A very lovely plant making beautiful rosettes of hairy, silver-grey leaves from which arise in spring, square-section stems, with dividing heads of large pale blue flowers. This rarely-seen plant is very hardy, down to Z5-6 in the USA but demands a dry place in the garden or a large pot in the winter. It is native to eastern Europe and across Western Asia, and ascends the mountains of Turkey up to over 2,000 meters where it is found in company with Pinus brutia, Pinus nigra and Quercus pubescens in macchie, on limestone or igneous slopes. The leaves are still used as a condiment as a strong ... Learn More

Wild Clary has soft purple to violet flowers which grow on many inflorescences that rise above the leaves, and are held in a hairy calyx, with showy green-veined bracts adding to the plant's charm. Wild Clary is a native across much of Europe and North Africa and is strongly aromatic. In cultivation, it prefers full sun, loose soil, good drainage, and regular watering. ... Learn More

Superficially like but much smaller than S. forsskaoleii, this attractive salvia produces short spires of violet blue flowers above neat basal clumps of triangular-ovate leaves. When the inflorescences, which are closely packed in dense globular whorls, fade and fall off, sprays of bright, attractive, violet calyces remain. ... Learn More

This plant, originally from the west coast of the USA bears sprays of small blue and white "snap-dragons" on extended heads of flowers on stems of thick corrugated leaves. ... Learn More

Native to the mountains shared by Israel and Lebanon, this tidy and unusual plant is easy to grow and is also both drought and heat resistant, flowering over a long period. With tall, branched spikes of dusky-pink flowers and strap shaped leaves in a dense rosette, it is perfect for dry borders, dying away completely each winter. Native to a small area of mountains in Lebanon and Israel, this quite rare plant was first described in 1781 by Nikolaus Joseph von Jacquin, but only began being sold in nurseries in the 1990's! ... Learn More

Groups of tall, thin stems arise from low clumps of deep green, finely-cut foliage and support corymbs of delicate, tiny white flowers from May to September. The plant is incredibly frost hardy and prefers damp shady conditions on neutral or alkaline soil, where it will spread over time to provide good ground cover. ... Learn More

This unusual alpine plant carries clusters of buttermilk-yellow flowers on stems carrying lanceolate leaves, which arise from a basal rosette of spathulate leaves. This high altitude species exhibits the same features as some of the Lychnis catchflies in having sticky hairs, especially on the leaves. In the wild in southern Europe it grows amongst mountain rocks and in pastures to 2000m. ... Learn More

From a low cushion of grey-green leaves arise short stems, bearing clusters of pink flowers starting in late spring and early summer, although in the wild, high in the Pyrenees it flowers much later from August to September. The Tight compact cushions are perfect for rock gardens or troughs. ... Learn More

One of the most popular plants in rock gardens and dry stone walls, or between stepping stones on a path, this lovely semi-evergreen cushion plant opens its bright pink flowers all summer long, from May to August. This species extends from the mountains of Spain to Corsica, Sardinia and Slovenia, and from the Apennines to the Alps. AGM winner ... Learn More

This ancient member of the carnation family, "Bouncing Bett", should be in every cottage garden and will form long-lived, slowly-spreading clumps which display sprays of sweetly perfumed pink flowers which are produced from spring until late autumn. ... Learn More

This ancient member of the carnation family, "Bouncing Bett", should be in every cottage garden, and will form long-lived, slowly-spreading clumps which display sprays of very sweetly perfumed, double pink flowers which are produced from spring until late autumn. ... Learn More

Endemic to China this rare plant is on the 2006 IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. This unlikely but gorgeous relative of asarum, or wild ginger, grows in dense forests, valleys, and stream banks, at 600-1000 meters where it bears heart-shaped, woolly, felted leaves and bright yellow flowers in April-May, and is a must for the woodland garden where it will spread if happy. It was named after Augustine Henry, an Irish physician, who collected intensively in China for the Royal Botanic Garden Kew. Very few seeds collected. ... Learn More

An unusual alpine, with dark purple thistle-like flowers some 3cm across and papery, purple-tinged bracts are displayed in August above a basal rosette of long, deeply lobed leaves with white woolly undersides. ... Learn More

This encrusted saxifrage makes a tight mat of very small compact rosettes which have silver-edged, dark-green leaves, and arching, dividing stems that bear sprays of pure white flowers in summer. It comes from the mountains of central and southern Europe, where it lives on limestone screes and rocks, and will do best if grown in tufa, but if in the open garden, it is best kept out of full sun. ... Learn More

A robust, easily-grown silver 'encrusted' saxifrage making handsome clumps of lime-encrusted rosettes which are attractive throughout the year. The long branched arching flower stems appear in early summer, bearing fragrant, red-spotted, white flowers. It is hardy and tough and very beautiful. 30 seeds or more approx per packet, seed is very small, take care when opening. ... Learn More