Most commonly known as the favourite fir tree to use as a Christmas tree, Abies nordmanniana, or the Nordmann Fir, is and evergreen conifer which can grown in excess of 30m if left. New growth starts out an attractive light green before it matures to match the rest of the rich dark green needles. The young cones start of green and fade through a reddish brown to become the traditional colour.
A superb new introduction with orange-red stems that glow beautifully in winter, even on the dullest of days. The creamy white spring flowers and glorious coral pink and apricot autumn foliage provide a long season of interest. Cornus sanguinea 'Anny's Winter Orange' is perfect for adding colour to winter gardens, woodland areas, and mixed borders. Like most Dogwoods, it is reliable and easy to grow.
With crinkled leaves in pastel shades of green, cream, purple and pink, this low-growing ground-cover plant is fun and frothy, all ready to party! Every summer, Ajuga reptans 'Party Colour' bears flower spikes above its pretty leaves, adding violet-blue to the colour mix, and bringing a new dimension to its evergreen all-year interest. Perfect for a shady spot, Bugle is easy to grow and requires no maintenance. It's a great choice for a woodland border or for a patio container in a shady corner. Height: 20cm (8). Spread up to 50cm (20).
A favourite in the cottage garden, this tall and slender plant is a magnificent sight in late summer when each stem is clothed in ruffled bright pink pompom blooms. Hollyhock rosea 'Pleniflora' looks spectacular grown in large groups. It also grows well at the back of the border where it provides a dramatic backdrop to other, smaller flowering plants. Althaea rosea grows best in a sunny site. Height: 180cm (71). Spread: 60cm (24).
Anemone tomentosa 'Serenade' is easily recognisable in August and September when its semi-double, pale pink blooms appear on delicate stems. These flowers are sure to see the summer out with a flourish. What's more, the hardy perennial also boasts attractive, dark green foliage. These leaves form dense clumps, handy for providing ground cover in sunny or partially shady borders. Anemone vitifolia looks particularly lovely when paired with ornamental grasses in cottage and woodland gardens. Height: 90cm (2'11). Spread: 90cm (2'11).
A eye catching and pretty Hydrangea that has a compact habit so that it can easily be grown in a patio pot. Hydrangea ?Princess Diana? produces a large head of pink flowers throughout the summer and into the autumn.
The Pineapple Plant (Ananas Comosus) makes an interesting and on-trend feature in your home with a decorative pineapple growing from the top! Long sword-like spiny green leaves give way to a sturdy stalk with the fruit held in the centre. The dwarf pineapples produced are an ornamental rather than an edible fruit. The Pineapple Plant is a sun lover so pop it on a sunny windowsill to be appreciated.
Plant this very pretty and highly fragrant shrub in a winter border next to a path or in a large container on the patio near the back door where you'll be able to enjoy its lovely perfume. Delicate clusters of rich pink, sweetly-scented little buds open in January and February and are followed by rounded, purple-black berries which prolong the interest of this popular evergreen shrub and provide a valuable food source for garden birds. Thriving in a sunny, sheltered position,
Aster ericoides 'Schneetanne' produces a haze of small white daisy-like flowers with quirky pin-cushion centres from August to November extending the season of interest in your garden will please the nectar loving bees and butterflies too. The informal style of Heath Asters lends them to prairie style planting, cottage garden borders or wildlife gardens. They will also be perfect as ground cover plants in a sunny spot. Height: 50cm (20). Spread: 1m (39).
Bring a bit of fun into the garden with the fluffy scarlet flower spikes of Astilbe japonica 'Montgomery'. The finely divided leaves emerge with a bronze tone in spring before developing the green foliage that forms the backdrop to the scarlet flowers which will turn heads during June and July. Astilbe, which is also known as False Goatsbeard will thrive in sun or partial shade but also where there is lots of moisture so if you have difficult damp spots in your garden borders, woodland areas or if you can spare the time to keep a patio pot well watered then this is the plant you've been looking for. Height: 70cm (28). Spread: 45cm (18).
Astilbe japonica 'Washington' is a variety of Astilbe. They are renowned as a plant that does well in damp areas of the garden. 'Washington' has fluffy white panicles of flowers on upright stems, with dark green foliage. It looks fantastic planted alongside Hostas, Ferns and other varieties of Astilbe, such as 'Elizabeth van Veen' which has deep pink flower spikes, as a contrast to the subtle white of 'Washington'. It flowers between June and July, and likes a full sun or partial shade position. Height and spread: 50cm (20).
Aubrieta 'Axcent Deep Purple' is a low-growing, evergreen perennial - smothered in beautiful, rich purple flowers in early spring. With a longer flowering period than most Aubretias, 'Axcent Deep Purple' is in flower for up to 8 weeks, and makes a superb companion for spring flowering bulbs and shrubs. Its mat-forming, spreading habit makes Aubretia perfect for rock gardens, or for spilling over sunny banks and patio containers. It?s also at home as a ground cover plant for hot and dry borders. A great source of spring nectar for pollinating insects. Height: 10cm (4). Spread: 60cm (24).
Tall and spectacular, with arching leaves and bronze feathery panicles in summer, this ornamental grass makes a fine feature in the border. Calamagrostis x acutiflora 'Karl Foerster' can also be planted to form a feathery screen in the garden or grown in clumps in a gravel garden where its tall stems will sway and rustle in the breeze. Perennial Feather Reed Grass is quick to emerge each spring and is fast-growing and low maintenance. Height: 1.8m (5.9') Spread: 50cm (19).
Through autumn and into early winter, these Asters just keep on flowering, making sure the garden stays glorious with a splash of dusky pink. Chrysanthemum x hortorum 'Anastasia' is a neat little plant, perfect for the border or a container on the patio where it looks good teamed up with Ivy, Heuchera and other foliage plants. Cut a few sprays for colour indoors: these Chrysanthemums make a great cut flower too. Height 60cm (24). Spread 60cm (24).
Sky blue is a very welcome colour for garden flowers so Corydalis flexuosa ?Purple Leaf' needs serious consideration if you are looking for a change from pink, red and yellow blooms. Purple Leaf Corydalis has delicate fern-like purple foliage tinged with red forming a backdrop to the long tubular flowers rising above the mound of foliage from May to mid summer. This Corydalis needs to be placed in a border, rock garden or woodland area that benefits from dappled shade where it will grow to form clumps. Height: 15cm (6). Spread: 50cm (19).
The tall spires of the Red Hot Poker are equally at home in the cottage garden, exotic garden, or wildlife garden. Above dense clumps of evergreen foliage, the scarlet-orange and yellow blooms of Kniphofia 'Fire Dance' are an old favourite of the mixed border, still just as popular today. Loved by bees and butterflies, the Torch Lily is also rabbit proof, making it a useful choice in rural gardens. Height: 50cm (20) Spread: 60cm (24).
Named after the 'rainbow', this neat little perennial shows off its vibrant, tropical-coloured flowers, some single, some double, blooming all the way from May to September. Lewisia cotyledon 'Regenbogen' is known to be one of the most colourful mixes of Lewisia available. The blooms grow on short stems above neat rosettes of evergreen foliage. Lewisia likes hot, dry conditions and is drought tolerant once established. It will cope with cooler summers and can be overwintered outdoors if protected from wet weather. Height: 25cm (10). Spread: 30cm (12).
Ligularia dentata 'Midnight Lady' is an unusual hardy perennial, for it flourishes in damp and shady areas. This tolerance makes it well-suited to dark corners, pond edges and other tricky parts of the garden. In July and August, it produces lovely, yellow daisy flowers, which complement its bronze foliage. These blooms attract bees and butterflies, making the plant a valuable addition to wildlife gardens. In fact, all creatures great and small love this Ligularia - apart from pesky rabbits and deer, who don't tend to feed on it. Height: 1m (3'3). Spread: 75cm (1'6).
Purple Loosestrife can be the mainstay of summer planting as it offers height and colour towards the end of the summer season when you are craving something new. Lythrum salicaria ?Robin' can be very long-flowering and with those towering spikes of beautiful pinky-purple flowers, it will provide interest when other plants are starting to fade. It's the perfect plant for gardening beginners because all they require is a position in a moist, sunny border and they will delight year after year. Height: 90cm (36). Spread: 45cm (18).
Often called Diplacus, Monkey Flower or Musk, Mimulus x cultorum 'Major Bees' is a fantastic plant for growing near ponds or in damp shady corners of the garden. It has exotic, yellow, trumpet-shaped flowers, mottled with red markings, that bloom between June and August. As well as a being a plant for borders, they are also suitable for growing in planters, such as stone urns, that are in shaded areas. Height and spread: 50cm (20).