Beautiful spray like clusters of showy white flowers form conspicuous, long, bottlebrush-looking flower heads, very late in the year when most other flowers have long-gone. Found in north western USA and western coast of Canada it has many medicinal and other properties, for example it is reputed to repels insects, hence its name "Bugbane". Unlike other members of the genus Actaea most of which bear berries, the few seeds are produced in green pods, resembling those of aconitums. ... Learn More

One of the most beautiful late summer and autumn flowers, this very hardy and long-lived plant has white spring flowers on low shiny leaves, giving way in autumn to waxy white berries on thick, attractive scarlet stems. The common name, "doll's eyes" is quite appropriate. "There is nothing like it - a real August treasure", says Graham Stuart Thomas. ... Learn More

Sprays of white feathery flowers give way to sprays of shining bright red berries in summer and autumn. This is a superb and very long-lived plant, which is ideal for a shady spot. ... Learn More

From North Eastern India comes this elegant non-spreading clump which produces jagged-edged flared violet bells in loose sprays on numerous arching stems. It is additionally valuable on account of its hardiness and inability to be invasive. ... Learn More

An elegant plant making spires of white-eyed blue flowers in early and mid summer. In very good, loose soil this plant can spread, so may be best planted where it can be controlled. ... Learn More

Violet-blue bells are displayed in whorls around upright stems in early and midsummer. These lovely plants will produce compact clumps with no tendency to run around as so many members of this family do. ... Learn More

This low-spreading, bushy perennial with racemes of pink to lilac coloured flowers, forms compact, mounding, evergreen shrubs in rock gardens or as front edging along borders. It comes originally from the cool limestone highlands of the Mediterranean and Asia Minor where it thrives in a loose, well-drained, neutral-to-alkaline soil. In the garden, where this lovely plant will spread easily by self-seeding, it can be pruned lightly to maintain shape. Distinction: Award of Garden Merit (A.G.M.) from The Royal Horticultural Society. ... Learn More

The flowers of Burnt candytuft, a dwarf rock plant, are variable in colour and can be white, pink or mauve. For us living in the UK larger and more common members of this family are associated with neat, edged flowerbeds in gardens and parks in the height of summer. This rare plant grows in rocky habitats in the hills and mountains, where it blooms in the spring. Burnt candytuft is found in the western and central Mediterranean from Spain to Greece and also in Sardinia, Sicily and Crete. ... Learn More

Discovered here in 1995 and finally given the 'All America Award'. This remarkable gem bears early spring crowns of purplish, crinkled leaves which transform into sweetly aromatic golden rosettes, with tubby terminal spikes of fluffy lavender flowers. Bone hardy with frost and long-lived in a well-drained spot. ... Learn More

Blue flower spikes, adored by bees and butterflies, arise in profusion above aromatic, aniseed and liquorice-scented leaves. In a well-drained and preferably sheltered spot this gorgeous plant is soundly perennial. ... Learn More

Stubby spikes of very long-flowering white flowers which are magnets for bees and butterflies, are held on stout stems of fragrant aniseed/liquorice scented leaves. These flower spikes remain attractive right into late summer and autumn. Very hardy and perennial in a well-drained spot, it makes a fabulous sight, even in a dark dry corner. ... Learn More

An enormous monster for the back of the border. Massive, chunky square section stems carry nine inch spikes of creamy yellow-green flowers much loved by bees and butterflies. ... Learn More

This fragrant aniseed-perfumed perennial from the Korean mountains displays 16cm swollen spikes of blue-mauve flowers throughout summer and autumn. An astoundingly under-rated plant which will reward you with endless flowers in mid-summer! ... Learn More

Agastache rugosa 'Honey Bee Blue', commonly known as Honey Bee Blue Hyssop, is a showy, aromatic perennial that attracts pollinators like bees, butterflies, and hummingbirds. Its upright spikes of lavender-blue flowers bloom from mid-summer to early autumn, standing tall above fragrant, mint-scented green foliage. This plant’s nectar-rich flowers make it an excellent choice for wildlife gardens, cottage gardens, or mixed borders. Thriving in full sun to partial shade and well-drained soils, Honey Bee Blue is drought-tolerant once established, making it ideal for low-maintenance or xeriscapi ... Learn More

This quite spectacular, long-blooming perennial opens its bouquets of fragrant, lavender pink flower spikes from midsummer through to early autumn. Flowering in as little as three months from sowing the seed and continuing for a very long period, this new variety is beautifully fragrant producing very uniform, compact plants bearing many long spikes of pretty pink-coloured flowers above aniseed-perfumed leaves. ... Learn More