The Crown Guava is a small shrub/bush found across the northern part of the Amazonian basin from Colombia, Guyana and into Venezuela. It is a cousin of the more common guava fruit (Psidium giajava) but has a taste all of its own. It tend sto have a sharper more acid taste so so is rarely eaten as the raw fruit but more often made into jams and delicious fizzy drinks - often being combined with honey or sugar. It is also grown as an ornamental. ... Learn More

Attractive, frilly flowers mature into guava fruits, which may be round, ovoid or pear-shaped, 2 to 4 inches long, and are commonly used in jams and juices. A series of tests on Indian fruits, including Himalayan apples and pomegranates, bananas from the south, and grapes from Maharashtra, found the guava, (exotic in Europe but a poor man's fruit in India), to be the ultimate super food with the highest concentration of antioxidants which protects against the cell damage that often ages skin. From seed, common guavas may bloom and set fruit in as little as 2 years. They are evergreen, faintly ... Learn More

This attractive tree has a loose crown which is rounded and open, and produces bunches of fragrant yellowish flowers in summer followed by persistent hop-like fruits. An excellent wildlife plant, it also produces copious nectar and pollen for insects. Originating in North America, especially in Ontario to Connecticut and Michigan, it grows also on dry rocky slopes in the mountains of Mexico. ... Learn More

Large fragrant nocturnal white flowers open on stems bearing enormous mature leaves which can reach a length and width of up to thirty five centimetres. Indeed, they can be used as actual dinner plates or as packaging and storage for wrapping materials inside. The leaves are also used as a primitive method of re-enforcing roofs and preventing leaks. The wood is flexible and durable and is often used for box making. Mostly planted as an ornamental or shade tree, the leaves, flowers, and wood thus all serve a large variety of functions. It is home to Southeast Asia, from India to Burma. ... Learn More

This rare miniature pasque-flower has nodding flowers of soft primrose yellow, and after the flowers fade, the beautiful silvery plume-heads develop. Easily grown from seed which is scarce and difficult to collect. ... Learn More

Found in the mountain ranges of central and southern Europe from central Spain to Croatia, this fabulous flower has more upright flowers than other species of Pulsatilla, which generally have drooping flowers. They are yellow (compared with the more usual white). The flowers are produced very early, often opening while still under snow cover. ... Learn More

This beautiful alpine perennial has purple bell-shaped flowers which are covered small delicate hairs, and a bright yellow centre for contrast. The foliage is feathery and coated in silver hairs and is slightly more compact in nature than other pulsatillas. Blooming in the spring to early summer it makes a lovely addition to any rock or alpine garden. Prefers full sun or partial shade in well-drained soil. ... Learn More

A rare and beautiful dwarf pulsatilla, which only produces a few, low, carrot-like tufts of foliage. If size is important this is not the one for you, as the flowers, which can vary from deep blue to white, are quite small, resembling hairy, pendent eggs, and which sometimes do not fully open, and when they do, the narrow petals make a neat star displaying the golden anthers. From remote high places in Asia including Turkey and the tundra of the Tian Shan. ... Learn More

This gorgeous, short, hairy perennial from China makes compact tufts of finely divided foliage with attractive sprays of blue-violet or lilac flowers in early spring. Totally hardy and very long-lived it makes a superb complement to any rock garden. ... Learn More

Compact clumps of rich plum velvety flowers, white inside and smaller than usual, but in greater numbers, and backed with fine white hairs, open in profuse, nodding clumps in spring. This rare but easy alpine plant is perfect for the rockery. ... Learn More

Pulsatilla grandis, commonly known as Greater Pasque Flower, is a charming perennial celebrated for its silky, bell-shaped blooms that emerge in early spring. The flowers, in shades of violet-blue, are adorned with golden stamens at the center, creating a striking contrast. The plant's finely divided, silvery-green foliage adds texture and remains attractive after flowering. As the flowers fade, they are replaced by feathery seed heads that provide visual interest well into summer. Thriving in full sun and well-drained soils, Pulsatilla grandis is an excellent choice for rock gardens, alpin ... Learn More

One of the rarest and most exquisite spring flowers. Sumptuous nodding lavender goblets arise on felted stems from a veil of silky hairs amidst filigree fern-like leaves. An utterly hardy and reliable plant which will improve as it ages over the years! ... Learn More

Exceptionally beautiful, dark maroon-red to plum-lilac flowers, open with masses of large, flared, up-facing, short-stemmed flowers, which almost obscure the foliage in early spring, and are followed by ornamental fluffy seed heads as with most other Pulsatillas. These unusual plants are native to rocky meadows in the Alps and are very easily cultivated in any rich, sandy, well-drained soil. ... Learn More

Dark-purple, sometimes almost black, pendulous, inflated, puckered bell-like flowers are held above finely divided, thread-like leaves which are densely covered with silvery hairs. Being one of four sub-species of the genus Pulsatilla, this unusual and scarce plant is native to central and eastern Europe, south east Norway, western Denmark, and south east to Bulgaria. ... Learn More

One of the rarer species in this lovely group of spring flowers, this variety has attractive, deep violet-purple flowers, with bright yellow central stamens, above the compact clumps of feathery foliage, the flowers being followed by wonderful fluffy seeds. They are all excellent plants for a rock garden or raised bed, and it is said that they resent being moved once established, advice I agree with! Few seeds collected. ... Learn More