Golden orange-yellow, ray-less flower heads with spiky anthers, radiate out in a narrow cluster atop stout stems growing from a clump of basal leaves which are hairy and woolly especially on the undersides. This is the only species in the genus Cacaliopsis, although it is sometimes included in Luina, a small genus of western North America. These shade-loving plants are often found in oak or pine forests or meadows. ... Learn More

This is a seed collection of very many easy to grow cacti, all ideally suited to window sills, sun rooms or greenhouses. Although quite slow to grow the first year, they can live for very many years on a hot window sill when they will not suffer from the occasional drying out or even a baking in the hot summer's sun! Indeed, this often stimulates these amazing plants into flowering, when they can produce the most beautiful, strikingly-coloured flowers. ... Learn More

Beautifully fringed, orange and red blooms cover this magnificent, West Indian shrub which has most attractive deeply divided foliage. In a warm country or very well-protected UK garden or a conservatory, it makes one of the most spectacular plants you can ever be lucky enough to grow. ... Learn More

This lovely dwarf catmint forms a low cushion of hairy fragrant leaves, above which, from July until September, arise short spikes carrying globular clusters of bright pink flowers, rather like a candelabra. This is possibly the last of the catmints to be in flower. Wild Basil has mauve coloured flowers unlike Garden Basil which has white flowers. ... Learn More

This very valuable, fragrant-leaved plant is equally at home in the front-of-border or herb garden, being smothered with comparatively large pink flowers all summer long. ... Learn More

The attractive osier-like Rattan palm, a climbing palm, has pale yellow fruits, about 0.5 cm across, resembling small, pointed cones, arranged in a raceme. These are often known as “canella berries” in the potpourri trade. It is alsothe source of “palm spirals,” either as a tubular spiral or pyramidal spiral, the individual stems 0.5-1 cm wide, the entire spirals 5-10 cm high. It is widely cultivated In India and Australia but in the wild is native to Indonesia, Java and Bali in Indonesia; Peninsular Malaysia; all parts of Thailand; Cambodia; Cochinchina and Central Annam in Vietnam; all part ... Learn More

Appropriately named plants!! Out of large blue-green rubbery rosettes spring many sprays holding exceptionally lovely silky purple-pink large flowers. They have a long flowering season and with luck will self-seed on a scree. These delightful flowers are related to the North American lewisias, but come from Chile in South America. ... Learn More

Growing amongst dry rocks and scree in the high Andes of Chile and Argentina at between 800-2700m, this lovely sub-shrubby alpine makes compact rosettes of leathery, hairy leaves and several thin, branching stems carrying delicate, deep yellow to orange pouches. ... Learn More

Native to Chile and Argentina, this lovely alpine forms low, compact rosettes of hairy leaves from which arise wiry stems each bearing a pair of inflated golden pouch flowers marked with tiny red spots. It performs well in moist but well-drained soil, especially a rock garden alpine trough, or gravel scree. ... Learn More

Inflated, pendent pouches, speckled red inside, hand from dividing thin stems, which arise from rosettes of pointed leaves, an unusual feature for this genus. Calceolaria falklandica is native not only to the Falklands but also to the Andes Mountains of Chile down to Patagonia. The genus name means "small shoe." ... Learn More

Probably new to cultivation, this lovely Chilean species will thrive best in a moist, shady corner, maybe in a deep pot or even a shady bed, as in the wild it inhabits wet stream edges and damp ravines. The broad leaves open into basal rosettes of emerald green, from which arise long thin stems topped with lemon-yellow balloon-like blooms. It blooms very quickly from seed and can even be grown as an annual. ... Learn More

Calceolaria integrifolia is a small, tender, bushy, evergreen sub-shrub with oblong, veiny, matt-green leaves with hairy undersides and with clusters of bright yellow, pouch-like flowers. This native of Argentina and Chile blooms from late spring through to early autumn. ... Learn More

Superb in a rock garden, this true-seeding, ground-hugging, hybrid plant (C. plantaginea x C. polyrrhiza) is highly sought by collectors of rock garden plants. The bright yellow flowers are large in size, with purple spots on the pouch. It has no woody stems and being a hybrid of two species that are native to very cold parts of South America, can thus take severe cold. ... Learn More

This very rapid-growing plant is ideal for a burst of colour when all else has failed. A sturdy mass of thin branches carries thousands of small, bright yellow pouches. It absolutely thrives in a hot Mexican-like spot! ... Learn More

These rare dwarf woody sub shrubs grow at altitude in the South American Andes, right down to Patagonia where they descend nearly to sea level. With showy massed bunches of sizeable, lemon-coloured, slightly flattened inflated pouch-flowers on strong graceful stems, they are easily grown in any rich, well drained soil in a sunny spot throughout the year. They appreciate and deserve shelter from excessive winter wetness, and therefore are even better in the rock garden, or even as a pot plant! ... Learn More