In late winter and earliest spring the curious corms of these little beauties send up crowds of inch-wide, pale-pink star-flowers, making them ideal candidates for an alpine trough or sand bed, where they will self-seed readily and spread by underground runners. They are found in the wild from eastern Europe through Russia into Iran where they grow in grasslands in moist, sandy soil, often up to an altitude of 1400 meters. ... Learn More

Numerous curious, lantern-like buds open into a huge candelabra of branching stems holding fantastic, pure white, passion-flower-like blooms, beginning in early summer and continuing until August if dead-headed. One of the world's most astonishing and spectacular flowers, this arrestingly beautiful plant is actually easy to grow either as a biennial or as a short-lived perennial. An unusual member of the Campanula family, it is native to Lebanon and Israel, the genus Michauxia beings named after King Louis XVI of France’s royal botanist, Andreas Michaux, who travelled to America during the la ... Learn More

A rare and stunningly beautiful plant coveted by all who see it. Numerous waxy, pendent buds open to pure white, madonna lily-like flowers with reflexed strap-like petals, opening over a long period. But oh dear, what do you say when friends ask its name? ... Learn More

This plant will bring hours of entertainment to kids of any age as the leaves instantly fold up when you touch them! And give them an hour or so and up they’ll come again. As potted plants mature, they form small pink puffs of bloom adding an extra benefit to this unique species and what a perfect way to introduce children to the world of plants. Technically speaking, the leaves have the capability to display thigmonasty (touch-induced movement). When the leaves are touched, shaken, or heated, the speed of the response depends on the magnitude of the stimulus. Hitting the leaf hard with the fl ... Learn More

This uncommon plant resembles none of the common mimulus, or "monkey flowers". It is an erect woody-stemmed plant, which produces bright tomato-red pinched snapdragons from June onwards amongst downy foliage on tall woody stems. ... Learn More

"Monkey Flower". This lovely Chilean flower produces a succession of red-spotted bright yellow "snapdragon" flowers from earliest spring. It will grow in moist soil or will grow equally well with its feet in water, when it spreads with gay abandon, making a glorious floating carpet of flowers all summer long. ... Learn More

Originating from the foothills of the Andean mountains of Chile, this new and adorable, low-growing, spreading perennial makes clumps of hairy, sparsely-toothed, pale to mid-green leaves, above which open most unusually-coloured trumpet-shaped flowers. These are borne in late spring and summer, and are white to cream-coloured, overlaid with a pink to purple flush, fading to cream at the edges, with the tongue spotted purple. ... Learn More

This absolutely amazing mimulus bears masses of blue "snapdragon" flowers, a rare colour in this genus, on strong erect stems over an extended period from late spring to early autumn. Small thin pointed leaves clad the stems on this lovely hardy and reliable plant which will grow almost anywhere but excels in good moist soil or even in shallow water! ... Learn More

This pretty and rarely-seen high alpine plant makes small cushions of needle-shaped leaves with white, starry flowers on thin delicate stems. It thrives in the harshest of conditions often on almost bare rocky outcrops and serpentine soils, which harbour a distinct and unique flora rich in endemics. Minuartia laricifolia has two ecologically distinct subspecies with disjunct distributions. Subsp. laricifolia on siliceous rocks in the western Alps and eastern Pyrenees, and subsp. ophiolitica on serpentine in the northern Apennines. Few seeds collected. ... Learn More

A delicate and lovely woodland or shade area plant. This distant relative of saxifrages has tiny, fringed brown and green flowers on delicate stems over rosettes of dark green kidney-shaped leaves. Will self-seed in shady spots. ... Learn More

This rare and strikingly attractive, strongly aromatic plant, comes from the mountains of central and southern Europe and bears jaggedly cut, glossy green foliage, and creamy umbels turning lime green. In late spring it produces large numbers of yellowish-white, sweetly fragrant flowers, which in turn form large, intriguing heads of sizeable, twisted seeds.... And yes, what a brilliant name! ... Learn More

An exceptionally choice and rare dwarf plant with pink buds opening to deepest violet-blue flowers. Stems bear oblong-lance-shaped, linear leaves which are dark blue-green above and white beneath. One of the best-ever alpine house and show plants, this fabulous miniature semi-evergreen sub-shrub originates from the mountains of Yugoslavia, Albania and Greece. ... Learn More

This fast growing annual or biennial is very attractive to bees and butterflies. It is a clump forming plant putting out several thin stems from the centre, each adorned with multiple powder-puff flowers in shades of white, pink and purple arranged in whorls along its length. Resembling oregano in appearance, it is a stalwart of the herb garden but is equally at home dotted through the herbaceous border. When crushed, the leaves release a lemon-like scent. ... Learn More

Whorls of purple pollinator attracting flowers sit upon aromatic foliage. A perennial plant sometimes grown as an annual. Also known as Bee Balm which, as the name suggests, attract bees en masse. Easy to grow but we recommend a sunny position with good ventilation and airflow with moderate moisture. ... Learn More

Clusters of cup-shaped magenta flowers open in summer, above compact rosettes of narrow, lance-shaped, hairy, gray-green leaves. This is an ideal subject for the rock garden or scree, and makes an excellent container plant for the patio, as this compact, mound-forming perennial is often grown as an annual! ... Learn More