Masses of five-petalled, thin-bodied, flared lavender trumpets open in midsummer on many-branching stems. This plant demands good soil and a sheltered spot but will impress all who see it and is a good plant to baffle the experts! Very few seeds collected. ... Learn More

The "night flowering wild petunia" is a hardy and rarely seen relative of the lovely well-known acanthus. It bears funnel-shaped purple flowers typical of a Mexican petunia, on dividing twiggy stems which are evergreen in mild winters. ... Learn More

A perennial herb with several erect stems growing to 30 cm tall. With small, entire leaves and attractive, purplish blue flowers, it is a popular, easily grown ornamental. ... Learn More

The "Bloody Dock" is useful in spite of its unattractive name. Rosettes of attractive, fresh green leaves, distinctively lined in purple, and which are good to eat like spinach, sprout forth long sprays of reddish-brown flowers which are good for drying. ... Learn More

Basal clumps of shiny grayish blue, linear to oval leaves arise in early spring above which are displayed attractive racemes of pinkish purple flowers with dark purple tips which bloom freely all summer. Closely allied to Corydalis, Rupicapnos is a genus of seven species of plants that occur in southern Spain and north-western Africa and can be perfectly grown as long as they get hot overhead sun as they do in their native countries. ... Learn More

This mysterious, and very rarely-seen plant makes attractive compact bushes of rigid, branched stems bearing evergreen spiny leaves, and bears greenish flowers followed by sizeable gorgeous red berries throughout the winter and following spring! Quite incredibly, it is a member of the lily family! For hundreds of years herbalists have used butcher's broom in the treatment of various ailments. And presumably butchers-of-old used branches to clean their work tops with the sharp foliage? For the chemists amongst you, Butcher's Broom contains 0.8-1.5% quinolizidine alkaloids, principally spartein ... Learn More

This is a tall, single stemmed, slow growing palm from the South-eastern states of the US, and has compact, spherical heads of many fan-shaped leaves to 2m long. A sub-tropical or warm temperate palm, they require a hot humid climate in the summer to grow well but they are nonetheless very hardy and in the winter are capable of surviving temperatures down to at least -14 C. A very tough and hardy palm all round, being tolerant to both salt, wind and poor drainage, making it suitable for coastal gardens. ... Learn More

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

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

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

A compact, upright, half-hardy perennial to 50cm tall that is usually grown as an annual with lance-shaped leaves and spikes of deep blue flowers with white eyes borne from summer into early autumn ... 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