New, rare, delicious, and barely ever available in the Western World, the beige skin of this fruit contains luscious flesh which is sweet, tasty and delicious, and which is translucent white, with the shiny brown seed visible inside, looking like the pupil of an eye. As a result, they resemble the bulging eyes of the dragons often depicted in Chinese art. Closely related to lychees, they are native to China, Taiwan and South East Asia. The skin is hard and smooth, rather than softly-prickly like the common lychee, but peels off more easily than that of the lychee, rather like an egg shell! Con ... Learn More

These truly magnificent perennial South African flowers have beautiful sparkling white ray florets which are botanically florets, with dark blue centres. They are best grown over a hot bank or rock garden, and when in full bloom will certainly create a stunning show in any garden. ... Learn More

This exquisite, woody, evergreen climber from the cold temperate forests of Southern Chile has strong, woody twining stems clad in hairy, leathery, triangular leaves. Trusses of many delicately-perfumed, beautiful, intriguing, purple-throated creamy flowers, flared at the mouth, appear at each leaf axil of the previous year's growth. A very choice and long lived plant making a woody trunk in time. The scent which drifts out may be dismissed at first, but there is something intoxicating about its intensity. ... Learn More

A bulb expert describes this as 'an orange-flowered bluebell with a green base', which just about sums it up. In the wild in Portugal, the Iberian Peninsula, North West Africa and the Balearics, it prefers rocky, stony or sandy ground, but in the UK may do best in a warm, sheltered scree or rockery, or perhaps even better in a pot in an alpine house. It is also referred to as the brown bluebell! ... Learn More

This extremely sumptuous, clump-forming, evergreen perennial has sword-shaped, dark green leaves, which, in late spring and early summer, form the base for loose clusters of beautiful white flowers, delicately marked with purple and yellow on the inner petals. It occurs in heathland and forest in New South Wales, Victoria and Tasmania in Australia and is perfect for a large pot but is surprisingly hardy in a sheltered spot when established. Few seeds collected. ... Learn More

The "Common Teasel" needs little description. When in bloom the purple flowers are most attractive to bees and butterflies, whilst the dried stems and seed heads make long-lived and most attractive dried flowers. ... Learn More

This unusual attractive flower, often dried or used as a cut flower, has white flowers, and deeply cut leaves, whilst the common teasel has purple flowers and toothed or wavy-edged leaves. The inflorescence is an egg-shaped head subtended by long bracts, and may contain up to 1500 tiny flowers. ... Learn More

Looking a bit like the stereotype of an aliens head, the flowers of this ancient plant are only one part of its attraction. Above a ruff of green bracts sits a spiky green 'face' with white hair, and above it all, a dangerous-looking spiky hairdo! But historically, the dried flower-heads are interestingly distinct. They were used by 'Fullers' to raise the 'nap'on cloth. Whereas those of the well known Common Teasel have long, unhooked bracts, these have hundreds of tiny, stiff, downward-turned, velcro-like hooks amazingly and geometrically arranged. ... Learn More

Short stems of slightly hairy, leathery leaves carry pendant bells of softest cream-yellow which are followed by long lasting, bright orange berries in the autumn. A native of western North America from British Columbia to northern California, where it grows in shady forest and woodland, including redwood forests. ... Learn More

From clumps of attractive foliage arise strong, dark purple stems bearing magenta pink flowers with the stamens being prominently dark purple. This dwarf plant is the most northernmost species in the genus, and is found in alpine and tundra meadows from northern British Columbia, southern Northwest Territories (Mackenzie District), and northwestern Saskatchewan, the Yukon and most of Alaska. ... Learn More

This attractive herbaceous plant has white or pink petals which nod from an umbel, protruding from a scape 8 to 20 inches tall. It flowers in the spring and is found in the American South, as well as the Upper Midwest, Kansas, New York, and the Canadian province of Manitoba where it grows in the woods and prairies. ... Learn More

These sprays of distinctive, swept-back, purple petals give this flower its common name of "Shooting Stars", resembling tiny cyclamen flowers on primula stems (and related to both). The clusters of flowers are held on strong stems above clumps of fleshy, lanceolate, tongue-shaped leaves. ... Learn More

This lovely, long-leafed shrub produces shiny leaves, whilst the flowers of this tree mature into attractive winged fruits which become red or purple as they mature, making it a popular garden plant in warmer areas. It has a wide distribution of areas where it will thrive, from subtropical to warm temperate region. The wood is unusually tough and durable and the Maori of New Zealand have used it to fashion clubs and other weapons, the Maori name for the shrub, akeake, meaning "forever and ever" ... Learn More

"Leopard's Bane". In spring, many branching stems of large, bright yellow, daisy flowers appear and are continuously produced for weeks on end. The entire plant spreads very slowly via small tubers and is thus also ideal for the wild garden. ... Learn More

Velvety, fleshy, pulpy fruit, rather like a tomato or small apple, fills this rarely-seen member of, believe it or not, the willow family! An attractive tree at all times, it is widely grown in warm temperate to tropical gardens around the world. And as it is many-branching, and has a dense crown, It is also used as an inpenetrable hedging plant, on account of the masses of spines that adorn the inner branches. And finally, it has valuable uses in local and popular medicine, specifically for relieving pain and rheumatism. ... Learn More