The most commercially important of the mahoganies, or 'sky fruit', this tree is found in dim areas around peninsular Malaysia and the South Pacific Solomon Islands. An evergreen tree, its big fruit has a hard shell and thin inner layer, which grows upright on the branch side. When ripe and orange-yellow in colour, the fruit splits on its own, with each valve showing two rows of seeds. It was known as the 'queen of plants', for its health benefits in the Solomon Islands for generations, where the local people have used it for more than a thousand years to treat a huge variety of diseases. It ... Learn More

This lovely campanula relative makes a naturally compact mound covered in masses of long and slightly tubular, violet bell shaped flowers. On a scree or gravel pathway it can seed around but should never ever become a nuisance. ... Learn More

During early summer, attractive clusters of green-white to pink flowers start to bloom followed by clusters of dazzling-white, conspicuous, round fruits, 1-2cm in diameter, which persist into the autumn. This bushy, rounded shrub can make a fast-growing, multi-stemmed deciduous hedge and is an important winter food source for quail, pheasant, and grouse. It is not edible, as ingesting the berries can cause mild symptoms of vomiting, dizziness, and slight sedation in children. ... Learn More

This campanula relative carries masses of lavender bell flowers and deeply-toothed jagged leaves on a fine network of branching stems forming an attractive dome. Superb for a hot rockery and long-lived if allowed room to grow. ... Learn More

Mid-blue bells in great profusion completely cover a dome of much-branching thin stems clad in small pointed leaves in spring and early summer. A truly perennial plant of great value but sadly rarely offered. ... Learn More

From a compact basal rosette of toothed leaves rises a dividing system of branches, heavily hung with large cream bell-shaped flowers. This pretty Bosnian campanula relative should gently self-seed, giving glorious drifts in future years. ... Learn More

This unusual form of the old cottage garden plant (Symphytum grandiflorum) is one of the first spring flowers to appear in March. Short, rough stems bearing hairy leaves carry terminal bunches of long pink buds opening to blue and white tubular flowers. ... Learn More

Early rosettes of bright golden leaves brighten up the spring garden with snowdrops and crocuses. Later appear the pale blue and pink flowers. This form comes true from seed, viable seeds being very few and very difficult to collect! ... Learn More

Clumps of white or pale blue bell-like flowers, not unlike a small Abutilon, are suspended from arching stems that emerge from coarse, deeply veined lanceolate leaves. A very attractive plant for a shady area, it makes excellent ground cover under shrubs and trees, and is a lovely addition to woodland garden. Add to that its value as a feed plant (simply steep the leaves in water for two or three weeks and use the resulting liquid as a dilutable plant feed) and you have a "must have" plant for every serious gardener! ... Learn More

These beautiful blooming trees put on a brilliant display of a multitude of two to three-inch-long, fragrant, golden yellow, trumpet-shaped blooms borne in terminal flower clusters. The gorgeous silvery leaves often drop just before the flowers appear making the spectable even more amazing. Deeply-furrowed silvery bark on picturesque, contorted branches and trunk adds even more to its grandeur. Although it thrives only in warmer climates, it can be also be grown in containers, especially small ones, which eventually can turn the tree into a large bonsai specimen. It is native to South Americ ... Learn More

Tabebuia chrysantha, is a deciduous tree known for its stunning floral display. In late winter to early spring, before the leaves emerge, the tree produces an abundance of large, trumpet-shaped flowers. These blooms are a brilliant golden-yellow, covering the tree in a vibrant blanket of color. The tree's compound leaves, palmately divided into leaflets, add to its overall tropical aesthetic. The foliage, while not the main feature, provides an attractive backdrop to the spectacular floral show. Tabebuia chrysantha can reach heights of 20 to 30 feet (6 to 9 meters) or more, creating a relative ... Learn More

The 'Bat Plant'. A bizarre but quite beautiful plant with aspidistra-like foliage and large, darkest purple, almost black flowers which resemble Batman's cape. The most intriguing features though are the bunches of long 'whiskers' protruding from the centre. ... Learn More

These tropical evergreen flowers produce large, pure white petals centred by small, sombre, drooping flowers and long whiskerlike bracts, all resembling a bat's face. These amazing blossoms appear from spring and on through summer. In the wild they grow in tropical and subtropical Asia, and in cooler climates they grow best in a shady area in a hot, humid greenhouse. When raised from seed, these thought-provoking plants, ideal for the home or conservatory, produce blooms within the same year they sprout. ... Learn More

Another incredible flowering oddity with large, green veined white flowers, resembling triangular cloaks, sprouting long trailing whiskers from their purple centres. Most definitely one of the most profoundly interesting talking points you will ever grow. ... Learn More

T. erecta is a tall bushy annual high with pinnate leaves divided into lanceolate leaflets, and large double flowers in shades of yellow, orange and white which are produced from summer into autumn; both leaves and flowers are aromatic when crushed or brushed. ... Learn More