Forming a dense rosette of long, sharp and very narrow leaflets, this unusual frost-hardy plant produces attractive sprays of yellow flowers which are are carried on a strong stalk that can be up 40 in (1 m) high. It is native to tussock grassland in the drier parts of the South Island of New Zealand where it thrives between 300 and 1400 m. In cultivation it does best in a sunny or lightly shaded spot as it does not prefer high summer temperatures and is a perfect replacement for e.g. Agave and Yucca in such climates. In areas where humidity is high it prefers a windy, exposed site. ... Learn More

Blue flowers shading to cream with purple veins open on branching stems. This unusual wildflower is native to western North America where it makes impressive stands in meadows and coniferous forests where it prefers moist areas. It will make an ideal garden plant in gardens that possess these qualities. ... Learn More

An imposing specimen, forming an upright clump of deeply-cut green leaves, bearing tall, showy, strong, branching spikes of outward-facing, pale silvery-blue flowers. These are delicately-pencilled with deep blue in mid-summer, the effect being somewhat similar to delphinium, making it excellent as a cut flower. RHS AGM winner ... Learn More

In spring, spikes of orchid-like chartreuse-yellow flowers open. But then begins the amazing show.....The leaves grow upright at first but then curl round and round as if they have been in curlers. The whole effect is utterly incredible. Furthermore, on occasion, it will re-bloom later in the season. In summer it goes quickly dormant to await another "Jack in a Box" surprise next spring! It is easily over wintered indoors on a sunny window sill when you should stop watering to let the bulb go dormant. Easy-to-grow, this rarely-offered, startling, and quite unique plant is native to the Western Cape Province of South Africa. It is best treated like a succulent, with lots of sun and a well-drained soil, which can be dried out between waterings. Hot and dry conditions seem to encourage the most extreme leaf coils. Very desirable but not commonly available. ... Learn More

Large, chalice-shaped, deep pink-violet-purple blooms are packed together, and open in dense umbels in June and July. The large spherical heads of flowers, all with pointed petals, produce the famed ‘exploding firework’ effect. In the wild these plants grow in Xinjiang, also in Afghanistan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, and Tajikistan..... gosh what a lot of stans!! ... Learn More

Purple-blue, orchid-like flowers, delicately marked and spotted with crimson open on short stems on this rare and very choice plant. Strong stems bear lush green foliage, and mature plants can be divided with time as they gradually spread as they are drought tolerant, producing fleshy tubers from which they sprout each year. Probably the bluest flower of all alstroemerias, it grows at altitude giving it a good measure of hardiness. ... Learn More

This dwarf plant features bi-coloured flowers of dusky plum-purple and soft creamy yellow, over a mound of ferny light-green foliage. Perfect for the rock garden, for the border's edge or even in containers and troughs. Columbines have been grown in gardens for centuries, and in warmer countries hummingbirds will often drop in to sip nectar from the flowers. ... Learn More

A fantastic mix of double, divided, star shaped Grannies Bonnets ranging from white through shades of pink and red, all being equally attractive, atop elegant ferny foliage. They are hardy, herbaceous, and will gently seed with time. ... Learn More

This truly spectacular plant rears its glossy spathe hood, which is startlingly striped in purple-brown to maroon and vanilla-cream. From the Sichuan and Yunnan Provinces in China this magnificent plant has an equally-attractive leaf made up of many narrow leaflets that radiate out from a central axis, the effect being much like the spokes of an umbrella! ... Learn More

The compact variety of this lovely shade-loving plant opens its flowers in early summer on erect stems bearing most attractive, bright yellow spathes with brown throats, these are yellowish green on the outside and faintly-striped. The two palmate divided leaves are ovate to lance-shaped. ... Learn More

Aristolochia macrophylla belongs to the Aristolochiaceae family of plants and is found primarily along the Cumberland Mountains and Blue Ridge Mountains in the eastern portion of the United States, as well as Ontario, Canada. The reason why Aristolochia macrophylla is often referred to as "Dutchman’s pipe" is because of the 2 inches yellowish-green flowers they produce. Each flower also sprouts from the calyx mouth to further produce 3 brownish-purple lobes. It is this complex of the flowers and lobes that gives the species a close resemblance to Dutch smoking pipes. The flowers start to open up in May and June, the fragrant flowers attract local insects. Once an insect has arrived to the flower, the insect is trapped inside a tube, which forces the insect to carry out pollination. Once pollination has been completed and time has passed since pollination, a fruit resembling a cucumber, between 6-10 cm in height, and 3 cm in diameter is produced. The fruit then ripens, usually around September, turns brown and splits into six fragments to disperse its small, triangular seeds. ... Learn More

Pale green spathes are brightly edged in red-purple, whilst in the centre arises a deepest purple slender spadix. It is found in Israel, Jordan, Lebanon, Syria, Cyprus and also Morocco where it is increasingly threatened by agricultural development and urbanization. In the UK it has been found to be exceedingly hardy ... Learn More

In early summer, from attractive bluish-green clumps of long narrow silvery foliage, arise strong thick stems that bear dense, un-branched, cylindrical spikes of gorgeous, yellow, sweetly-scented, star-shaped flowers. These are in fact edible, very decorative and can make a tasty addition to the salad bowl. They give way to decorative seed pods like shiny green marbles which can be left on the plant through winter to add interest. They are perfect for incorporating into borders, gravel gardens, or meadow style planting schemes as butterflies and bees are attracted to its nectar-rich blossoms. ... Learn More

In earliest spring, rosettes of fleshy green leaves erupt from the ground, soon followed by strong stems bearing numerous white starry flowers, the petals bearing a central brown streak. Best grown in a hot dry spot, with excellent drainage, this plant survives in the hottest and most inhospitable habitats imaginable. In the wild it grows from Mediterranean coastal regions northern Africa and the Middle East, to the hot dry Canary Islands. Historically, this flower was said to fill the plains of Hades, the mythological Greek underworld. As it was considered the favourite food of the dead, the ancient Greeks would often plant it near graves. ... Learn More

This gorgeous , early Lamuyo-type-fruiting green pepper, quickly turns to shiny red, with an impressive fruit length of around 15 – 18 cm and average weight of approximately 400 gms. Specially bred for growing in open field conditions as well as greenhouses in summer, it has a high yield potential and is easy to pick thanks to the long petiole. Finally it has a high tolerance to heat, sun scald, skin cracking and blossom end rot. ... Learn More