Clusters of tiny, bright yellow flowers open in late winter, and are followed by glossy, ruby-red, cherry-like fruits, the oval leaves which open later, finally turning purple in autumn. The fruit, which only fully ripens after it falls from the tree, has an acidic flavour which is best described as a mixture of cranberry and sour cherry. It is mainly used for making jam, and an excellent sauce similar to cranberry sauce when boiled with sugar and orange. These shrubby trees are found through Southern Europe, and into near Eastern Asia. ... Learn More

This extremely attractive, erect, bushy shrub bears branching, woody stems covered with small grey green leathery leaves. In summer it produces clusters of beautiful starry yellow flowers followed by yellow berry fruits. It is perfect for for coastal and windy and exposed gardens and is quite incredibly hardy, coming from high elevations in New Zealand, and accordingly makes an impressive hedging shrub. ... Learn More

After many years this astonishing specimen makes a massive gray trunk reaching to 30 m (100 ft.) tall, with an enormous crown, up to 6m or 20 feet wide formed by enormous dark green leaves that can be 3 m (10 ft.) in diameter. The terminal inflorescence, which is formed after 50 to 80 years of vegetative growth, holds the record for being the world's largest flowering structure and produces literally millions of flowers. This tree is monocarpic which means it will die after flowering, but you will be growing them for your grandchildren, so grow several! In nature it grows from northeastern India, all over tropical Asia, east to the Philippines, and south to northern Australia. In cultivation, it does best in a hot, tropical climate and is one of the most breathtaking landscape trees available for large parks and gardens ... Learn More

A lovely Chinese native bearing long, slender arching branches, upon which open attractive clusters of fragrant pink flowers much loved by bees, and which are heavily crowded with scarlet berries in autumn, when it is one of the most effective of Cotoneasters. The branches are initially clad in attractive, thick, deeply-corrugated, white-felted leaves, but these later give brilliant autumn colours. ... Learn More

This shrub is almost flawless with something to offer in every season. Long leading horizontal branches sweep out gracefully in a strict herring-bone pattern. In late spring hundreds of pink-tinged white flowers appear, a honey pot for bees. The berries soon ripen to a rich red in late summer and punctuate the length of each herring-bone branch but do not become an important food source for birds until mid-winter. When the leaves colour in November, they gradually attain the same brightness as the berries, but in different, clashing shades of red and pink. ... Learn More

This lovely variant of the hawthorn flowers in May, and produces its unusually attractive fruit from September to October. Unlike the common Hawthorn, dense clumps of these striking berries are deepest maroon to purple-black. ... Learn More

One of the most distinctive features of the English countryside in spring is this sweet-smelling tree or shrub which is smothered with blossom in May, hence one of its more common names. In Autumn, the bushes are heavily laden with bright red fleshy berries, much loved by birds. And for the obsessively curious it is also known as: Ske (Old Irish), Porn (Old Norse), Hag (Old English), Hagthorn, Azzy Tree, Holy Innocents' May, Quickthorn, May-Tree, Whitethorn, White-May, Thorn-bush, Quick, Mother-die, Awes, Asogs, Azzies, Aglets, Agags, Arzy-garzies, Boojuns. ... Learn More

The "Chilean Lantern Tree" is truly one of the world's most attractive shrubs. Garden visitors seeing the attractive, crimson, waxy urn-shaped pendent flowers in early summer just cannot wait to rush into our plant nursery to buy one for themselves, and we can rarely grow enough to supply demand! Finally, large, attractive seed pods holding large seeds appear in August and September. ... Learn More

A close but much rarer relative of the "Chilean Lantern Tree" predictably from the cold country of Patagonia! Pretty sprays of fragrant, frilly white bell-shaped flowers appear in late summer followed by red locket-like seed-pods, which persist into late autumn. ... Learn More

This large ornamental, evergreen tree, revered in its native Japan where it is the National Tree, was introduced to Britain in 1861, and has attractive red-brown, slightly-peeling, fibrous brown bark and dense foliage consisting of short awl-shaped leaves which are arranged spirally around the branchlets, the pale yellow flowers producing conical cones. Unusually for a conifer, it is able to be coppiced, or cut down to near the ground and is still able to grow new shoots. Superficially it is quite similar to Giant Sequoia and is a deserved RHS AGM Winner ... Learn More

This attractive evergreen conifer is found on limestone terrain in the western Himalaya from 300–2,800 metres (980–9,200 ft) although in cultivation it will adapt to most soils. Cones appear in February-March, and incense is derived from the sap and bark. The wood, which is hard and very durable is used for general construction. Trees are slow growing in most of Britain, though growth is usually much faster in S.W. England and S. Ireland ... Learn More

One of the most attractive and easy-to-grow of all tropical plants, this gorgeous evergreen cycad produces branched stems, each one being topped by a crown of 30 - 40 leaves that can each be up to a meter long after several years. It is often a feature of hotel gardens in warmer countries where it produces a brown, furry, football-sized heart, from which, when it is mature, appears a cluster of attractive, egg-like, bright red seeds. Although it can grow larger in hot countries outside, in cooler countries it makes an imposing, very long-lived specimen in a large pot, and is perfect in a sun lounge or conservatory where it will grow more slowly. ... Learn More

This attractive plant is short-stemmed, with a swollen trunk , forming a uniquely 'pot-bellied' base, and an attractive crown in cultivation. In cooler climates it is one of the few deciduous cycads, losing its leaves every winter, although fresh ones sprout reliably at the end of every winter. It is similar in character to Cycas circinalis in some respects, but darker in colour, with leaves more upright in growth, and it also appears to be a more rapid grower! ... Learn More

This easy to grow highly ornamental tree, produces masses of spectacular star-shaped, scented, pink flowers. When in flower it looks like a giant candy floss as the tree transforms into a cloud of soft pink balls. Fast growing but will stays a reasonable size. Will tolerate some drought and is hardy to moderate frosts. Suitable for smaller gardens or growing in a large pot. ... Learn More

This ancient English fruit has vibrant dark blue skin and a strong flavour, and is not sweet until it is entirely ripe, when it becomes absolutely delicious! Very similar to a plum, it is very juicy, but its moment of glory comes when it is cooked, the heat drawing the juice out of the dusky skins and with it the most extraordinary depth of flavour. They are superb for making jam or jelly and are amongst the heaviest cropping trees in existence, the groaning branches often breaking under the weight of fruit in the autumn. ... Learn More