Beautiful spray like clusters of showy white flowers form conspicuous, long, bottlebrush-looking flower heads, very late in the year when most other flowers have long-gone. Found in north western USA and western coast of Canada it has many medicinal and other properties, for example it is reputed to repels insects, hence its name "Bugbane". Unlike other members of the genus Actaea most of which bear berries, the few seeds are produced in green pods, resembling those of aconitums. ... Learn More

One of the most beautiful late summer and autumn flowers, this very hardy and long-lived plant has white spring flowers on low shiny leaves, giving way in autumn to waxy white berries on thick, attractive scarlet stems. The common name, "doll's eyes" is quite appropriate. "There is nothing like it - a real August treasure", says Graham Stuart Thomas. ... Learn More

Sprays of white feathery flowers give way to sprays of shining bright red berries in summer and autumn. This is a superb and very long-lived plant, which is ideal for a shady spot. ... Learn More

This large, vigorous deciduous climber bears twining stems with ovate leaves, those of mature plants tipped with silver, and later pink. The attractive white flowers, male and female, grow on separate plants! A gorgeous plant often grown for foliage effect. ... Learn More

Racemes of greenish yellowish flower grow in dense drooping rat-tail flower heads, almost like catkins. Later, the curved hanging pods, with a bulge opposite each seed, split open into two twisted halves, to reveal the hard, scarlet seeds. The beautiful seeds have long been used as beads for jewellery, and in India they have been used as units of weight for fine gold from historic times because the seeds have almost almost identical weights. The Malay name for the tree, saga, has been traced to the Arabic for 'goldsmith'. This tree is also used for making soap, and a red dye can be obtained ... Learn More

From North Eastern India comes this elegant non-spreading clump which produces jagged-edged flared violet bells in loose sprays on numerous arching stems. It is additionally valuable on account of its hardiness and inability to be invasive. ... Learn More

An elegant plant making spires of white-eyed blue flowers in early and mid summer. In very good, loose soil this plant can spread, so may be best planted where it can be controlled. ... Learn More

Violet-blue bells are displayed in whorls around upright stems in early and midsummer. These lovely plants will produce compact clumps with no tendency to run around as so many members of this family do. ... Learn More

This superb annual has feathery foliage and a succession of brilliant blood-red flowers, making a delightful plant for the border. It grows well in any ordinary garden soil, but prefers a moist well-drained soil grown in sun or semi-shade. In olden times this scarce and beautiful European native was used as a medicinal and ornamental plant. ... Learn More

This mid-sized, slender, aromatic, gum-bearing tree has branches clad in leaves with three leaflets and greenish white, sweetly scented flowers, that finally transform into the amazing smooth-shelled "bael fruit" that can be eaten either fresh or dried and tastes of marmalade, although it actually smells of roses! Sacred by Hindus, it is known to produce one of the most commonly used fruits in Ayurvedic treatments as well as other traditional systems of medicine. In the traditional Newari culture of Nepal, this tree is part of a girls fertility ritual known as the Bel baha. Girls are "married" ... Learn More

Aeonium arboreum, commonly known as Tree Aeonium or Tree Houseleek, is a striking evergreen succulent that forms branching rosettes of fleshy, spoon-shaped leaves. The foliage, which varies in color from bright green to deep burgundy in some varieties, grows on sturdy, woody stems, giving the plant its tree-like appearance. In late winter to early spring, mature plants produce tall, conical clusters of small yellow star-shaped flowers, adding seasonal interest. This low-maintenance succulent thrives in full sun to partial shade and prefers well-drained, sandy soils, making it ideal for rock ... Learn More

This low-spreading, bushy perennial with racemes of pink to lilac coloured flowers, forms compact, mounding, evergreen shrubs in rock gardens or as front edging along borders. It comes originally from the cool limestone highlands of the Mediterranean and Asia Minor where it thrives in a loose, well-drained, neutral-to-alkaline soil. In the garden, where this lovely plant will spread easily by self-seeding, it can be pruned lightly to maintain shape. Distinction: Award of Garden Merit (A.G.M.) from The Royal Horticultural Society. ... Learn More

The flowers of Burnt candytuft, a dwarf rock plant, are variable in colour and can be white, pink or mauve. For us living in the UK larger and more common members of this family are associated with neat, edged flowerbeds in gardens and parks in the height of summer. This rare plant grows in rocky habitats in the hills and mountains, where it blooms in the spring. Burnt candytuft is found in the western and central Mediterranean from Spain to Greece and also in Sardinia, Sicily and Crete. ... Learn More

This stately plant will radiate stunning shades of blue from your border, or will look very attractive as a container plant on the patio. Superb in well-drained soil, when it will enthrall those who see it! Easy to grow, it will clump up steadily over the years slowly improving in size. ... Learn More

Sizeable, globular, white flower heads, each flower delicately tipped with blue, open freely on stout stems above strap-shaped leaves. A seedling which appeared here some years ago, this new and seemingly completely hardy variety forms heavy established clumps which improve over the years and amaze all who visit our gardens here. ... Learn More