This medium-sized deciduous shrub or small tree has fern-like pinnate leaves composed of many small leaflets, dark green in spring and summer, and plum purple before falling in autumn. The fragrant white flowers in spring are followed by masses of large clusters of drooping, waxy, porcelain-white berries in autumn that are extremely popular with wildlife. It was first discovered in central China in the early twentieth century by the famed plant hunter Ernest Wilson. The Royal Horticultural Society has given it its prestigious Award of Garden Merit (AGM). ... Learn More

Fragrant golden 'pea' flowers smother this lovely shrub, which is native to the Mediterranean region in southern Europe, south west Asia and north west Africa, where it is found in sunny sites, usually on dry, sandy soils. With branches almost devoid of leaves, it is the sole species in the genus Spartium, but is closely related to the other brooms in the genera Cytisus and Genista. It will do well in any hot, dryish spot in the sun. ... Learn More

One of the world's most spectacular flowering trees, native to tropical western Africa. The large reddish-orange flowers (up to 15cm long) bloom with great profusion, contrasting with the glossy dark green leaves, and when flowers bloom at their peak in the spring, the tree can appear to seem on fire, hence one of the common names being 'fire of the forest'. The open flowers are cup-shaped and can hold water and dew, which makes them attractive to many species of bird and insect. This tree is believed in some parts of Africa to possess magical properties, with twigs being used as wands by witc ... Learn More

This compact flowering shrub grows into a neat slowly expanding ball of golden foliage with masses of dainty, pale or deep pink flowers in June and July. It often reblooms sporadically for the rest of the season. It is extremely hardy and also heat, cold and drought resistant once established. We are offering what is probably the first ever seed that will produce at least 50% golden-leaved forms. Flowers will range from pale pink to deepest rose, and foliage from lemon-yellow to deep burnished gold. Grow several and select the best colour forms when they flower! ... Learn More

This compact flowering shrub grows into a neat slowly expanding ball of golden foliage with masses of dainty, light pink flowers in June and July. It often reblooms sporadically for the rest of the season. It is extremely hardy and also heat, cold and drought resistant once established. ... Learn More

Attractive racemes of dazzling, showy, bright red pea-like flowers, open over a long period, followed by sizeable, pink-tinged, bladdery, inflated seed capsules, which many children love to "pop" with an audible bang!Probably the most beautiful of any berry.. ... Learn More

The most commercially important of the mahoganies, or 'sky fruit', this tree is found in dim areas around peninsular Malaysia and the South Pacific Solomon Islands. An evergreen tree, its big fruit has a hard shell and thin inner layer, which grows upright on the branch side. When ripe and orange-yellow in colour, the fruit splits on its own, with each valve showing two rows of seeds. It was known as the 'queen of plants', for its health benefits in the Solomon Islands for generations, where the local people have used it for more than a thousand years to treat a huge variety of diseases. It ... Learn More

During early summer, attractive clusters of green-white to pink flowers start to bloom followed by clusters of dazzling-white, conspicuous, round fruits, 1-2cm in diameter, which persist into the autumn. This bushy, rounded shrub can make a fast-growing, multi-stemmed deciduous hedge and is an important winter food source for quail, pheasant, and grouse. It is not edible, as ingesting the berries can cause mild symptoms of vomiting, dizziness, and slight sedation in children. ... Learn More

Tabebuia chrysantha, is a deciduous tree known for its stunning floral display. In late winter to early spring, before the leaves emerge, the tree produces an abundance of large, trumpet-shaped flowers. These blooms are a brilliant golden-yellow, covering the tree in a vibrant blanket of color. The tree's compound leaves, palmately divided into leaflets, add to its overall tropical aesthetic. The foliage, while not the main feature, provides an attractive backdrop to the spectacular floral show. Tabebuia chrysantha can reach heights of 20 to 30 feet (6 to 9 meters) or more, creating a relative ... Learn More

Tamarind trees are very versatile and can be grown in tropical and sub-tropical parts of the world. The pod-like fruit contain pulp which is used in cuisines all over the world often in desserts, as a jam, blended into juices, sorbets, ice creams and other snacks. In the West it is famously an integral part of the world-famous Worcester Sauce. The timber is use in woodworking and oil can extracted from its seeds. ... Learn More

This large tree is native to south and southeast Asia, and is more commonly known the commercial wood product, teak, with a wide variety of uses from furniture to boat building. The leaves are used for fermenting soybeans. With clusters of small, lightly fragranced, white flowers which are pollinated by bees, flies and ants. A tree for a sunny position with moist, well-drained soil, it can however tolerate drought. ... Learn More

This rare and new-in-cultivation evergreen shrub from Madeira is worth growing as a foliage plant alone with its large soft, velvety-sage-green scallop-edged leaves. However, a glorious multitude of showy, six inch purple-violet-rose spikes, many to a stem, are held upright, smothering the foliage from top to bottom on a dense rounded bush from May to August. In addition, it is easy, drought tolerant, and deer proof. Gentle pruning in early spring will keep it flowering every year. Finally it will grow almost anywhere, from bone dry (as in Madeira) to a damp shady corner. A worthy introduction ... 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