The only surviving member of an ancient species of tree, Ginkgo biloba is often referred to as a living fossil with some preserved specimens dating back 270 million years! Thought to have been extinct, it was rediscovered in China in the late 17th Century and soon distributed around the world in both urban and rural gardens and streets. Also known as the Maidenhair Tree, for gardeners, Ginkgo is possibly one of the most attractive and useful trees that you can plant in your garden with its attractive roughly conical shape and fan-shaped leaves which turn yellow in autumn. The distinctive, deciduous leaves of Ginkgo biloba give a hint at its ancient heritage being very basic in structure. The curious frilled lobes resemble a duck's foot and take on buttery tones in the autumn before fallen suddenly - often within a few days. A tree that enjoys full sunshine and most soil types, Ginkgo is easy to grow and can even be grown in a pot on your patio or balcony. They adapt well to a restricted root system and are extremely resistant to pruning, so our growers have been able to create this beautiful standard plant with its ball of foliage - testament to their resilience. Ginkgo 'Mariken' is more of a recent introduction to the family and is one of the best Ginkgoes for a large container having a very slow rate of growth. Gingkoes are dioecious in that there are both male and female plants. As well as its stunning autumn colour, older female Ginkgo trees may produce large, sunshine-coloured fruits in warm summers. These have a distinctive aroma and, along with the leaves, are often used in traditional Chinese medicine - indeed if you search the internet, you'll see endless reference to supplements and anecdotal health benefits ranging from memory cures to a longer life. While the health claims may remain unproven, something that we do know is that Ginkgo absorbs pollutants, with a number of studies proving that they are great at absorbing Carbon and other nasties from the air, making them a favourite of town planners for fighting urban pollution with the potential to improve local air quality. Supplied as an established standard plant in a 3L pot, ready for planting out or potting on.
Also known as 'Summersweet' this lovely medium sized shrub is perfect for bringing late summer colour to the garden. 'Pink Spire' produces an abundance of pale pink, bottlebrush flowers in late summer and autumn. Not only do the towers of flowers look incredible bursting from the glossy deep-green foliage, but they also bear a mesmerising sweet fragrance that is highly attractive to butterflies, bees and other beneficial pollinators and garden visitors. Your garden will be buzzing with life throughout summer! A slow grower, 'Pink Spire' is ever so easy to grow and maintain and is both happy in full sun but will also tolerate full shade so it's a great choice for those awkward shady corners. It prefers acidic soil, so we recommend incorporating plenty of peat or ericaceous compost for best results, especially when growing in a container. Easy to care for needing just an occasional light trim to shape, 'Pink Spire' is trouble free but has big rewards! Supplied as 3 x established plants in 9cm pots, ready to plant out.
Wow!... Just wow!! You really can't get a more striking plant for your late winter and spring garden - and we're so excited to be able to bring it to you! This new introduction is absolutely exquisite with its gorgeous pink fluffy catkins which just beg to be stroked as you walk past the bush. The fuzzy bunny tails burst from the tight maroon buds as the temperature warms in early spring, bringing a splash of vibrant colour to your garden, with the promise of warmer weather to come. When grown as a hedge or as coppices, the new young growth is luminous with fire when the catkins break - it's really a sight to behold Perfect for a winter garden, the pussy-willow catkins start to appear from late winter and last well into the spring, and the stems are truly impressive when cut and brought into the house for an early flower display. In fact, this variety was bred for the cut-flower market, by a cut-flower arranger, so you know that the stems will make a great visual impact. As the season progresses, the tiny pink powder puffs gradually turn golden as the pollen emerges, bringing a subtle shift of colour to the whole bush, before the blue-green leaves emerge and form a magnificent backdrop to other plants and flowers in the garden. Not just a pretty face, 'Mount Aso' is also known for its abilty to tolerate pollution, salt sea air and damp areas - a truly versatile and useful plant! Supplied as 3 x established plants in 9cm pots ready for planting out. Ultimate height and spread 2m x 2m.
A lovely and easy-care choice for something different in larger pots and smaller garden borders, for summer interest and wildlife attraction. Large clusters of pink flowers emerge in high summer from deep buds, set off against large, soft green leaves, each with a subtle variegation. Compact at about 1.2m (4ft) tall and spread, it is tailor-made for larger pots, smaller garden borders and shrubberies, in sun or partial shade. Easy to care for, it requires little trimming. Supplied as 3 x established plants in 9cm pots, ready to plant out all year round.
This gorgeous flowering Quince shrub is perfect for adding flashes of bright and beautiful colour into your garden. Chaenomeles speciosa 'Pink Storm' will provide your garden with pretty pink double flowers that will be surrounded with glossy green foliage. This shrub will make a perfect addition to you borders and will look incredible mixed in with other flowering quince shrubs. Ornamental quinces bring a welcome flush of colour to the garden in spring, when their bare twigs become smothered in flowers before the glossy, dark green leaves appear. Ideal to train as a climbing shrub against a wall or fence or placed at the back of a border where their spring blossom can really shine. Incredibly easy to grow, Japanese quince will tolerate most soil types and aspects, including shade, which makes them invaluable for brightening dull corners of the garden and being a wide spreading shrub with thorny branches, it makes a perfect security hedge to deter unwanted visitors. Additionally, they have also shown good resistance to honey fungus - ideal if your garden is susceptible. Supplied as an established plant in a 19cm pot, ready for immediate planting.
You really can't get a more striking plant for your late winter and spring garden than this beautiful Salix gracilistyla 'Mount Aso'. Also known as the Japanese Pink Pussy Willow, it is simply exquisite with its gorgeous pink fluffy catkins. These fuzzy bunny tails burst from the tight maroon buds as the temperature warms in early spring, bringing a splash of vibrant colour to your garden. Perfect for a winter garden, the pussy-willow catkins start to appear from late winter and last well into the spring, and the stems are truly impressive when cut and brought into the house for an early flower display. This variety was bred for the cut-flower market, by a cut-flower arranger, so you know that the stems will make a great visual impact. As the season progresses, the tiny pink powder puffs gradually turn golden as the pollen emerges, bringing a subtle shift of colour to the whole bush, before the blue-green leaves emerge and form a magnificent backdrop to other plants and flowers in the garden. Not just a pretty face, 'Mount Aso' is also known for its ability to tolerate pollution, salt sea air and damp areas - a truly versatile and useful plant! Supplied as an established plant in a 15cm pot, ready to plant out. Growing to a height and spread of 2m, but it can be restricted by pruning.
A cracking new selection of the ever-reliable and easy to grow Escallonia, this lovely compact shrub combines glossy evergreen foliage with 4 months of summer and autumn colour from its notably larger blooms than most other Escallonia! Producing clusters of candy pink flowers in early summer, often reblooming well in autumn, 'Pink Elle' is ideal for forming a decorative low hedge or filling in gaps and in beds and borders with its barrage of flowers contrasting against year-round evergreen foliage. It will remain compact, growing to around 1.2m tall and wide, producing a nice even bush, perfect for larger pots that can be placed around the patio. A brilliant flowering shrub, its flowers are very attractive to pollinators which will not only bring your garden to life with the buzz of bees, butterflies and other beneficial insects but will help with the performance of other plants in the garden. Easy to care for, tough and very rewarding, 'Pink Elle' is an RHS Award of Garden Merit winner and a great new introduction to the Escallonia family!
Primula Belarina 'Pink Champagne' are beautifully delicate, lightly scented, rosette-like blooms with pale pink petals and white centres. Perfect for adding a soft tone to your garden during the spring. These primroses are naturally compact and have beautifully textured leaves in rosettes and are smothered in flowers between March and June. They will look fabulous wherever you plant them. They're great in pots, containers, beds or baskets, in partial shade or sun - they really are easy to grow and bring the spring garden to life with their cheerful colours. Perfectly hardy in the garden, they're perfect when combined with other perennials and underneath trees and shrubs where they'll flower for months, gradually forming large clumps that can be divided every few years to give you more plants. Supplied as 3 plug plants ready for potting on or planting out, growing to a height and spread of 20 cm (8 in).
The delicately scented double flowers of Primula Belarina 'Pink Ice' are stunning. Opening creamy white, they become more and more flushed with pink until almost the whole flower has a soft rosy hue, giving a beautiful multi-tonal effect. These wonderful, compact plants have rosettes of beautifully textured leaves and dense clusters of flowers between March and June and will look fabulous wherever you plant them. They're great in pots, containers, beds or baskets, in partial shade or sun - they really are easy to grow and bring the spring garden to life with their cheerful colours. Perfectly hardy in the garden, they're perfect when combined with other perennials and underneath trees and shrubs where they'll flower for months, gradually forming large clumps that can be divided every few years to give you more plants. Supplied as 3 plug plants ready for potting on or planting out, growing to a height and spread of 20 cm (8 in).
The Syringa 'Pink Perfume' is just the thing for if you're looking to add some drama to a small garden or for sprucing up patios and decking areas in a large pot! Ideal for adding colour, fragrance and a beautiful twist on other Lilac varieties that can often take over your garden, this 'double flowering', compact lilac will bloom first in May, flush through summer, then reach a second crescendo of colour in September. This shurb is perfect for adding to your beds and borders as itwill not grow too tall, meaning you can really enjoy the beautiful flowers and fragrance with very little maintenance required. A deadheading of faded flowers will keep the it flowering for as long as possible, and there'll be little to no pruning needed thanks to its compact nature. It's slow growing, easy to care for, perfect for pots and very hardy too - why not try growing as a fragrant flowering hedge for something a little bit different?! Supplied as an established plant in a 9cm pot, ready to plant.
One of the 'Magical' series of Hydrangeas, 'Pink Ruby' is an abundantly flowering, compact, multi-stemmed and beautifully formed mophead variety. 'Pink Ruby' stands out from the crowd, producing masses of large, intense flowers is luxurious shades of pink and red during the summer that fade to green in autumn. The deep green foliage takes on red and orange tones in autumn before falling, leaving behind the faded flower heads that make a striking feature over the winter. Compact enough for container gardens and small spaces 'Pink Ruby' will grow into a loose mound of large leaves, making a statement wherever it is planted. When grown in a pot, this magnificent Hydrangea will bring a touch of drama to your patio or balcony. Being a mophead, the large flower heads consist of sterile coloured bracts which look like flowers and these are super as cut flowers for both summer colour and dried winter arrangements. Easy to grow and relatively compact - it reaches just 1.5m (5ft) high and wide - this is a hydrangea which can be grown by anyone whatever their level of experience. Supplied as an established plant in a 14cm pot, ready for planting.