These nuts have a distinctive rich, buttery flavor and are probably the most nutritious of all nuts, and indeed are second in popularity only to the pea-nut! Trees live and produce nuts for hundreds of years in a favourably temperate climate, the deciduous trees putting out fresh growth in the spring. Closely related to walnuts, the leaves of the two trees look very similar. This hickory tree, native to Central and Southern North America, has been used as a food source by Native Americans for centuries before the arrival of European colonists. Growth rate of this fast-growing can be up to 1meter or 3 feet per year. This tree is perfect for home owners that love to harvest nuts for cooking. The plants were not actually domesticated until the 17th century, when the first plantations of pecans were established in Mexico. Hardy planting zones are 5-9. ... Learn More

Amidst attractive divided foliage open sprays of glorious, fragrant, crinkly-petalled, bright yellow flowers, which form pods which are 5-10 cm long and 2.5 cm broad, and are red at first, ripening to black. It is commonly used in India for avenue trees, planted alternately with Delonix regia to give a striking yellow and red effect in summer. The wood has a wide variety of uses, including cabinet-making and the foliage is used as a fodder crop. This deciduous tree is widely grown in many tropical regions particularly in Nigeria, Pakistan, Florida and Hawaii. ... Learn More

This attractive palm is very widely planted as an ornamental plant in warm temperate regions of the world, especially in areas with Mediterranean climates, and also in areas with a mild oceanic climate. It is easily recognized through its crown of leaves and trunk characteristics and it is common to see Canary Island date palms pruned and trimmed to enhance their appearance. When neatly pruned, the bottom of the crown, also sometimes called the nut, appears to have a pineapple shape. It has gained the Royal Horticultural Society's Award of Garden Merit. ... Learn More

These seeds have been collected from the queen of all dates, the famous, luscious, and very expensive Medjool. These large, soft, sweet fruits will only fruit in the ground in hotter countries, although the smaller specimens make attractive potted plants for a warm courtyard or conservatory. All true edible date palm trees are desert plants, originally from the Middle East, and where they are native they prefer to get 20 to 40 inches of rain per year in the winter, with summers preferably being hot and dry with low humidity. These seeds have been cleaned and stratified and are ready to plant. ... Learn More

Impressive masses of yellow flowers are borne in large inflorescences in summer, and most of the species later bear heavy clusters of edible dates. Large, floppy, pinnately compound, evergreen leaves grow above clustering and leaning trunks, with pretty leaf scars making crowded rings, although in younger palms, the stem is covered with leaf bases and matted fibers until they finally fall away. Phoenix is the palm genus par excellence, and as a rule they are native to tropical and subtropical areas where they do best in full sun and do well even in dry and infertile soils. ... Learn More

An easy-to-care-for plant with an attractive trunk bearing the remains of old leaf stems, and also displaying very narrow arching leaflets compared to other palms. It is perfect for anywhere where space is an issue as it never exceeds 3 m. or so, and consequently it also does well in a large container. It is native to southeastern Asia, from southwestern China, northern Laos and northern Vietnam. The Latin specific epithet roebelenii honours the orchid collector Carl Roebelen ... Learn More

The most beautiful and tropical looking of the phoenix palms and also with the greenest leaves, this very graceful tree has soft, gracefully arching, glossy green fronds with hardly any spines at the leaf and bases as in other varieties, along with a smooth, slender, light grey trunk which is solitary, slender, light grey in colour and devoid of any remains of leaf bases or conspicuous leaf scars. It is native to the mountainous forests of India and Bhutan and the lower foothills of the Himalaya in India, namely Sikkim, West-Bengal and Arunchal Pradesh from 300 to 1200 m, usually occurring on cliffs, hillsides and similar terrain. Like other Phoenix palms, this plant is easy and fast growing, and is very adaptable and can be grown in temperate as well as tropical climates, certainly in areas where temperatures do not drop below -6C. It should also make an excellent indoor pot plant. Fruits mature through yellow and violet red to dark red-purple, the seeds being oblong, 1,5 to 2cm long and deeply grooved on one side. ... Learn More

Indian gooseberry fruit eaten raw is quite sour and astringent, and in India it is common to eat gooseberries sweetened or steeped in salt water and turmeric to make them more palatable. Greenish-yellow male and female flowers are carried separately on the same branch and produce fruit which is nearly spherical, light greenish yellow, and smooth and hard in appearance, with six vertical stripes or furrows. The tree has a crooked trunk and spreading branches and the generic name, Phyllanthus, is derived from Greek words meaning leaf-flower, alluding to the apparent bearing of flowers on the leaves. Popularly used in inks, shampoos and hair oils, the high tannin content of Indian gooseberry fruit has also been used as a mordant for fixing dyes in fabrics! ... Learn More

This popular broad-leaved evergreen shrub can grow over 6' tall with an equal spread. Large, upright clusters of fragrant white urn-shaped flowers appear in April after which they become small brown seed capsules which persist into the winter. It thrives best in partial shade to nearly full sun and prefers soils which are acidic and very well-drained, but not excessively dry. ... Learn More

In March, short spikes of furry flower buds open to reveal large, bright-yellow, showy flowers, rather like laburnum but in short upright clusters, and which smell of vanilla and last until June. The yellow-green, flat, pendulous seed pods are about four inches long and are evident in August and September. The youngest stems are dark green, almost black, in spring, and the leaves are a shiny dark green on the upper side, blue-green underneath. This lovely shrub grows quickly once the seed has germinated ... Learn More

This exquisite, exotic-looking, slow-growing, diminutive palm, native to the Pacific Island of Vanatu, grows large, beautifully pleated leaves on a dwarf trunk ridged with old leaf scars and traces of fibrous leaf sheaths, the crown rarely spreading more than 2 metres or so. It is perfect for the smaller exotic garden or even a large container in a conservatory. ... Learn More

This rare and delightful dwarf is a small, aromatic evergreen shrub with tiny rounded leaves, and beautiful orchid-like white or pale lilac flowers with dark purple spots in summer. It occurs in subalpine heath and shrubland amongst granite rocks in New South Wales and Victoria in Australia. In Tasmania, the species is listed as "presumed to be extinct" under the state's Threatened Species Protection Act. ... Learn More

Delicate, fragrant, purple-spotted, pale lilac, orchid-like flowers adorn the "Christmas Bush" for six months. Do the flowers look like angels or does it flower at Christmas in Oz? A spectacular, scented foliage, evergreen shrub from Australia. ... Learn More

An absolutely glorious variety, having sizeable, shiny, richly coloured flower heads during winter. One of the very few proteas that can thrive in both alkaline or acidic soils, making it one of the most adaptable proteas for many gardens. With a robust-growing habit, it makes a large upright rounded shrub, 2–4 m tall with a spread of up to 5 m, and an incredibly stout main trunk up to 600 mm/2feet in diameter. The inner involucral bracts are hairless and shiny with a fringe of silver white hairs along the margin, the colour varying from deep carmine to creamy white, with many shades of pink in between. Flowering occurs from autumn until spring, peaking during midwinter dependent on location. Proteas require extremely well drained soil which is both acidic and very low in nutrients, fertiliser containing excess phosphates or nitrates may kill them (this variety being the exception) Proteas should not be fed with standard liquid feeds. Protea feed is available from specialist stockists. Proteas prefer full sun on a south facing slope in an open unshaded position. ... Learn More

The large deep red flowers of this sturdy, densely shrubby Protea are an excellent addition to any "wild-life" garden, as the large amount of nectar produced attracts birds, bees and other insects. The latin name "repens" is wrong and was caused by a mix-up in ancient times. The botanist Thunberg later named the same plant Protea mellifera, referring to the sweet nectar produced by the flowers. However, this later correct name was not valid so so this upright shrub is now called Protea repens! Proteas require extremely well drained soil which is both acidic and very low in nutrients, fertiliser containing excess phosphates or nitrates may kill them! Proteas should not be fed with standard liquid feeds. Protea feed is available from specialist stockists. As a rule proteas prefer full sun on a south facing slope in an open unshaded position. ... Learn More