This startling plant is also called "Purple Devil", "Malevolence", and the "Five Minute Plant", the latter on account of how long a newcomer will stare at this amazing plant. Purple-black stems carry black thorns, attractive purplish, crinkled thorny leaves and yellow flowers turning to inedible creamy-yellow fruits. ... Learn More

This lovely British native is a semi-woody scrambling plant bearing pretty violet flowers which have a pronounced yellow 'beak'. In autumn, just like fruit hanging from a line, which is the dried out vine.... extremely ornamental red berries appear, hanging in grape-like clumps, which are happily eaten by birds but are certainly not edible for humans. ... Learn More

This rare and truly impressive large shrub or tree grows up to 20 ft. high, with very large, violet "potato-like" flowers up to 3 in. diam. Truly an exotic and impressive tropical specimen, this "Giant Potato Tree" is a large bushy shrub that can grow into a medium-height tree, and be beautifully adorned with stunning flowers all year round! It is a rare treat indeed to see purple blossoms on a tree! And more amazing is that its gorgeous blossoms come in three wonderful shades, changing successively from deep purple to lavender to white. Hence, you can enjoy all the fabulous colours on the tre ... Learn More

A truly amazing-looking plant producing positively inedible, ornamental fruits which resemble a cow's udder at one end and human breast at the other, and with lots of rather rude common names too! Although it is perennial it can be grown as an annual, and is related to the naranjilla and tomato with large velvety leaves with purple veins and furry hair, along with prominent spikes. The branches and stems are also dotted with firm thorns. The pink-purple flowers develop during spring and are followed by the waxy, yellow colored fruit ripening a few months later. It has been used in traditional ... Learn More

These attractive orange fruits have a refreshing citrus flavour, sometimes described as a combination of rhubarb and lime, and the bright green juice is often used as a drink. Naranjilla are quite delicate plants and need protection from strong winds and direct sunlight, in hot countries growing best in partial shade. The attractive, felted, large green leaves have a warm purply hue, but are covered in sharp prickles, the biggest ones hidden beneath the leaves. Solanum quitoense is native to South America where it is often found at quite high altitudes, but in cultivation, in cooler climes, it ... Learn More

This famous plant is perhaps THE classic alpine plant, epitomising spring, as the delicately fringed purple bells push up through the snow with leathery dark green rounded leaves. This choice, very hardy and perennial plant improves yearly if grown in loose gritty soil, but produces very few seeds indeed. ... Learn More

This rare and amazing giant tree-daisy comes from the high mountains of Madeira where it makes thick trunks. Huge rosettes of serrated leaves grow on the end of stout branches, the large clumps of golden flowers appearing in spring and early summer. Makes an amazing spectacle in a sheltered garden ... Learn More

This impressive, very choice and early flowering shrub is native to both Chile and New Zealand and produces large, bright yellow flowers which are borne in abundance over a long period from late winter to spring. These are followed by long slender pods, resembling a string of four-winged beads. Leaves are glossy and dark green, smaller than those of Sophora japonica. ... Learn More

Native to the Himalayas, this large, spreading shrub bears splendid plumes of creamy-white fragrant flowers in early summer. Sometimes called false or tree spiraea, this is a close relative of the more familiar garden spiraeas. The Royal Horticultural Society has given it their prestigious Award of Garden Merit (AGM). ... Learn More

This well-loved tree produces clusters of white flowers in spring followed by bright, long-lasting, orange-red berries in the autumn that are loved by birds. The leaves go through dramatic colour changes in the autumn, turning yellow, then finally deep crimson before they fall off. The mountain ash is actually not an ash but a member of the rose family. The name "rowan" is derived from the Old Norse name for the tree, raun. It has numerous English folk names, including: Mountain ash, Quickbane, Quickbeam, Quickentree, Quickenbeam, Ran tree, Roan tree, Roden-quicken, Roden-quicken-royan, Ro ... Learn More

This medium-sized deciduous shrub or small tree has fern-like pinnate leaves composed of many small leaflets, dark green in spring and summer, and plum purple before falling in autumn. The fragrant white flowers in spring are followed by masses of large clusters of drooping, waxy, porcelain-white berries in autumn that are extremely popular with wildlife. It was first discovered in central China in the early twentieth century by the famed plant hunter Ernest Wilson. The Royal Horticultural Society has given it its prestigious Award of Garden Merit (AGM). ... Learn More

One of the few grains that can be used as a wheat substitute in gluten-free recipes and products, this is an important food crop in Africa, Central America, and South Asia, and is the "fifth-most important cereal crop grown in the world". Sorghum is one of Africa’s greatest contributions to the world’s agricultural diversity, and is a traditional crop in warmer countries. Adaptable and drought tolerant, sorghum provides grain, sweet syrup, animal fodder, or sometimes, more than one crop from a single planting! ... Learn More

Sparganium erectum, commonly known as Branched Bur-reed or Upright Bur-reed, is a robust aquatic or marginal perennial found in wetlands, ponds, and along water edges. This striking plant produces tall, upright stems with strap-like green leaves that create architectural interest in aquatic landscapes. From early to late summer, it forms spherical green flowers and seed heads, which turn brown as they mature, adding texture and seasonal appeal. Ideal for naturalizing in wet areas, Sparganium erectum thrives in moist to wet soils and can be grown submerged in shallow water or along pond marg ... Learn More

Fragrant golden 'pea' flowers smother this lovely shrub, which is native to the Mediterranean region in southern Europe, south west Asia and north west Africa, where it is found in sunny sites, usually on dry, sandy soils. With branches almost devoid of leaves, it is the sole species in the genus Spartium, but is closely related to the other brooms in the genera Cytisus and Genista. It will do well in any hot, dryish spot in the sun. ... Learn More

One of the world's most spectacular flowering trees, native to tropical western Africa. The large reddish-orange flowers (up to 15cm long) bloom with great profusion, contrasting with the glossy dark green leaves, and when flowers bloom at their peak in the spring, the tree can appear to seem on fire, hence one of the common names being 'fire of the forest'. The open flowers are cup-shaped and can hold water and dew, which makes them attractive to many species of bird and insect. This tree is believed in some parts of Africa to possess magical properties, with twigs being used as wands by witc ... Learn More