This grand, evergreen, pyramidal-shaped coniferous tree has bluish green foliage whose tips turn an attractive plum purple in the winter months. It is very widely used as an ornamental tree, both in its homeland, where it is associated with long life and vitality, and widely elsewhere in temperate climates. The wood is used in Buddhist temples, both for construction work, and for incense burning. It is native to the northeast of the United States and the southeast of Canada and the species was first described by Carolus Linnaeus in 1753, ... Learn More

A truly appropriate common name, this rare plant opens glorious, dazzling purple goblet-flowers, which slowly open making a five-bladed windmill! New to cultivation, this slow-growing, dwarf, evergreen shrub will make a stunning plant for a sheltered spot or even a large container indoors. The name Tibouchina is actually adapted from a Guianan indigenous name for a member of this genus. ... Learn More

Masses of goblet shaped, carmine-red flowers open amidst dark green, deeply-carved, soft fuzzy leaves on this very rare shrub, which can eventually become a compact tree. A magnet for butterflies and bees, in the wild it is actually pollinated by hummingbirds, where it thrives high in the cloud forests and paramo of the Andes, in Venezuela, Colombia and Ecuador between 2400 and 3800 m. Seldom yet seen in cultivation, it will make an outstanding specimen in cool temperate climates. ... Learn More

Masses of sizeable, sumptuous, beautiful royal-purple blooms open wide, amidst velvet leaves, constantly from March or April. These continue all through autumn and sometimes into early winter, or even all-year-round in warmer climates. Perfect trained as a shrub, or even allowed to grow finally into a small tree, it is one of the world's most spectacular plants. In the wild, Tibouchina lepidota is fairly widespread in montane and cloud forests of the Andes mountains between Venezuela and Peru from 800 to 3200 m, and therefore has a considerable measure of hardiness. ... Learn More

This very long-lived and most attractive palm is probably the only one which is completely hardy in the UK. However it is best grown in a sheltered spot to preserve the beauty of the impressive fan-shaped leaves. ... Learn More

This stunning palm has large, nearly-circular leaves, and when mature forms a smooth, grey, bare trunk. It has a very restricted geographical range in the wild and is found only in an isolated pocket in the Sikkim Himalayas in north-east India which is immediately threatened by destruction. This palm has only recently been introduced into cultivation, but is about to make a huge impression in the palm world! It is heat-resistant and hardy: -10 to -12°C (14 to 10°F) . ... Learn More

A plant to puzzle and impress your friends. This handsome Chilean plant has long tubular greeny-yellow flowers throughout spring and summer followed by yellow berries. It makes a solid shrub decorated with small, evergreen, glossy, dark green, rather musty-smelling leaves. ... Learn More

Unusual in this genus because of its height, this fishtail-like palm from the Himalayan region has a solitary trunk and large, stiff, feathery leaves arranged in opposite rows in the same plane. An extremely unusual looking palm, the leaves form just two rows on either side of the trunk, so that looking down on the palm from above, the leaves would all form a single straight line. The long, attractive leaflets are dark green above, and greyish white underneath. ... Learn More

This popular shrub bears clusters of bright pink, funnel-shaped flowers in spring and is the perfect specimen for a large shrubbery or even for growing in a lawn. ... Learn More

An unusual white form of the popular garden shrub originally discovered in Korea and China in the mid-19th century. ... Learn More

A truly outstanding deciduous shrub bearing showy funnel-shaped flowers. But this form is special! The buds open to give white flowers which age to pink and finally to red. The whole effect is quite stunning with flowers of all colours on the same plant! ... Learn More

A truly divine plant, midsized and similar to Yucca rostrata but with wider, rigid, bright blue-grey leaves, complemented by clusters of pure white flowers in late-spring. It is native to northeastern Mexico and will withstand heat, drought and moderate to quite severe freezes. It’s perfect for adding a touch of drama to the garden and does well in exotic and tropical planting schemes. Grow in a very free-draining soil in a sunny, sheltered spot. Although hardier than most yuccas, it may need protection in winter, particularly from wet conditions. Alternatively, grow in a pot, which you can move indoors in autumn. ... Learn More