From the the Caucasus comes this gem with small grass-like leaves and the largest flowers we have seen on any gentian. The huge upturned, pointed, white-throated blue trumpets elicit more garden comments than any other gentian, all summer and autumn. ... Learn More

A lovely and increasingly-rare plant which grows up to 25cm high and does not grow in marshes as its common name might suggest but on fairly wet heaths, where it exhibits a clear sky-blue colour with white and grey or green streaks on the outside of the petals, and grey spots on the inside. Leaves are narrow linear. It is to be found very locally in places such as Dorset to East Sussex through to North East Yorks and Westmorland but is decreasing and makes a lovely garden plant if you can make it happy! ... Learn More

Common in the Alps, but very rare in gardens, is this lovely, very long-lived relative of Gentiana lutea. Clusters of reddish-purple tubular flowers are held on strong stems which arise from great tufts of thick, aspidistra-like leaves. ... Learn More

This perpetual favourite grows as a low dome of leafy stems bearing terminal clusters of bell-shaped purple-blue flowers and is probably the easiest of the attractive gentians. ... Learn More

Very rarely seen is this beautiful pure white form of the splendid Gentiana septemfida. The blue form is easy-to-grow and a good beginners plant, and so is this, and it will make an attractive and unusual bright splash on your rock garden as it is long-lived and very hardy indeed. Unfortunately it produces very few good fertile seeds. ... Learn More

Dense terminal clusters of snow white, delicately-marked flowers open, very late in the season, on arching stems with fleshy, broadly lanceolate leaves. This completely hardy native of sub-alpine meadows in Western China is easily cultivated in any rich, well drained soil in a sunny spot and is excellent in the rock garden. ... Learn More

This spectacular little gem carrying thin stems with small oval leathery leaves and terminating in large bunches of sizeable five pointed, hairy, white-throated dazzling azure blue trumpets. A striking plant on the borders of a pathway here. ... Learn More

Perhaps the easiest and longest-lived of the big "lily-like" fully-hardy gentians. It bears terminal clusters of trumpet-shaped cream flowers, in mid Summer, early Autumn and late Summer,on fleshy thick stems sprouting from tough leathery leaves. ... Learn More

Several erect thick stems radiate from the crown of this rather magnificent plant. At the end of each sprouts a truss of large puckered blue trumpets. It is native to higher-elevation (600-1000 m) meadows and forests of China, Mongolia, Eastern Russia, Korea and Japan. And if you can pronounce it is called san hua long dan in Chinese! ... Learn More

Several erect, thick, woody stems radiate from the crown of this rather magnificent plant. At the end of each sprouts a compact truss of large puckered creamy-white trumpets making this a most unusual and decorative plant. ... Learn More

This is the classic alpine with sheets of the most brilliant blue starry flowers in spring. The small clumps of tufted leaves slowly spread to produce a solid cushion. Easy to grow from fresh seed. ... Learn More

The very scarce white form of the classic, normally blue, spring flower. White stars stud a prostrate carpet of tiny leaves on this rarely-seen or offered challenge for the skilful alpine plant enthusiast. ... Learn More

Collected at 3,400m in the foothills of Mount Everest, this lovely plant produces a clump of many stems which bear sprays of sky-blue flowers in the spring and early summer. Will do best in cool damp soil in a shady spot. ... Learn More

Large numbers of sizeable, magenta-veined, shocking pink flowers on a flowing cushion of spreading stems are produced over a far longer season than almost all other geraniums. It is a rare, valuable and completely different plant from others as it produces seeds which resemble tiny pasties with jagged ends. Unlike other geraniums that expel seed explosively to distribute them, this one alone relies on the tiny hooks catching onto the fur of passing animals! "A long flowering, underrated plant" ('Hardy Geraniums' - Bath & Jones). ... Learn More

An absolute charmer from Albania and Southern Yugoslavia. Deeply toothed hairy leaves set off the distinctive nodding flowers, which bear amazingly swept-back reflexed petals in pale pink with stylish dark Regency-striped veins. A well behaved beauty. ... Learn More