Impressive and large flowering shrubs often seen on the continent, the sun loving Crepe Myrtle, or Lagerstroemia indica, can also be grown in the UK, providing vivid, exotic colour from its dazzling flowers. Masses of bright violet flowers in 20cm long panicles will smother it in summer and autumn, attracting bees and butterflies into your garden to feast on the fabulous blooms. The flowers are large and with crinkled edges, and produced on the current season's growth. The foliage is bronze when young, before maturing into dark green with large leaves 8cm long, and with attractive peeling grey and brown bark and great autumn foliage colour, Lagerstroemia puts on a spectacular show for most of the year. Hardy to -5°C, it'll need some protection during the coldest winters, and it can be grown in a large pot to make sheltering it easier. 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. Supplied as an established plant in a 9cm pot, ready to plant. Growing to 5m (16ft).
A terrific, award-winning variety of Allium which will flower year after year with globes of eye-catching violet! Allium 'Violet Beauty' produces round heads of dazzling violet stars which mix easily with other shades of blue and purple in the garden. The large, rich purple blooms can reach around 10cm in diameter, and unlike many alliums, have a subtle, sweet fragrance. Perfect for patio pots or planted in drifts in borders, they'll provide real spring delight! What's more, the flowers are loved by bees and butterflies so are perfect if you're looking to bring wildlife into your garden or help to encourage pollination. The blooms are long lasting and the seed heads that follow are equally lovely. Both are superb in floral arrangements and with so many bulbs included here, you will have a good supply for cut blooms AND garden decoration! 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, and it's also recommended by the RHS as a 'Plant for Pollinators'. Supplied as a pack of 50 bulbs, size 7+ ready to plant out in autumn.
Towering spires of fully double blooms make a sensational display, rising up to 180cm (6')! These hardy perennials are guaranteed to bring the wow facter to your garden - they make phenomenal cut flowers for summer bouquets too.
If you're looking for a plant a little more out of the ordinary, then the Erythronium, or Dog's Tooth Violet, fits the bill magically. Best flowering in partial shade, they thrive in a woodland setting, under shrubs or deciduous trees where their beautiful, nodding star-shaped flowers hang daintily above their delightful marbled foliage. Erythroniums flower from March to April, dying down by June, so they can be grown under deciduous trees that come into leaf from late spring, preferring summer shade and fertile, humus-rich soil that is neither too wet nor too dry. Their common name refers to the shape of the bulbs with resemble canine teeth and which are easily damaged and often break if disturbed, so take care if you're moving them - in fact they're better off left alone where they will happily multiply, gradually forming a large clump. This wonderful variety provides the brightest yellow flowers, each flower stem carrying 4 to 5 large canary yellow blooms, each with a brown ring in the centre. The marbled foliage on this variety is a lovely added bonus! Height 20cm (8 in). Supplied as a pack of 5 bulbs, ready to plant out in autumn. Growing to a height of 25cm and width of 15cm.
Indulge yourself by growing this rare, mauve form of the exquisite Himalayan Blue Poppy. Scintillating, silky blooms aloft downy foliage give an absolutely breathtaking effect when planted in groups in shady borders and woodland areas. A collector's item for the border. Prefers a deep, moist, loamy soil in part shade.