Acer palmatum 'Butterfly', with its dense, upright habit, forms an attractive small tree or specimen plant in a patio container. The attractive foliage of this hardy deciduous Japanese Maple features variegated mid green leaves with delicate cream and pink serrated margins. A really spectacular plant to add to your garden, no matter where it is planted.
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.
Ferns are a great addition in any garden, offering architectural forms as their fronds uncurl. Give them a relatively shady position and they will thrive. Fern 'Ghost' is a dusky green-grey colour. Ht. 30- 50cm. Supplied as plug plants.
Description for Sollya heterophylla 'Ultra Blue' not available
Sweet tasting and juicy apples ready to harvest in September and October, with amazing red flesh. Ideal for eating fresh, cooking and making pink apple juice. The tree itself bears attractive, deep crimson blossom, making it an excellent ornamental centrepiece in the spring garden, allotment or orchard. Ht. 2m. Supplied in 9cm pot.
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 welcome springtime evergreen perennial, Arabis caucasica 'Pixie Cream' or Rock Cress produces dozens of small fragrant blooms with cream petals and yellow centres complemented by cushions of grey-green foliage. This alpine plant is a good choice for rock gardens, nestling into wall crevices, patio containers or as attractive ground cover in hot sunny borders. When the plant is established it will be drought tolerant and easy to maintain. Bees will make a bee-line for Arabis as it's a good source of nectar during the early part of the season. Height: 10cm (4). Spread: 25cm (10).
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).
Description for Knautia macedonica 'Melton Pastels' not available
A late flowering herbaceous perennial, Aster novi belgii 'Karminkuppel' produces masses of daisy flowers, with purple petals and yellow centres, in late summer through to mid autumn. A lovely addition to any cottage garden, priarie style meadow borders and wildlife gardens, especially those with a colour palette of pinks, blues, purples and white. The nectar rich flowers are a great food source for bees and butterflies. Height: 90cm (36). Spread: 50cm (20).
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).
Aster novi belgii 'Rosa Perle' or more commonly known as Michaelmas Daisy, or New York Aster is a vibrant and informal flowering perennial that is great for providing late summer / early autumn colour to borders. The daisy flowers have lavender-pink petals with yellow centres and are great for many types of garden styles, including cottage, contemporary and priarie. The plant has masses of flowers when in bloom and it is a superb plant for attracting bees and butterflies. Height and Spread: 50cm (20).
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.
Easy to grow and perfect for rockeries, borders, hedges and even municipal parks and gardens, Potentilla ?Abbotswood' is a compact shrub with an abundance of 4cm wide pristine white flowers amongst attractively shaped foliage. Potentilla are real workhorse in the garden as they can flower from April through to September when the foliage turns a rich red to close the season. Shrubby Cinquefoil as it's often called has many varieties and colours but the calming white blooms of Potentilla 'Abbotswood' are very welcome in a busy garden and nectar loving insects will appreciate the flowers too. Height: 75cm (30). Spread: 120cm (60).
Bring a contemporary twist to your spring displays with this modern split-corona Daffodil. The centre of each large, white bloom is a ruffled, apricot rosette which gradually changes to golden yellow as each flower matures.
Weigela ?Magic Carpet? is a fantastic new variety of Weigela with unique apricot orange foliage.
With its exotic glossy green serrated-edged leaves, this is a great choice for a shady corner of the garden. The Sweet Tea Vine grows quickly, providing ground cover or scrambling up a wall in no time at all. In summer it has small pale yellow flowers followed by black fruits. Gynostemma pentaphyllum, also known as Jiaogulan, comes from the forests of China where it is used as a medicinal herb. It is a tender plant, best protected from frost, so if possible it should be grown in a container and brought under cover in winter. Height and Spread: Up to 4m (13').
Courgette ?Goldmine? comes from the best of British breeding offering gorgeous yellow courgettes with stunning pale cream stripes and a white flesh which will catch your eye in any veg plot or allotment.
Hemerocallis Daylily 'Stella in Red' is the perfect choice for beginner gardeners or those with smaller gardens and will grow in most pot or garden border positions. Each crimson red, lightly scented Daylily flower will, as the name suggests, last for just one day but the mass of flowers per plant will ensure continuous summer colour. The dark green foliage provides a delightful backdrop to the stunning blooms. Hemerocallis Daylily 'Stella in Red' is a tough variety that is even rabbit proof. Height: 30cm (12) and Spread: 45cm (18).
A beautiful cottage garden favourite, Lavatera 'Barnsley' has white flowers, that turn to soft pink over the summer. They grow profusely on long arching stems. It is a great plant for attracting bees and butterflies, making it a good addition to wildlife gardens. It grows vigourously and can fill a gap in a border in just one growing season. This Mallow also looks great planted in stone planters or large terracotta pots. Height and spread: 2m (6').