Between March and May this small bulbous plant from the Middle East has fleshy, mid green, lance like leaves and bears numerous short stems of pale-rimmed dark, inky-blue flowers. It prefers a very well drained soil in full sun and a dry summer dormancy or baking in the ground, making it ideal for a hot bank, scree or rockery in areas where summers may be wet. Will naturalise where happy. Also make a lovely pot plant! ... Learn More

From April onwards, tight conical clusters of pale blue buds open into compacted spikes of flared, waxy white flowers, each flower bell having attractively contrasting navy blue anthers. These flowers have an attractive fragrance which is especially noticeable in the evening. This lovely little plant should be grown more often but is rare in cultivation. ... Learn More

Dark-eyed mauve dahlia-like flowers arise from clumps of prickly thistle leaves. An intriguing introduction from high in the South African mountains. This newcomer demands a hot sunny spot to give of its best. We have included seed from a few pure white-flowered seedlings. ... Learn More

This rare dwarf species stands out as a plant worthy of a prominent spot in any garden with its impressive stature and mid-green, sword-shaped leaves, one inch wide by two feet long. It is the most floriferous member of the genus, the inflorescence being truly spectacular, with arching flower stalks ranging from three to five feet tall, and with both the stalks and flower stems magenta. The two-inch-long, pendent, tubular flowers bear magenta sepals and chartreuse green petals. The flowers generally open in late spring to early summer and can last for several weeks, the dramatic seed pods being a bonus, also being being magenta, streaked with chartreuse or cream. They persist on the flower stalks for several months into late autumn, eventually opening to reveal black shiny seeds. Beschornerias are not monocarpic, (which means dying after flowering) as the same rosette will bloom year after year, and more rosettes develop around the mother plant. Each of the ten Beschorneria species originate in Mexico, this one being naturally found in the understory of highland oak and pine forests from 6,000 to 8,000 feet elevation in the states of Guanajuato, San Luis Potosi, and Tamaulipas in central Mexico, where they attract, and are pollinated by, hummingbirds. Few fertile seeds collected. ... Learn More

From a yucca-like, but softer leaved rosette of sword-like leaves, arise huge arching spikes of red and green flowers, much resembling a dragon's head. One of the world's most magnificent hardy plants, very long-lived in a well-drained sheltered spot. Very few good seeds are ever collected. ... Learn More

A striking new double form with a compact, lax habit, and an exceptionally long flowering period. The golden, daisy-like, double blooms smother the ferny foliage from early summer onwards. Brighten up your hanging baskets and containers, or let their trailing stems spread through gravel gardens and the front of borders. Likes a sunny position. ... Learn More

This wonderful, robust, strong evergreen fern from Chile is by far the most distinctive of our few reliably hardy evergreen ferns. Growing to 3 ft or more, it has thick, leathery dark green pinnatifid fronds. It spreads quite easily, in time developing into a colony, and will form a dramatic impact to your garden. ... Learn More

This relatively easy-to-grow orchid produces broad, pleated, aspidistra-like leaves. In late spring, arching stems of superb pink orchid flowers appear, with the very occasional white form appearing. Once established, this plant is a valuable garden treasure as it is quite hardy, but it may be grown in a pot to overwinter inside where winters are extremely cold. It prefers a cool, organic soil if possible in a shaded or woodland situation where the rhizomes can slowly spread over the years. ... Learn More

Drifts of fragrant, nodding "Common Blue Bells" are one of the most enduring sights of spring in English woods. These seeds were collected from the wild plants on Devon banks surrounding our gardens. These are Scilla non-scripta seeds. ... Learn More

From China and Korea comes this giant feature plant, which makes a clump of tall stems with dangling panicles of tan flowers, loved by butterflies and other pollinating insects. Although it is in the same family as the horrid stinging nettles, it has no stinging abilities whatsoever, just 'stunning' abilities. With its intricately-veined, shiny, green leaves, it makes a great bold feature in any garden, living happily in sun or shade as long as the soil is evenly moist but well-drained. This venom-less pussycat can even gently self seeds if happy. ... Learn More

This exceptionally dainty rock plant has thin, dark-coloured stems, bearing clouds of gypsophila-like, red-eyed white stars, possessing an unusual peppery perfume. Very rare in the wild in the USA this unusual plant makes a choice specimen for a moist shady bed in the garden. ... Learn More

From the Rocky Mountains, this high alpine Boykinia relative has heads of five-petalled, cherry-red flowers, held just above a cushion of leathery, scalloped leaves in early spring. It is long-lived when happy in the rockery or alpine trough, where it prefers lean, gritty soil or scree, in full sun with a cool root run. ... Learn More

This is the rare white form, from the Rocky Mountains, this high alpine Boykinia relative has heads of five-petalled, pure white flowers, held just above a cushion of leathery, scalloped leaves in early spring. It is long-lived when happy in the rockery or alpine trough, where it prefers lean, gritty soil or scree, in full sun with a cool root run. ... Learn More

Thin stems bear open arrays of many white flowers, each with five tiny pointed sepals and five larger oval petals. Native to the west coast of North America from British Columbia to California, it grows in shady areas near riverbanks and streams, each heart-shaped leaf having reddish hairs and several rounded lobes with teeth along the edges. ... Learn More

This uncommon plant is endemic to southern California, where it grows in shady forested areas near streams in the mountains. It bears a dense array of many small white flowers, each with five tiny pointed sepals and five larger oval petals and reaches up to a meter tall on a thin wiry stems. ... Learn More