Year Round Interest

Acacia pravissima is a completely whacky and remarkable member of the Mimosaceae family.  One can expect a breath-taking abundance of bright yellow flowers in the form of tiny pom-poms.  These flowers usually form during late summer and sit on the ...

'Mountain Agave' from high altitude forests of Mexico, this is one of the hardiest varieties, suitable for planting out in milder parts of the country such as coastal gardens, will survive the winter in well drained dry conditions.  Montana has ma...

Rarely offered on the market this Agave has an unusual form due to the tightly held leaves. It occurs at elevations up to 8000ft so should tolerate dry cold to at least -6C. It has great symmetry making it a wonderful specimen for pot culture Positio...

A fantastic Aloe closely related to Aloe vera which is proven to be hardy down to at least -10 degrees centigrade. Aloe striatula grows fairly quickly into an architectural multi-stemmed specimen around 1 metre in height and spread. Site in a sunny p...

The Monkey Puzzle Tree is instantly recognisable and a well known feature in many gardens throughout the country.  Botanically known as Araucaria araucana, the Money Puzzle Tree originates from Chile where it grows in impressive forest groups.  Ara...

Chamaerops humilis is a spectacular and hugely versatile hardy palm suitable for growing in many British Gardens. Often known as the Mediterranean Fan Palm, Chamearops are tough adaptable palms happy in arid hot Mediterranean climes whilst being equa...

This Chamaerops palm is a recent introduction from a spectacular palm grower in Italy.  It is a superb selection of the well known form Chamaerops humilis 'Volcano', differing from 'Volcano' by consistently growing very compact, dense and uniform le...

This super blue Chamaerops, Chamaerops humilis 'Cerifera' is every bit as tough as its cousin but tends to be slightly smaller and slower growing. This palm was fairly recently introduced into the UK originally from the high Atlas mountains in Morocc...

Wonderfully scented, star-shaped, white flowers appear from pink tinted buds in late spring among glossy, aromatic 'fruit gum' scented, dark green leaves, often having a second flush of flowers in the autumn.  This handsome, compact and easy to grow...

Cordyline australis, the Cabbage Palm or Torbay Palm is not actually a palm but has a palm like appearance naturally originating from New Zealand. It is amongst the easiest exotic plants to grow with 'Pink Champagne' being a particularly striking var...

Cordyline australis, the Cabbage Palm is not actually a palm, but it's a good fit with them. It is one of the easiest exotic plants to grow and 'Torbay Dazzler' is a particularly striking variety with green and cream stripes. It is very tolerant of w...

Dasylirion serratifolium is amongst one of the most dramatic and architectural plants. Thin strap-like leaves are covered with tiny spines along both sides, with the mature plant reaching a round 1.5 metres in height and spread. Suitable for a very h...

Elaeagnus x ebbingei 'Compacta' is a vigorous shrub with glossy, dark green leaves with a silver sheen and underside. Tiny, very sweetly fragrant creamy white flowers are produced on the stems amongst the leaves in late summer followed by small, oran...

Eriobotrya japonica 'Rose Anne' is a brilliant new variety of the Loquat Tree. I first discovered 'Rose Anne' growing at small family run propagation nursery in Belgium where the grower told me that this Eriobotrya was discovered growing in a garden...

A beautiful hardy medium sized shrub with unusual ‘winged’ corkey stems. Euonymous alatus makes a perfect architectural specimen in the garden with year round interest. During winter the bare branches are a bold feature followed in spring with lu...

Fatsia japonica 'Spider's Web' is a heavily speckled form of this bushy, rounded, suckering, evergreen shrub with leathery, glossy, deeply-lobed, dark green and creamy-white leaves.  Clusters of small white flowers in autumn are followed by black fr...

Glycyrrhiza yunnanensis is a plant that stopped us in our tracks whilst on our travels.  A spectacular liquorice relative with the most extraordinary seed heads which follow lilac flowers.  The flowers sit upon tall, upright stems and turn from lil...

Hydrangea anomala petiolaris is an excellent climbing species with glossy, finely toothed leaves and many attractive lace-cap white flowers in summer. Self clinging, this deciduous climber thrives in sun or shade and is very useful where a flowering ...

Kalopanax septemlobus sometimes known as the tree aralia or castor aralia is super jungly exotic looking Asian tree with outrageous spiky trunks and branches and lush large palmate leaves. I first saw this plant growing in a plant collectors garden i...

Laurus nobilis, The Bay Tree, is a conical evergreen tree or large shrub with glossy, dark green, aromatic leaves. During early summer masses of sulphar tiny flowers are produced much loved by bees and other pollinaters. Will respond very well to pru...

Nandina domestica, Sacred Bamboo, is a much under-rated evergreen shrub from China which isn't actually a bamboo..  It reaches no more than 1.8 metres in height and is covered in masses of tiny leaves.  After a good, hot summer and a couple of fros...

Nandina 'Woods Dwarf' Nandina 'Woods Dwarf' is a beautiful compact form of Nandina domestica, often known as Heavenly Bamboo. 'Woods Dwarf' rarely grows more than 120cm in height and has a dense, leafy habit. Perhaps its strongest feature is that the...

Daisy Bush, Arorangi. An upright shrub with holly-like glossy, dark green leaves and dense clusters of fragrant, daisy-like, white flowers with a reddish brown eye in summer. Height 6m. Spread 5m. Flower colour White. Flowers from June to August. Eve...

Phormium tenax 'Bronze Baby' is a striking variety of the New Zealand Flax.  It boasts long, beautiful dark bronze coloured architectural foliage. Being 'everbronze' it is a great plant for any garden adding a bold statement within mixed borders or ...