Native to north eastern Turkey into Russia, this bone-hardy, fascinating, rare and unusual species has perfoliate, paired, fused leaves clasping the stem, forming a cupped arrangement. Large, golden-yellow flowers with reflexed petals and prominent, very long stamens form a broad pyramidal inflorescence. In a semi-shaded spot in moisture retentive soil it will make a superb specimen. ... Learn More

This ever-popular prostrate or low-growing shrub is widely cultivated for its attractive yellow flowers. Although it is widely grown in Mediterranean climates, it is a popular, evergreen hardy shrub throughout the world. In the wild it occurs in the Strandja Mountains along the Bulgarian and Turkish Black Sea coast. ... Learn More

This lovely tufted shrub has erect to decumbent stems up to a foot or so in length with golden flowers in small terminal bunches. In the wild it lives in Northern Turkey and the Caucasus in light woodland or among volcanic rocks in the mountains. ... Learn More

The soothing foliage of Henry’s St. John’s Wort is a pleasant backdrop for the golden yellow flowers borne in summer on this upright, deciduous shrub. The erect, arching branches of this species typically form a vase shape, and are covered with red-brown bark. In midsummer to autumn, loose clusters of starry, cup shaped, golden yellow flowers open at the branch tips where they attract bees and butterflies, and are followed by small, red-tinted, green fruits. ... Learn More

This semi evergreen shrub, which is fully hardy, bears dark green oblong leaves, and profuse yellow flowers in early and mid summer, followed by masses of berries in shades of peach, pink and yellow and finally bright red. These eye-catching berries stay on the plant until winter. ... Learn More

An amazing plant on all accounts, this spectacular, fast-growing shrub with masses of bright red, trumpet-shaped flowers and soft leaves is closely related to Brugmansias. Over many months throughout the growing year it provides a blistering colour display, the 2 inch (5cm.) trumpet-like flowers hanging in heavy clusters turning this beauty a fiery red. Much sought after, it is native to high cloud forests along the Andes from Colombia to Argentina between 800 and 3500 m. In cultivation this floriferous plant in the "Angel'sTrumpet" family prefers a warm or cool temperate climate, but it is adaptable and will grow anywhere where it has good drainage and adequate protection, and even makes a superb standard plant in a large pot! ... Learn More

Sweetly fragrant, lavender-blue flowers with a curved trumpet shape and a white inner throat that shows only slightly at the base of the upper petals, are formed in abundance in terminal panicles in the late spring and summer. This sub-tropical tree, native to South America, has been widely planted elsewhere because of its beautiful and long-lasting flowers. ... Learn More

A rare and stunningly beautiful plant from the colder parts of Chile and also New Zealand. Thin, branching stems with attractive wavy-edged leaves produce clusters of countless delicate orchid-like cream flowers gently marked with yellow and purple, which appear throughout spring and early summer and produce very few dust-like seeds. This delicate plant will stand severe frost in well-drained soil, and will almost always re-shoot from the base when killed back by severe winters. (RHS Award of Garden Merit). ... Learn More

These ancient plants are dioecious, individual plants being either male or female unlike most trees. Male flowers appear as yellow blossoms and release pollen, which is wind-dispersed, the female flowers being in the form of small clusters of scales, and pollinated by the wind. The berries are green at first, but ripen after 18 months to a dark, blue-purple colour, each berry contains three or more seeds, which are very slow to germinate, sometimes requiring two winters of dormancy before they will sprout and begin growing. This amazingly tough plant has the largest geographic range of any woody plant in the world, occurring from western Alaska throughout Canada and northern parts of the USA, in coastal areas of Greenland, in Iceland, throughout Europe and in northern Asia and Japan. ... Learn More

The gorgeous dark red flowers only open at night and are pollinated by bats and hawk-moths, a feature which is unusual for a bat-pollinated species (bats are normally attracted to white flowers), and finally large sausage-shaped fruits hang from the branches. The sausage tree is found across sub-Saharan tropical Africa and as far south as South Africa and is used as an ornamental tree in Australia, the USA and parts of Southeast Asia. The generic name Kigelia comes from the Mozambican name for sausage tree, "kigeli-keia". These trees are sacred to many communities and are often protected when other forest trees are cut down. In Kenya, the Luo and Luhya people bury a fruit to symbolise the body of a lost person believed to be dead. ... Learn More

A mesmerising medium-sized deciduous shrub, prized for its beautiful appearance. From May to June the arching stems play host to masses of pale pink, trumpet-shaped blooms that contrast beautifully with the delicate yellow throat. These gather in abundant clusters on arching branches amongst simple green leaves. As the flowers fade, this dark green foliage makes an elegant backdrop for other summer-flowering shrubs and perennials. Beautiful enough to be awarded the prestigious RHS AGM. ... Learn More

The well-known laburnum tree produces long racemes of beautiful yellow flowers in early summer followed by pods full of black seeds which are poisonous. ... Learn More

Also known as Angel Lips, Spanish Flag, or West Indian Lantana, these spectacular shrubby plants have aromatic flower clusters (umbels) in a mixture of red, orange, yellow, and white florets. The flowers, which are hummingbird magnets, typically change colour as they mature, resulting in inflorescences that are two or three-coloured. Indeed another common name for Lantana camara is "Ham 'n Eggs" due to the adjacent white and yellow inflorescences. Although they are more often seen as specimens and borders around the entrances to hotels in warmer countries, in the UK they are just as much at home in a large container in a conservatory. The bunches of black berries which finally appear are much loved by hungry birds too! ... Learn More

This very old, softly-prickly cottage garden plant, between June and August, has hairy flowers which are pale pink to purple, alternating up the stems, with whorls of leaves which are oak-shaped and deeply lobed into three. Motherwort has a long history of use as a herb in traditional medicine in Central Europe, Asia and North America. Midwives used it for a variety of purposes, including uterine tonic and prevention of uterine infection in women, hence the name Motherwort. And finally, in the Victorian 'Language of Flowers' it symbolizes concealed love. ... Learn More

Bearing grey-green foliage, which is highly aromatic when crushed, this evergreen, upright shrub has hairy white stems, and saucer-shaped white flowers borne in summer. It thrives in a hot sheltered position, but is nonetheless quite frost hardy in a well-drained spot. ... Learn More