fastest-growing of them all. More exotic than the more common Paulownia tomentosa, it opens its darker, cherry-tree pink "foxglove" flowers on naked branches in early spring with the large, dinner-plate-sized, soft furry leaves appearing later. If cut nearly to the ground in spring, enormous leaves develop on the shoots sprouting from the soil. It does especially well in poor, impoverished and quite dry soil! ... Learn More

This truly spectacular tree produces large, pale mauve "foxglove" flowers on naked branches in early spring, the large, dinner-plate-sized, soft furry leaves appearing later. If cut to the ground in spring, enormous leaves develop on the shoots sprouting from the soil. It does especially well in poor, impoverished and quite dry soil! ... Learn More

Flowers consisting of pure white creased petals with a deep crimson centre, have the typical bunch of protruding pollen-covered anthers, typical of most in the mallow family. The plant sends out equally long side branches which are thin and droopy, and with pruning, it can look like a normal shrub, but it spreads out annually and benefits from pruning. Foliage is a dark bluish green the leaves being notched slightly and are long and narrow. Native to Brazil, Bolivia, Argentina, Paraguay and Uruguay, it is vigorous and most attractive, but it should be grown with consideration as the seeds may be invasive. ... Learn More

Peanuts, are a crop of global importance and are widely grown in the tropics, subtropic and warm temperate zones. Quite uniquely, peanut pods develop under the ground after the pretty yellow flowers on the rising shoots are fertilised. The stems lean over sideways and the developing seed pods bury themselves under the soil where the seed develops inside a hard shell. They are very easy to grow, whether in the garden or a large pot and constantly surprise, and furthermore educate children who try this experiment. ... Learn More

These nuts have a distinctive rich, buttery flavor and are probably the most nutritious of all nuts, and indeed are second in popularity only to the pea-nut! Trees live and produce nuts for hundreds of years in a favourably temperate climate, the deciduous trees putting out fresh growth in the spring. Closely related to walnuts, the leaves of the two trees look very similar. This hickory tree, native to Central and Southern North America, has been used as a food source by Native Americans for centuries before the arrival of European colonists. Growth rate of this fast-growing can be up to 1meter or 3 feet per year. This tree is perfect for home owners that love to harvest nuts for cooking. The plants were not actually domesticated until the 17th century, when the first plantations of pecans were established in Mexico. Hardy planting zones are 5-9. ... Learn More

A lovely plant from the eastern part of Africa with pinkish-orange eyed, blue grey flowers slowly ageing to blue pink, a most intriguing metamorphosis. The semi-evergreen five-lobed leaves are an attractive dull bluish green. It will survive some frost if kept in a dryish sheltered spot but is far prettier in a large container indoors in colder countries. ... Learn More

This gorgeous species pelargonium displays bright magenta pink flowers, with the upper petals veined and spotted with darker pink. One of the aromatic, scented-leaf pelargoniums, it blooms later than many other species, from July to Oct. Bearing small, kidney-shaped, silver green leaves, this unusual elegant plant is tuberous and may be completely dried out in winter when it is quite hardy. Commence careful watering in early spring if top-growth has dried up. Species within this Reniformia Group are easily recognisable by the distinct flower and leaf shapes and have a high tolerance to cold if kept dry. ... Learn More