Hardy ferns are a hidden gem of the gardening world, and should be grown much more widely. They suffer from perceptions they either take over like Bracken, or need wet spots to grow in - some do, but most don't. This specially selected trio of ferns are really special though - they are both hardy, and evergreen, so stand out as some of the best to grow, as most die back underground each winter. They will reward you with year-round foliage interest, and are perfect together as a small fernery in the border or in a large pot, or in mixed planters, or cool, deep, moist soils. This collection includes one each of 3 named ferns (varieties may vary depending on seasonal availability).
The tall, stately spires of lupins are a real summer garden classic, and this Hardy Lupin 'Manhattan Lights' will really knock your socks off and will make you the envy of your gardening friends and neighbours! A real work of art, and standing tall at roughly 1m once fully grown, this amazing Lupin certainly has the wow factor, being smothered in bi-colour, pastel-yellow and vivid purple flowers, right to the top of their stems. With palmate, sage green foliage creating the perfect backdrop for these eye-catching flowers, their tall, spiky display of blooms really stand out in beds and borders, making a stunning statement in your garden. Compact growth means that they're also perfect in pots, and great for creating focal features on patios and decking - or why not cut the stems and bring indoors to create beautiful cut flower displays?! Flowering throughout June and July, the perfect blooms of Lupin 'Manhattan Lights' open in succession from the bottom of the spire upwards, prolonging the flowering season, and are a magnet to butterflies, bees and other beneficial pollinating insects making your summer garden a haven for wildlife. Easy to grow and totally winter hardy, Manhattan Lights is also easy to maintain and makes the perfect cottage garden plant - it's perennial so comes back year after year with an ever-increasing amount of blooms. Supplied as an established plant in a 3L pot and ready to plant out, this lupin will grow to around 1m x 1m and works spectacularly when planted alongside old fashioned English roses and hardy geraniums.
The world's first Hardy Gerbera in a range of bright, zingy neon colours, the Garvinea series was originally launched to great acclaim across Europe. Bringing the popular florists' gerbera flowers to a garden perennial, they give an amazing 7 months of colour from spring to autumn every year - not many plants can do that! Well, now they have got even better. The breeders in Holland who created them have developed an improved series with much bigger flowers, and even longer lasting performance. called the 'Sweet Series', we are delighted to be able to bring you some of the limited stock. Retaining the same benefits of being winter hardy to around -8°C (although avoid severe winter wet), and flowering for 3 seasons of colour, their highly distinctive flowers simply keep coming - up to 50 on a 2-year-old plant. We love them in traditional terracotta pots, in the sun, or grown in well-drained borders at the front, where they will amaze you with their persistence of flowering and sheer flower number. In winter they are herbaceous, so die back completely underground, to emerge bigger and better next year. You will get one plant each about to flower of: 'Sweet Glow' - deep warm orange'Sweet Smile' - warm honey yellow'Sweet Spice' - bright magenta purple
Hardy Geraniums, or 'Cranesbills' as they are commonly known, are one of the easiest and best garden performers for low maintenance, flowering displays and versatility to growing conditions. Everyone should find space for them! Not to be confused with bedding Geraniums, more correctly called Pelargoniums, these really are one of the most versatile plants - sun or shade, wet or dry, pots or garden, they just keep doing their thing year after year. From their dormant state over-winter, in spring they produce neat and tidy small domes of leaves, which are smothered in flowers in Summer. A mecca for bees, they will be buzzing with activity on sunny days. In Autumn, the leaves often turn red orange too. A simple trim off of old growth in Autumn is all they need - what could be easier.
Peonies are a cottage garden must-have and are becoming increasingly popular as both a cut flower and a specimen plant in a large patio pot, where they add romance and glamour to any setting. These reliable perennial plants have huge, blousy flowers which fill the garden with colour and scent and can be brought into the home as cut flowers to brighten up the dullest windowsill. 'Sarah Bernhardt' is an outstanding herbaceous peony producing large, highly fragrant, rose-pink double-ruffled flowers on sturdy plants throughout summer. The plants themselves form an upright bush of dark green leaves, remaining attractive all season. Often available as smaller plants, we have been lucky enough to secure some premium quality, large bare-root herbaceous peony plants. Sold by specialist Paeony growers and RHS Exhibitors at much higher prices, you can secure yourself a classic English border plant that will flourish and delight for 30 years or more - simply getting bigger and better. Suppllied as a single bare-root for planting in autumn or early spring as the soil warms, where they can remain in active but slow growth. They really are very easy to look after and make very fashionable cut flowers every summer.
Picking plump, juicy figs straight from a tree is one of life's greatest pleasures, especially when served up with some wafer thin slices of Parma ham and a drizzle of honey. Divine! Boasting masses of large, pear-shaped fruit with deep red flesh that are ready for picking in late summer and early autumn, Brown Turkey is perfect in a large pot or grown in the ground. Even before the fruit is ripe the large shrub or small tree adds a presence to the garden as branches are clothed with large, deeply lobed leaves. Despite originating from warmer climates, this amazing fig is incredibly tough, easily shrugging off temperatures down to -15°C in the UK. Extremely drought tolerant when established, figs do best in a brightly lit, sunny spot. Keep plants productive and compact by restricting roots by growing in large pots or planting in 60cm square planting holes, filling the base with a layer of gravel and line sides with paving slabs.
A highly attractive feature tree with the added bonus of producing glossy, versatile fruits in autumn each year! With deep green foliage and bright orange flowers in summer, it will look great in your garden for years to come. The leathery skinned, glossy fruits ripen in the sun each summer and have a wonderfully sharp flavour. The fruits can be used in cooking sweet or savoury and taste great when made into refreshing, fragrant pomegranate juice! They are super-healthy, and packed with antioxidants. Pomegranate bushes love hot summers and your bush will thrive in a sunny spot it is perfect for a patio pot. It is completely hardy and will easily tolerate our British winters.
A sensational ornamental chard that will brighten up your vegetable plot or patio containers - and true to its name, 'Bright Lights' can also provide colourful contrast in herbaceous garden beds and borders. With dark green and bronze leaves and rainbow stems ranging from white and orange-yellow through to pinky red and purple, it is a real stunner, as well as being delicious to eat and packed full of vitamins, minerals and healthy fibre. A worthy winner of the RHS Award of Garden Merit, this hardy biennial is easy to grow and slow-bolting. It will be ready to harvest in 4-6 weeks after sowing. Cropping prolifically over a long season, it is a true 'cut and come again' variety; the leaves will regenerate 1-2 weeks after harvesting the whole plant (leaving 2.5-5cm base), or remove just the outer leaves and allow the heart to grow on. The plants are robust enough to withstand light frosts and will continue to give good quality leaves until the colder winter weather sets in. This versatile veg has a lovely mild, sweet flavour when picked as baby leaves for salads and garnishes, developing an interesting and slightly bitter note when left to mature. Cook as you would spinach - lightly steamed or stir-fried to retain colour, flavour and nutrients. There will be plenty to pick all through the season, so any excess can be blanched and packed in an airtight bag for the freezer, where it will store well for up to a year for adding to soups and stews. Supplied as a packet of 150 (approx.) seeds ready to sow outdoors from April to mid-July, directly into their cropping position in well-drained, fertile soil. Harvest mid-July to November and if protected over winter will produce an early spring crop. Alternatively, sow in containers of at least 25cm (10in) depth and diameter (will accommodate 3-4 plants), using a good-quality compost.
Ginger Lily will add an exotic look to your garden and create a wonderful display of scented blooms each year from late summer onwards. Zingy spikes of blousy flowers will tower above clumps of lance-shaped leaves, instantly transporting you to a tropical paradise! Don't forget to breathe in deeply as the heavily scented blooms carry a stunning sweet fragrance particularly in the early evening! Despite its exotic good looks, this plant is completely reliable in the UK - the tubers will over-winter successfully and thrive in a sun baked spot in a pot or planted directly in the soil. Top Tip - plant very shallow on surface of compost in hot sunny spot to get going, they love being baked to get started.
Also known as the Windmill Palm or Chusan Palm, Trachycarpus fortunei is evergreen and one of the hardiest palm trees you can get, easily surviving past -10°C so it is ideal for growing in the variable British climate! This is your opportunity to get your hands on one of the hardiest palms that we have. with its deep-green, tough, fan-shaped leaves producing wonderful shadows on your patio or lawn when mature, this exotic beauty will be a brilliant centrepiece wherever you decide to plant it, bringing an exciting feel of the tropics to your garden. As well as being suitable for planting directly into your garden in a warm, sunny spot, Trachycarpus is ideal for a large patio pot as it's compact and slow growing. This means that you can enjoy it regardless of the size of your garden, and if you move, you simply take it with you without worrying about losing your investment. Supplied as an established potted plant, approx. 60-70cm tall (including pot), Trachycarpus will grow around 5-10cm a year, ultimately reaching a height of 10m with a spread of around 1.5m. Winner of a prestigious RHS Award of Garden Merit, you can be guaranteed that this is a garden-worthy plant that has been trialled and tested for its suitability to grow in UK gardens.
A special seasonal lucky dip perennial collection. Each collection contains a mix of 12 named plants specially selected from our nursery to give you a wonderful perennial garden. No need to worry about whether a plant is perennial or not as we've done that bit for you. Our dedicated team will ensure that you get a good selection of plants which will complement each other. A brilliant way to add colour to your garden for many years to come. Typically, premium potted perennials such as these sell at more than £5 per pot so not only will you have enough plants to fill a good sized border but you'll be making large savings. Note: We cannot guarantee the selection that you will receive due to seasonal availability. Images are for illustrative purposes only.