Why not grow something unusual this year and give the Cuban Lily a chance to wow in your garden. Also known as the Portuguese Squill, Scilla peruviana is a glamorous Mediterranean bulb which is a firm favourite in the herbaceous borders of grand estates and gardens. This is an absolute show-stopper that will bring a touch of class to your own garden, whether in borders or on your decking or balcony in a favourite container. Looking much like a cross between a hyacinth and an allium, this bulbous perennial grows to 30cm tall, forming a rosette of narrowly lance-shaped dark green leaves which are semi evergreen, especially if winters are mild. The bulbs usually lose their foliage for a few months during the summer and then sprout new leaves in the autumn which last through winter and spring as long as the winter is on the mild side. The eye-catching, violet-blue flowers are of course the main attraction, each being a 1.5cm wide star, and carried in large, conical heads in early summer - perfect for bringing colour to beds, borders and patio pots when tulips have faded, and perennials are still gearing up. Supplied as 3 bulbs, size 16/18 ready to plant out in autumn. They will ideally be planted in well-drained soil, in full sun or partial shade.
Compared to a normal Red-Hot Poker, this new hybrid is a floral dynamo, rapidly forming a tight, healthy clump of spiky leaves and producing delicious spikes of sweet, cream and orange blooms continuously from June to October. Give it a well-drained sunny spot and watch it go! A fully hardy perennial, 'Orange Vanilla Popsicle' puts on a delightful show of bright bloom and it's a lovely compact Kniphofia that really brightens up the garden as other plants begin to fade. Ideal for small gardens or even patio pots. Easy to grow and a terrific drought-tolerant garden plant, red hot pokers are an excellent addition to city and coastal gardens and look great in the middle of wildlife borders and gravel gardens - as well as traditional cottage-garden style plantings. Unlike older varieties of poker, the popsicle series has delightful grassy foliage that remains tidy so does not spoil the display and you don't need to worry about staking as it's a dwarf variety, and is perfect in borders, pots and containers - great if you really don't have the time to be faffing about. Adored by butterflies and bees for their nectar and flower arrangers for their style - red hot pokers make lovely cut flowers too! Supplied as an established plant in a 9cm pot ready for planting out. Flowers June - September with a height and spread of 50cm (20in) x 40cm (16in).
Scilla siberica (Siberian squill) is a delightful perennial bulb that produces dainty spikes of delicate, bell-shaped flowers atop clumps of compact, narrow-leaved foliage with upright, purplish stems. Flowering from April to May, with up to five pretty blooms per stem, the violet-blue petals have a darker hue running up their spines. These hardy bulbs can create an enchanting carpet of nodding blue flowers, when even a breath of wind can make them dance. Reaching a height of up to 20cm, they are well placed in the front of beds and borders, rock and gravel gardens, or underplanting hedges and shrubs. Perfect for naturalising, plant them in drifts in grassy or woodland areas. They are equally good for planting in containers. Being native to Russia, this hardy perennial is vigorous and easy to grow. Clumps will form quickly, with a spread of 5-10cm. By early to mid-summer, foliage will die back, at which time offsets can be divided and replanted. The plants lie dormant through autumn and winter, re-emerging the following spring in ever-greater numbers. Immensely pretty and fully deserving of its RHS Award of Garden Merit, Scilla siberica's nectar and pollen-rich flowers are great for attracting bees. This woodland favourite will return year on year, with bigger and better displays. Plant them with other spring-flowering bulbs for wonderful contrast. Supplied as a pack of 20 bulbs, size 6/7 ready for planting out in autumn.
Scilla campanulata Blue, better known as the Spanish bluebell, is a long-standing favourite that will strike a cheerful note in your garden in spring. It produces clumps of lavender-blue, bell-shaped flowers, each with a centre of pretty blue anthers and a darker hue to the petal spines. Flowers grow around the whole stems, which are tubular and upright. Blooming in April and into May, these hardy bulbs can create an enchanting carpet of nodding blue flowers when naturalised in drifts through grassy or wooded areas. They are equally effective as underplanting for hedges or shrubs, or for adding interest to borders before summer interest appears. Scilla campanulata Blue is also ideal for growing in containers and makes a beautiful cut flower. Fully hardy, resilient and easy to grow, the bulbs form clumps with a height and spread of up to 45cm. By early to mid-summer, the foliage dies back and the plants lie dormant through autumn and winter, re-emerging the following spring in ever-greater numbers. The clumps produce small offsets, which can be divided and replanted in the summer to encourage a wider spread or for populating new areas. Best planted in groups, combine your Scilla campanulata Blue with bright yellow daffodils for a wonderful contrast. Supplied as a pack of 20 bulbs, size 6/7 ready for planting in autumn.
With their intense indigo blue colour and sweetly fragrant perfume, Scilla nutans - English bluebells - boldly herald the arrival of spring and the onset of warmer weather. These bee-friendly blooms are great for attracting wildlife to your garden. A perennial woodland favourite, the bulbs will naturalise easily to form clusters of cheerful, nodding flowers on bright-green foliage each spring. Scatter the bulbs through grass or wooded areas and plant them where they fall for a naturalistic effect; or place them in a shady spot at the base of a hedge or around the bases of trees, where they will naturalise easily, just like in the wild. Reaching a height of 25cm, this truly native British bluebell makes an attractive addition to garden beds and borders - a punchy contrast to other spring-flowering bulbs or perennials and a great choice for a traditional cottage garden feel. They look equally stunning in containers for your patio or decking and are wonderful in a vase. They will return with bigger and better displays every year. Fully hardy, they can be left in the ground or lifted after flowering to divide large clumps for replanting. Supplied as a pack of 15 bulbs, size 7/8 ready for planting in the autumn.
Bletilla, or the Hyacinth Orchid, is one of the hardiest and easiest to grow terrestrial garden orchids in the UK, slowly forming clumps which produce their gorrgeous detailed striped Pink flowers in early Summer. It is quite unfussy when grown in shade - so it can be grow in the ground under trees, in lawns, or even in patio pots as long as they are in shade. They will slowly spread outwards as they naturalise.
Just picture it, mounds of fragrant, fern-like foliage and the most amazing flat blooms of bright pink all summer. A perfect choice for a cut flower garden, Achilliea produces flat table-tops of small daisy-like flowers that stand tall on long stems above the contrasting bushy green foliage. Growing as tall as 60cm, the bright cerise pink tone of the blooms will contrast effortlessly with other broader plants. The 'Cerise Queen' is an easy-grow perennial that will thrive in full sun and will tolerate even poor soils however well drained soil is essential. These beautiful blooms are a must if you are wanting to attract butterflys. Supplied as an established plant in a 9cm pot.
Heucheras, also known as Coral Bells, are amazing perennial plants, famed for their spectacular foliage in a huge range of colours with wonderful leaf shapes forming low growing evergreen or semi-evergreen mounds. 'Frilly' is a new variety from the 'Fox' series of Heucheras, bred by Richard and Vicky Fox at their Jubilee Cottage Nursery in Cheshire where they hold the National Collection which currently exceeds 450 varieties. Looking unlike any other Heuchera, the leaves of this new introduction are incredibly deeply ruffled in shades of pink-flushed orange with dark pink undersides, growing in dense mounds. In summer tall magenta stems grow up from the foliage carrying small, bell shaped white flowers that are attractive to bees, butterflies and other flying insects. They're attractive cut flowers too! 'Frilly' is happy growing in pots or planted in borders, particularly in groups with different varieties that compliment each other and create a multi coloured carpet of groundcover. These adaptable plants will thrive in sun or partial shade and aren't too fussy about soil conditions, as long as it isn't heavy and waterlogged as that will cause the crown to rot. Usually evergreen, severe winters may cause leaf loss, but they'll return the following spring. Supplied as an established plant in a 9cm pot, ready to plant, reaching a height and spread of 40cm (16in).
With so many Coreopsis varieties flowering in yellow colours, 'Sunstar Rose' is a refreshing change with its bright magenta pink flowers edged in white. The flowers of this gorgeous perennial are daisy shaped and begin to open from June, continuing until the first frosts of autumn. Borne in abundance above narrow, dark green leaves, they cover the plant in wonderful, bright colour and with their long, straight stems they're great cut flowers. Bees and butterflies love their nectar and birds will feast on the seeds, making these ideal plants for bringing wildlife into your garden. Also known as tickseed, Coreopsis in a native of North American prairies and is extremely rugged, easy to grow and drought tolerant and resistant to mildew. Grown in patio pots and in flower borders, you'll be treated to month after month of vivid colour with almost no maintenance, just regular deadheading to keep the flowers coming until autumn. Supplied as an established plant in a 9cm pot, ready for planting and reaching a height and spread of 40cm (16in).
These Fritillaria are incredibly unusual plants. Stately and statuesque, between March until May tall flower stems rise from clumps of lance shaped, glossy green leaves. At the top, the downward facing bright orange blooms emerge in a ring around the stem, looking like a crown. These are topped by green, leafy bracts, giving a completely unique appearance. Perfect for an early season display, these exotic looking plants are tough and hardy. They will naturalise slowly and are very easy to grow and the fragrance is said to repel moles mice and other rodents! Supplied as a single bulb, size 20/24, ready to plant in the autumn, growing to a height of 1 m (3 ft) and width of 50 cm (16 in).
Also known as Blanket Flowers, Gaillardia are an instantly recognisable cottage garden favourite. These 'Jam Tart Flowers' are invaluable in the summer border due to their long flowering season and their ability to provide a bright and colourful display whatever the British weather throws at them. The plants form a low mound of green, furry leaves, bearing upright stems of large daisy-like flowers on long stems which are perfect for cutting and very attractive to butterflies. Perfect in pots, they will also make fantastic gap fillers in your containers, beds, and mixed borders. 'Arizona Red Shades' produces gorgeous blooms in the most spectacular shades of red, with bright crimson petals that look like the tips have been dipped in yellow paint for a perfect contrast. These daisy-like blooms come into flower during early summer and will last right the way through to autumn. They also make fantastic cut flowers, so you can enjoy them inside the home as well as in your garden. Easy to grow and requiring very little maintenance, just deadhead the faded blooms to prolong the flowering season. Supplied as 3 x established plants in 9cm pots ready to pot on or plant out.
A cottage garden favourite, Alchemilla Mollis 'Thriller' is perfect for filling your displays with gorgeous blooms and delightful fragrance. Commonly known as 'Lady's Mantle', the foliage of this Alchemilla has large, fanned leaves with almost scalloped edges that catch falling rain drops and hold them so they can twinkle in the sun, looking like tiny jewels. Contrasting against its gorgeous foliage are the clusters of bright, lime green blooms that are adored by beneficial pollinators such as bees and butterflies. Make sure you plant yours close to a window or doorways where you can enjoy the deliciously sweet honey fragrance of 'Thriller'. With more of an upright growing habit compared to other varieties of Alchemilla Mollis. However, 'Thriller' is still a low growing perennial that is ideal when planted en-masse for groundcover or as edging plants along your pathways and borders. It will also make a fabulous addition to a wildlife garden where its blooms are a magnet for beneficial wildlife such as bees and butterflies. In Arabic, Alchemilla Mollis meaning little magical one and it is believed that water that was collected on its fanned leaves has healing properties. Easy to grow and requiring very little maintenance, this gorgeous perennial is a perfect choice for beginner or gardeners that have little time on their hands. Supplied as 3 x established plants in 9cm pots, ready to pot on or plant out.