With large, uniquely shaped leaves, Alocasia 'Zebrina' is an evergreen, ornamental houseplant that makes a unique addition to your home. The glossy, green foliage is arrow headed and heart-shaped, and this is an indoor plant that's sure to get a lot of attention. Quick and easy to grow, Zebrina has a distinctive, striped stem with markings that look like a zebra's stripes, hence its name. This unique, one-of-a-kind foliage plant originates from the tropics of Asia, and prefers a shady area so when growing it in your home, give it plenty of light and water but not direct sunlight -position it by a bright window. Not only spectacular to look at, leafy tropical houseplants also provide a beneficial air-cleaning service. In a 20-year study by NASA, it was found that houseplants can actually improve the environment in our homes, clearing the air, removing toxins and adding valuable oxygen to the air that we breathe. Supplied as an established plant in a 17cm nursery pot, Alocasia Zebrina will grow to a height of about 1m.
An undulating whirl of twisted pink petals surround a golden ring of stamens on each and every bloom. This double-flowered variety creates a wonderfully showy display, blooming freely over a long period from late summer right through to autumn.
Without doubt one of sweetest apples you'll ever taste. 'Fuji Kiku' is renowned for its flavour and almost complete lack of acidity, which only serves to enhance the sweetness more! The large, ruby red apples have thin, lighter coloured stripes and look stunning when hanging ripe on the tree. Perfect for eating fresh from the branch, juicy and firm with a good crunch, they also retain their shape well when cooked, so they're ideal for pies and tarts, and make a particularly good, naturally sweet applesauce. Ready to harvest from late October, these late season apples keep well, so you can enjoy your harvest into the next year. 'Fuli Kiku' requires another apple tree nearby to pollinate it, but given the popularity for growing-your-own fruit and vegetables, you can be sure that there will be one close by. Supplied as an established tree, 150cm (5ft) tall grown on an M9 dwarfing rootstock in a 24cm pot, growing to a height and spread of 2.5m (8ft).
Aronia melanocarpa 'Hugin' is a small, deciduous shrub perfect for providing brilliant autumn colour in small gardens. It produces clusters of pretty white flowers in late spring and early summer, followed by rich black berries ready to harvest in the autumn. The fruits of this Aronia, known as the Black Chokeberry, are tart when raw but are delicious cooked into cakes, pies, jams and compotes. Aronia melanocarpa 'Hugin' is easy to grow, even in boggy conditions, and is perfect as part of a mixed border, where the fiery reds and oranges of its beautiful autumn foliage add seasonal interest. Height: 2m (6'). Spread: 3m (10').
This really is a novelty plant and something different - so different in fact, we've not grown them fully either (yet!). We've located a small specialist grower in Holland who is developing ways to grow Avocados in Northern Europe and these fine trees are a great starting point. Avocados thrive in warm, humid conditions, so will need winter protection in the UK - they can grow outside on patios fine though between late May and September. They will grow quite quickly at 50cm a year and these are already pruned back, so this season will produce side branches. It makes an attractive indoor plant anyway, forming a woody trunk with pleasant glossy leaves. They usually take 5-7 years to produce fruit on a mature tree, and have fruited in UK before - indoors and out. These Avocados are so new though, you will have great fun trying growing them regardless of whether they fruit, safe in the knowledge that virtually no-one else has ever grown one! Very limitted stocks so order yours now to avoid disappointment!
Previously known as Dicentra, Bleeding Heart produces masses of delicate, rose-pink, heart-shaped flowers in late spring every year, each tipped with an elegant white teardrop. The branches spread into arching sprays of unique blooms in a simply fabulous display of colour to fill your garden with passion! Perfect for planting at the front of a shady border, or in groups, and will make an unusual and interesting addition to a cottage garden theme - try planting them under rose bushes where their blooms will complement the roses perfectly. Their compact, reliable habit means that they are also great in pots, for unbeatable displays. Awarded the prestigious RHS Award of Garden Merit, you can be sure that this is a plant that has been rigorously tested for guaranteed garden performance. Fully winter hardy and super-easy to grow, Bleeding Heart is a perennial plant so although it dies back underground each summer, you can be assured that each year your plant will come back bigger and stronger, giving you show-stopping displays every spring! Best of all it is one of the easiest to grow of all perennials and is pretty much NO maintenance!
Perfect for Bonsai beginners, this Ficus macrocarpa ‘Ginseng’ is a good introduction to this Japanese living art as Ficus species are trouble-free houseplants - just ensure that you give it a spot in bright, indirect light and feed it with liquid fertiliser during the growing season
The 'chocaholics' amongst you will love the sumptuous, velvety flowers of this cosmos. Bred in the UK, its a compact, bushy plant that will be full of deep marooncoloured flowers from July to October, each one giving off the fragrance of chocolate. An ideal plant for patio containers or sunny garden borders. Ht. 30cm. Supplied as plug plants.
The soft, bright golden-yellow foliage of Cupressus 'Goldcrest' will provide your garden with healthy colour all year round and (in keeping with its name) gives off a fresh, lemon scent when foliage is crushed or cut - which is said to deter biting insects from that area of your garden. In the depths of winter, the cooler temperatures give the trees a deeper, richer colouration, giving you added visual impact in your garden. Also known as Monterey cypress, it's such a great all-round garden plant it has been awarded the coveted RHS Award of Garden Merit so you can be sure that it has been trialled and tested and declared garden worthy! Growing to 3-5m tall in 10 years, Goldcrest is naturally upright and slightly 'teardrop' shaped but can be trimmed to suit your required height and makes perfect topiary. It is very easy to manage and can be kept in post on the patio for many years, where it will happily sit at centre stage of your displays. Golden Scented Cypress will grow in virtually any soil and in any location from full sun to partial shade (although for the brightest of golden-yellow colour it is best in full sun and protected from drying winds). It is completely winter hardy throughout the entire UK and is virtually pest and disease resistant too. Supplied as 6 x plants in 9cm pots, ready for planting out into the desired location.
T&M INTRODUCTION. Pink, scarlet, crimson, yellow and orange nodding tubular blooms. Self-clinging fine annual or perennial climber. Hardy in all but elevated or northerly areas, also makes a superb climber for the greenhouse or conservatory. Flowers summer to autumn. Climber.
A quirky plant that is grown in Bonsai style, Ficus Ginseng is a robust, easy-care houseplant that will bring a little Zen into your home. A bonsai suitable for beginners, the plant is characterized by the shape of its trunk and the miniature canopy of small, shiny oval leaves. The thick, pot-bellied trunk is actually made up of roots and this is where it gets its name - Ginseng is Chinese for 'root'. Originating in Asia, the roots of Ficus Ginseng are grown for 15 years or so before being finished in the greenhouse as bonsai - so your little plant has already had a long life by the time it arrives in your home. Place your Ficus 'Ginseng' in a prominent place so it can be enjoyed all day -and in summer it can even take pride of place outdoors on the patio or decking. Ideal for those venturing into the world of bonsai growing for the first time, Ficus Ginseng is the easiest bonsai tree to grow because it is very tolerant of a range of conditions. Supplied as a potted plant in a 14cm nursery pot.