These lovely South African plants come in an amazing range of colours, and do best and multiply well in situations where they have good drainage and sun in the same way as crocuses do. Sandy, loamy soils at the front of a raised bed or border are perfect. And of course they make superb specimens for pot cultivation when they can be divided up every few years as the clump expands. ... Learn More

This really beautiful flower opens its violet-rose to lilac, or rarely salmon-pink flowers, with a violet or greenish yellow cup and a violet blotch or band in the throat. In the wild it is found in clay soils in dry areas of the winter rainfall Cape and blooms in late winter to early spring. ... Learn More

This dwarf species bears pale to intense pink flowers that flare widely open at the mouth, giving a starry appearance, with a pale yellow and white throat, above clumps of narrow, grassy leaves. It will do well in any rich, well drained soil in a sunny spot, but requires a good winter protection. It may succeed best grown in pots as in the wild it grows in high places ranging across a huge swathe of Africa, stretching from the Drakensberg Mountains in South Africa to Kenya, the Sudan, southern Ethiopia, and Cameroon. ... Learn More

This exceptionally pretty plant, which appears in late winter and into spring, has almost goblet-shaped, scented yellow flowers, usually with black marks or blotches in the throat, and usually the leaves are spirally twisted, hence its name. It grows in the wild in South Africa, in sandstone and clay soils, from distinctive corms that are flattened with a wide fan-like basal ridge. ... Learn More

These reliable, clove-scented, purple crocus-like flowers have yellow centres with bronze-gold feathering on the backs of their petals, and erupt from compact tufts of thin leaves. Flowering from Feb-Apr, they ultimately make strong, vigorous plants. They are long-lived with a strong constitution, and are ideal in a sunny spot with fertile soil and good drainage, or in a container where they will bulk up reliably. ... Learn More

Seemingly not in cultivation. We can find no references. Masses of medium sized pink flowers on a dense shrub. Vladimir, our botanist guide, asserts that this is the best rose for grafting purposes, but not apparently discovered in the West. ... Learn More

The lovely "Dog Rose" is native to Europe, North West Africa and western Asia. It makes a perfect addition to a wild garden and is often used for hedging. The gorgeous flowers can vary from deep pink to almost white, maturing into attractive, oval 1.5–2 cm red-orange fruit, or hip or hep! The flesh of the fruit is noted for its high vitamin C level, and is used to make syrup, tea and marmalade, and indeed it has been grown or encouraged in the wild for the production of vitamin C from its fruit (often as rose-hip syrup), especially during conditions of scarcity or during wartime. ... Learn More

These incredible, compact, disease-resistant plants will flower surprisingly quickly from seed, even in four months! We did not believe it until we trialled them! Yes, all this from seed! Sweetly-scented blooms, in a range of shades through pink to white, appear on this beautiful miniature rose, which is perfect for growing in pots, although if grown in the ground it will become a low growing, hardy perennial shrub. The rarely-seen and unique Fairy Rose is a Polyantha, with many clusters of blooms, and they are valued for their profuse clumps of ever-blooming double and single flowers, which a ... Learn More

Native to Europe and southwest Asia, this lovely rose bears fragrant, paler-centred pink flowers throughout spring and early summer. A vigorous plant, it is ideal in the wild garden or covering an unsightly wall! ... Learn More

A healthy, tough and extremely vigorous rose with spreading growth, bearing masses of pure white flowers, with a strong sweet fragrance, which are held in beautiful, flat-topped, cascading clusters. These can sometimes be made up of hundreds of individual flowers each facing outwards, exposing a cluster of pretty yellow stamens. The heavy masses of perfumed flowers are most attractive to bees, making it a good choice for a wildlife garden, and also for growing through large trees, or to cover large unsightly buildings or walls. The Royal Horticultural Society has given it its prestigious Aw ... Learn More

Rosa gallica, commonly known as the Gallica Rose, is a historical and well-recognized species within the rose family, Rosaceae. Known for its significance in horticulture and cultural history, this species has a straightforward yet enduring presence. The Gallica Rose is characterized by its deciduous shrub habit, typically reaching a height of 3 to 4 feet (0.9 to 1.2 meters). The stems are armed with thorns, and the pinnate leaves consist of several small leaflets. The flowers of Rosa gallica are notable for their simple, five-petaled structure and appear in a range of colors, including shades ... Learn More

This rose is one of the only species worth growing from seed, all aspects being desirable. Thornless, purple-red stems of unusually-attractive ruby-grey leaves, and pale-centred, cerise pink flowers, age to bunches of dark red hips, which persist after the leaves have fallen in the autumn making a dazzling display. Superb as a bush, but magnificent as a standard if you have patience to train one. ... Learn More

For several weeks in summer, this lovely, vigorous rambling rose produces dense, arching branches bearing large clusters of single white flowers with a rich fruity fragrance, which slowly fade to red producing an attractive bi-colour effect. These are later followed by lush red hips in autumn, and are much loved by birds which feed on these fruits and disperse its seeds widely. It is absolutely ideal for covering a wall or shed, especially north-facing walls as it is more tolerant of shade than other roses. ... Learn More

This rare and beautiful rose comes from the Central Iberian/sub-Mediterranean areas, where it makes dense deciduous thickets smothered in fragrant pale pink flowers. Its preferred habitat is deep, moist soils, especially in the supra-Mediterranean zone of the Meseta, the Ebro basin, the Cordillera Central, the Southern Iberian Range, the Montes de Toledo, and the Sierra Morena mountains, where it grows in association with Berberis hispanica and Prunus spinosa ("Sloe") ... Learn More

Large shocking pink single rose flowers, with petals like tissue paper, stand out like beacons against the deeply-veined, large bright green leaves ultimately giving way to fat, glossy orange hips that are just as attractive as the flowers. This is a fast-growing rose with a dense and bushy habit that makes it a good choice for a summer-flowering hedge with autumn interest. The extremely thorny stems make it a good deterrent barrier too. ... Learn More