"Porcupine Bush" This rare relic plant exists in the wild only in the South Island and a few loci of the North Island of New Zealand. Bone hardy and long-lived, it produces, amongst small, weather-resistant leathery leaves masses of tiny, pendulous cream flowers in Spring followed by relatively sizeable , blue-splashed white berries. People have remarked that it resembles a dwarf cotoneaster at first sight! ... Learn More

"New Zealand Shrubby Violet". Yes, a member of the violet family! A dwarf evergreen shrub, with small oval leaves, resembling a box bush. Tiny clusters of perfumed yellow-green flowers slowly turn to white and purple berries. A slow growing treasure. ... Learn More

The stature and dividing branches of this lovely plant qualify it as the biggest clover plant in the world, a veritable tree clover! It opens its heavy load of white flowers in July and August when it is a major source of nectar for bees in apiaries, and indeed, its botanical name means "honey-scented white lotus". Its characteristic sweet odour, intensified by drying, is derived from the coumarins it produces. ... Learn More

This pretty mint relative is also called "Lemon Balm". Aromatic, spikes of small white flowers, loved by bees, arise above lemon scented foliage. Plant it where you can brush against it and enjoy the perfume, or pick it to make lemon tea or add to soups, sauces or salad-dressings. The large, lemon scented green leaves are also excellent for flavouring salads, summer drinks, stuffings, poultry and fish. Well known for its medicinal value, the leaves can be infused with honey and water to energise, revive and calm the nerves. It really is quite a useful plant overall! ... Learn More

Numerous curious, lantern-like buds open into a huge candelabra of branching stems holding fantastic, pure white, passion-flower-like blooms, beginning in early summer and continuing until August if dead-headed. One of the world's most astonishing and spectacular flowers, this arrestingly beautiful plant is actually easy to grow either as a biennial or as a short-lived perennial. An unusual member of the Campanula family, it is native to Lebanon and Israel, the genus Michauxia beings named after King Louis XVI of France’s royal botanist, Andreas Michaux, who travelled to America during the la ... Learn More

A rare and stunningly beautiful plant coveted by all who see it. Numerous waxy, pendent buds open to pure white, madonna lily-like flowers with reflexed strap-like petals, opening over a long period. But oh dear, what do you say when friends ask its name? ... Learn More

Originating from the foothills of the Andean mountains of Chile, this new and adorable, low-growing, spreading perennial makes clumps of hairy, sparsely-toothed, pale to mid-green leaves, above which open most unusually-coloured trumpet-shaped flowers. These are borne in late spring and summer, and are white to cream-coloured, overlaid with a pink to purple flush, fading to cream at the edges, with the tongue spotted purple. ... Learn More

From March to July the night air is filled with the delicious heady aroma of its sprays of star-shaped, yellowish white flowers. People collect them as they retain their perfume for many days after they fall and they are offered in temples and shrines. The fruits are eaten fresh and are softly hairy becoming smooth, ovoid, and bright red-orange when ripe. With its small shiny, thick, narrow, pointed leaves, straight trunk and spreading branches, it is a prized ornamental specimen as it provides a dense shade. It is found in tropical forests in South Asia, Southeast Asia and northern Australia ... Learn More

This exotic looking climber, with twining stems ideal for rambling over trellises and fences, produces impressive trusses with up to 12 flowers per spike producing a spectacular combination as they age. They start off a most powerful and stunning bright red, maturing from red to orange, orange to yellow and from yellow to white, some of each combination being in flower simultaneously. These plants when positively loaded with flowers are an impressive sight. ... Learn More

This pretty and rarely-seen high alpine plant makes small cushions of needle-shaped leaves with white, starry flowers on thin delicate stems. It thrives in the harshest of conditions often on almost bare rocky outcrops and serpentine soils, which harbour a distinct and unique flora rich in endemics. Minuartia laricifolia has two ecologically distinct subspecies with disjunct distributions. Subsp. laricifolia on siliceous rocks in the western Alps and eastern Pyrenees, and subsp. ophiolitica on serpentine in the northern Apennines. Few seeds collected. ... Learn More

This rare and strikingly attractive, strongly aromatic plant, comes from the mountains of central and southern Europe and bears jaggedly cut, glossy green foliage, and creamy umbels turning lime green. In late spring it produces large numbers of yellowish-white, sweetly fragrant flowers, which in turn form large, intriguing heads of sizeable, twisted seeds.... And yes, what a brilliant name! ... Learn More

An exceptionally choice and rare dwarf plant with pink buds opening to deepest violet-blue flowers. Stems bear oblong-lance-shaped, linear leaves which are dark blue-green above and white beneath. One of the best-ever alpine house and show plants, this fabulous miniature semi-evergreen sub-shrub originates from the mountains of Yugoslavia, Albania and Greece. ... Learn More

This fast growing annual or biennial is very attractive to bees and butterflies. It is a clump forming plant putting out several thin stems from the centre, each adorned with multiple powder-puff flowers in shades of white, pink and purple arranged in whorls along its length. Resembling oregano in appearance, it is a stalwart of the herb garden but is equally at home dotted through the herbaceous border. When crushed, the leaves release a lemon-like scent. ... Learn More

Flowering freely the first year from seed, and indeed best grown as an annual, 'Lambada' bears long spires of white-spotted, deep pink flowers arranged generously in whorls. Pretty in a mixed bouquet of cut flowers and in wildflower gardens, it can also be used as a dried flower. ... Learn More

A rare, exquisite, and long-lived Nepalese plant. A stout rosette of thistle-like foliage (but no relation) pushes up strong stems from which radiate leafy branchlets producing exotic, almost orchid-like, flared white flowers, which turn to bright pink inside after pollination. It will repeat flower from early summer until the frost, especially if dead-headed. A superb, hardy and valuable plant. ... Learn More