From Colombia and Ecuador comes this rare and seemingly newly-discovered, profusely-flowering Passiflora, which opens saucer-shaped, strawberry-red flowers, white at the bases, with short blue and white coronas, and prominent yellow anthers. Whilst red-flowered ones have been available for a long time, this combination is unique. This evergreen to semi-evergreen vine dies back to the ground in colder areas, but will return reliably if well mulched or planted in a sunny location. The fruit is fragrant, smelling like a cross between the purple passion fruit and banana passion fruit, and may be ... Learn More

A robust, woody vine common in the Andes in South America from Colombia to Bolivia, where it is found in cloud forests at higher elevations between 1400 and 3800 m. It is popular for its lovely pink to red flowers and edible, roundish, very sweet and tangy fruit. They are both eaten fresh and made into juice. Passiflora mixta is well adapted to cool conditions and will grow in many warm temperate climates. ... Learn More

Resembling a straight banana with rounded ends, this passion fruit prefers a cooler and less humid environment than others, when it will produce dozens of large, bright yellow fruits which usually hang, hidden, deep within the foliage of the plant, the vines sometimes having the tendency to fall down to the ground with the great weight of the fruit. These are ripe when they are easily pulled from the vine, the interior being a deep, dark orange. Unlike the more common passifloras, this is quite sweet, and when very ripe can be eaten out of hand. It is native to the Andes, and is found wild i ... Learn More

One of the most beautiful of the passion flowers, this beauty opens its large, fragrant flowers with deep red petals and a centre crown that contains five rows of numerous white and purple rays. Large leaves hang from stems that are quadrangular in cross section, hence its botanical name. It produces the most enormous fruits of all of the passion fruits, which grow very rapidly, and may weigh up to 4 kg (9 lb) turning to medium yellow when mature. For best fruiting, flowers should be hand pollinated. The ripe fruit is eaten fresh or used in drinks whilst unripe, green fruit is eaten as a veget ... Learn More

This rare and most attractive semi-dwarf plant from the mountains of Japan, produces wide flat plates of bright yellow flowers in early summer which will brighten up a dark corner. Easy to grow, completely hardy and very long-lived. ... Learn More

This truly spectacular tree is another of the Paulownia group, and is the fastest-growing of them all. More exotic than the more common Paulownia tomentosa, it opens its darker, cherry-tree pink "foxglove" flowers on naked branches in early spring with the large, dinner-plate-sized, soft furry leaves appearing later. If cut nearly to the ground in spring, enormous leaves develop on the shoots sprouting from the soil. It does especially well in poor, impoverished and quite dry soil! ... Learn More

This truly spectacular tree produces large, pale mauve "foxglove" flowers on naked branches in early spring, the large, dinner-plate-sized, soft furry leaves appearing later. If cut to the ground in spring, enormous leaves develop on the shoots sprouting from the soil. It does especially well in poor, impoverished and quite dry soil! ... Learn More

Flowers consisting of pure white creased petals with a deep crimson centre, have the typical bunch of protruding pollen-covered anthers, typical of most in the mallow family. The plant sends out equally long side branches which are thin and droopy, and with pruning, it can look like a normal shrub, but it spreads out annually and benefits from pruning. Foliage is a dark bluish green the leaves being notched slightly and are long and narrow. Native to Brazil, Bolivia, Argentina, Paraguay and Uruguay, it is vigorous and most attractive, but it should be grown with consideration as the seeds may ... Learn More

Peanuts, are a crop of global importance and are widely grown in the tropics, subtropic and warm temperate zones. Quite uniquely, peanut pods develop under the ground after the pretty yellow flowers on the rising shoots are fertilised. The stems lean over sideways and the developing seed pods bury themselves under the soil where the seed develops inside a hard shell. They are very easy to grow, whether in the garden or a large pot and constantly surprise, and furthermore educate children who try this experiment. ... Learn More

Sprays of white, cream or pink flowers open, sometimes with pink or red markings. The stems, covered with long silvery hairs, are produced from a central rosette of silky leaves which are strikingly marked with a horseshoe-shaped, burgundy-red zone. Very few seeds collected. ... Learn More

This gorgeous species pelargonium displays bright magenta pink flowers, with the upper petals veined and spotted with darker pink. One of the aromatic, scented-leaf pelargoniums, it blooms later than many other species, from July to Oct. Bearing small, kidney-shaped, silver green leaves, this unusual elegant plant is tuberous and may be completely dried out in winter when it is quite hardy. Commence careful watering in early spring if top-growth has dried up. Species within this Reniformia Group are easily recognisable by the distinct flower and leaf shapes and have a high tolerance to cold if ... Learn More

The fabulous "Umbrella Plant", a giant saxifrage relative, is an absolutely superb specimen that starts off with truly gorgeous sprays of flowers in shades of pink, on thick stems in earliest spring. Only later does it push up neat umbrella-like leaves, rather like a gunnera but not as large or sprawling. This stunning waterside plant is especially wonderful in the waters edge, or where it can be allowed to grow large, although it can do perfectly well in a dryish garden!. ... Learn More

A rare, choice and handsome plant found only in damp, semi-shady places in mountain woodland on the Japanese island of Honshu. Here it grows a mass of handsome foliage consisting of large, long-stalked, polished, shield-shaped leaves. In early summer, heads of unusual and attractive, creamy-white to greenish-yellow shuttlecock flowers open. A fabulous plant for a shady border or woodland garden. ... Learn More

This fabulous member of the saxifrage family is a rare and very choice woodland perennial from Japan (Shikoku and Kyushu), with attractive foliage and flowers. In spring the reddish-tinted young leaves emerge and slowly expand into impressive, very deeply-cut, green saucer-like leaves, on strong stems. Later in summer, numerous pale creamy yellow flowers open, hanging pendulously, and facing outwards like shuttlecocks. Although it prefers rich, moist woodland soils, it is surprisingly easy to grow and drought-tolerant. ... Learn More

Amidst attractive divided foliage open sprays of glorious, fragrant, crinkly-petalled, bright yellow flowers, which form pods which are 5-10 cm long and 2.5 cm broad, and are red at first, ripening to black. It is commonly used in India for avenue trees, planted alternately with Delonix regia to give a striking yellow and red effect in summer. The wood has a wide variety of uses, including cabinet-making and the foliage is used as a fodder crop. This deciduous tree is widely grown in many tropical regions particularly in Nigeria, Pakistan, Florida and Hawaii. ... Learn More