Beautiful, blue-violet, iris-like flowers, brightly-patterned and deeper violet at the centres, open in long succession over clumps of sword-shaped leaves, for many weeks from early summer onwards. Although these plants from southern Chile and Argentina are not totally hardy, they will do well in a sheltered bed outside, or in a pot indoors where you can admire their beauty. ... Learn More

Shell pink, 3cm wide, star-like flowers, open during the day, facing outwards from August into October. This lovely plant is a summer rainfall species from the Drakensberg Mountains, KwaZulu-Natal, Lesotho, and the Transvaal which is pollinated both by beetles and bees. As a high elevation species it is hardier than many of the Cape species. ... Learn More

In spring, as a rule, three to eight starry white flowers per spike, all with a brown or red reverse, open in late afternoon or evening, with a delicious perfume of jasmine or frangipani. The perfume persists right throughout the night until next morning. Very much resembling a dwarf "schizostylis", this rare and beautiful flower is found on sandy and shale slopes in the western Karoo and the northwest Cape from the BokkeveldPlateau to the Biedouw valley. In cultivation a sunny, free draining situation suits best. ... Learn More

In spring, incredibly fragrant (jasmine to frangipani) white flowers, with a flush of red on the outside, open late in the afternoon or evening when they are pollinated by bees or moths. This beautiful dwarf plant is found growing in the wild on sandstone and shale slopes and coastal flats from the Northwest Cape to the Eastern Cape. ... Learn More

From the South African mountains comes this quite exquisite bulbous flower. Rarely seen in the wild or cultivation, it displays spikes of shell pink flowers in mid to late summer after which the long, strap-shaped leaves die away to a resting bulb underground. In a warm, well drained site, it will , if you are fortunate, self-seed, and will otherwise slowly increase naturally underground. In a pot though, it will be safe from the elements regardless of your location. ... Learn More

The "Dame's Violet" is one of the indispensable cottage garden flowers. Very fragrant lilac mauve stock-like flowers open on tall branching stems, which are produced throughout spring and early summer. This superb, perennial perfumed flower, blooms from seed the first year. ... Learn More

This fabulous mix of pink and white forms will produce flowers varying in colour from deep rich purple, through all the paler lilac shades to white. If you leave them to seed themselves they will maintain this diversity indefinitely, gradually naturalising over a large area. The fragrance is as sweet as a violet's, and most pronounced in the evening (the night-scented stock is a close relative). A perfect cottage garden plant, it is very attractive to wildlife being host to the caterpillars of several butterfly species, including the Orange tip and Small White butterfly. A gorgeous, hardy, lo ... Learn More

"Dame's Violet", "Sweet Rocket", or "Damask Flower" has been a favourite cottage garden flower for hundreds of years. We now offer the first ever variegated seed strain of this perfumed old cottage garden favourite. ... Learn More

Although a close relative of the showy, modern cultivars, you would never guess. This is a tiny alpine, small enough for a trough, making a really low mat of dark green, leathery leaves, and unusually for a heuchera, the disproportionately large flowers are showy, arising in dense spikes of tubular, yellowish flowers, standing well above the mat of foliage. It is perfect for any small rockery or container but prefers very well-drained soil that must not dry out. ... Learn More

This semi-evergreen, large clump-forming plant bears long arching stems bearing unusual fragrant green flowers along their length. Bone hardy, even in the coldest winters, these plants are extremely attractive to bees and butterflies. ... Learn More

Puckered, folded and pleated leaves, from beetroot red to deep purple and which appear to be transparent in the sun, produce a mound from which arise thin stems carrying fluffy white, superbly contrasting flowers. ... Learn More

Heuchera himalayensis, commonly known as Himalayan Alumroot, is a hardy perennial prized for its attractive foliage and delicate flower spikes. Native to the Himalayan region, this plant forms neat clumps of rounded, scalloped leaves, often in shades of green with silver veining. In late spring to early summer, slender stems rise above the foliage, bearing clusters of tiny bell-shaped flowers in soft white to pale pink tones. This shade-loving plant thrives in moist, well-drained soils and is ideal for woodland gardens, shaded borders, or underplanting trees and shrubs. Its low-maintenance ... Learn More

These plants have been selected for the most attractive marbled and veined leaves. The colours and shades of mahogany, bronze, aluminium and silver are most distinctive on young spring foliage. Flower sprays in shades of pink and white. ... Learn More

One of the most popular introductions in recent years and ever-popular in both parks and gardens, a cascade of diminutive white flowers open on thin stems above solid clumps of beetroot coloured foliage. Bone hardy and long-lived, these plants are perfect whether for formal beds or edging. ... Learn More

Native to the east of the Mediterranean in the Levant, this seldom-seen and easy-to-grow plant has flowers which are truly stunning with their cream petals, purple-hued undersides, and deep burgundy centres. The plant blooms profusely all season, producing a huge number of flowers over the entire plant for all of the summer and well into autumn when it is covered in inflated, attractive, translucent seed pods. It is an easy to grow, very ornamental bedding or border plant, with a compact and good-branching growth habit. It is drought tolerant and also performs well when grown as a container pl ... Learn More