Demure and alluring, the dainty nodding heads of the snake's head fritillary (fritillaria meleagris) will add an unusual burst of colour to your garden in early spring. A stunning mix of colours from purple to white, fritillaria meleagris is also known as Snakeshead due to its unusual markings - the dusky blooms of maroon or white are each marked with a checkerboard, almost snakeskin pattern These hardy, easy to grow wildflowers are perfect for shady borders or under trees where their dainty nodding flowers will appear in April and last several weeks. Plant in groups in grass, or under trees, for a gorgeous natural look. Fully deserving its coveted RHS Award of Garden Merit, you can be sure that this is a proven garden performer, guaranteed to be suitable for UK gardeners at every level of experience. You can therefore plant this in the garden with confidence, for stunning displays for many years to come. Very easy to care for and relatively slow growing, so will not take over. Ht 20cm or so. Supplied as a pack of 50 bulbs, size 6/7 ready to plant out in autumn.
Geranium sanguineum, the hardy geranium or Cranesbill, is a clump-forming perennial growing to around 20cm (8in) tall, with spreading roots that easily establishes wherever it's planted. The lightly ruffled magenta flowers that are produced from late spring to early autumn, making it one of the most prolific and long blooming geraniums that you can buy and these contrast beautifully with the deeply lobed leaves that redden into the autumn. Ideal for tubs or mixed containers, 'Tiny Monster' is a vigorous and floriferous variety that makes excellent ground cover as it's tolerant of sun and partial shade. Easy to grow and virtually maintenance free, this tough little beauty is rarely bothered by pests such as snails and rabbits. Supplied as 3 x established plants in 9cm pots, ready to be planted out.
Add something a little different to your garden this year with this delightful mix of vibrant flowers. When we saw the wonderful colour mix of 'Colour Festival' we knew that we had to bring these amazing plants to you.A long-flowering collection of various colours of potentillas and garden geraniums this mix of hardy perennials will flower from May into October, giving you months of astonishing summer colour. Also known as cinquefoil (potentilla) and cranesbill (geraniums), they're not to be confused with tender bedding plants, and these hardy perennials will naturalise easily, returning year upon year, giving you bigger and better displays. Suitable for growing in large pots and planters on the patio, decking or terrace, they're easy to grow in flower beds too, and being low maintenance, they provide hassle-free, long-lasting interest to your garden. This potentilla and geranium 'Colour Festival' mix is rarely available so get your collection now before they're gone.Supplied as a collection of 6 bare root plants in mixed colours. NB This is a preselected mix and we cannot guarantee the colours or varieties that you will receive.
A real taste of hot lazy Summers, Bougainvillea grow freely in hot countries around the Mediterranean with their rich colours smothering walls and balconies in the hot sun, but they also make great summer plants right here too!The lovely magenta pink variety is one of the more compact and floriferous varieties, and performs well at lower temperatures in winter too. The colour comes, in fact, from bracts, not flowers themselves - a little like Christmas poinsettia. The bracts turn brightest pink in summer whereas the flower itself is quite insignificant - a small creamy flower, which looks like the eye of the bracts.These plants have been grown on a cane and are supplied with the cane in a 3L pot. Although climbers, they are slower growing in the UK. They're perfect for growing in large pots in full sun on your patio, and then in winter bring inside to protect form cold. . They can lose their bracts suddenly due to stress, so do not be alarmed if they drop - new ones will quickly re-appear in warm weather.A real tropical addition to the Summer garden!
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).